Poems for Salgirah: The Noor of Imamat Breathing with the Trillion Stars….and OOops (the Optimistically Out of Poverty Society) by Navyn Naran

13 December 2013

Poems for Salgirah: ALI by Sherali Kara

12 December 2013

(English translation follows this transliteration from Hindi)

ALI

By Sherali Kara

Hum jiyenge aur jiyenge sirf ALI tere liye.
Ruhani bache tere hai, Haath thaam ke rakhna ALI.

Tub bhi ALI he thaa, Ab hai tu Hazar Imam ALI.
Taa qayamat tak rahenga Hayul Qayum ALI ALI.

Kya tariqat shaan hai teri.
Khub haqiqi jalwa hai tera.
Kya noorani tevar tere hai.
Shaan e Khuda tu hi ALI hai.

Teri Hidayat se ALI hum jaamat ne taraqi ke.
Lakho Abjo sukhran karo ‘Sukran ALI Sukhran ALI

Is salegrah ke jasn me kya dena hai tujhe ALI.
Khub ibaadat aur khidmat jum kar karna hume ALI.

English Translation

We will again and again serve ALI, you and you only.
We are your spiritual children, hold our hands tight.

You were ALI of the past, now you are Hazar Imam ALI.
You will be physically forever, Always Present and Everliving ALI ALI

What a tariqat greatness you have.
What a haqiqi brightness you posses.
With the Noorani enlightenment in you O ALI.
You are the greatness of GOD, only you ALI.

With your guidance, we jamat have prospered.
Millions and billions of thank you ALI, thank you ALI

On this Occasion of your Salgirah (Birthday),
what do we need to give you? O ALI.
Lots and Lot of Ibaadat and Khidmat by us is our gift to you. O ALI

Date posted: Friday, December 13, 2013.

___________

Author’s note: When I mention the word ALI, I am referring to the ALI who has been with us from the beginning of time and will remain with us till the end of time. Also, ALI here refers to all the Imams and not simply the first Imam, Hazrat Ali.

About the author: Since his teenage years, Sherali Kara, now fifty-three, has taken a keen interest in furthering his spiritual knowledge, and over the years has developed a deep spiritual and esoteric insight into several ayats from the Holy Qur’an, Ismaili ginans and qasidas. He hails from a family that has a long tradition of Khidmat (service) in the Ismaili Jamat. His mother, Malekbibi Kara, was called the “ginan queen” of her time. Mr. Kara composes poems and couplets specifically on the theme of ALI. He lives in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai, and provides Realty Advisory services.

Ismaili Ginan “Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai”, an explanation by Shiraz Pradhan, with recitation

10 September 2013

1 Comment

The Ginan Ek Shabda Suno Mere Bhai by Pir Shams is a summary of the initial step of Ismaili Spirituality. An MP3 of the Ginan rendered by Mohammad (Mac) Virjee of Vancouver accompanies a short commentary and translation by Shiraz Pradhan.

Please click: Ismaili Spirituality in Pir Shams Shabzwari’s Ginan “Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai”, accompanied with recitation

Gujarati transliteration of the Ginan “Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai” attributed to Pir Shams. Please click on image for article.

A Reflection on the Tragedy in Karachi

15 August 2013

16 Comments

Editor’s note: For the first time in recent memory, an act of violence and terror was directed against the Ismaili community on Wednesday, August 13, 2013 at two of their Jamatkhanas located in Karachi. Two deaths as well as several dozen injuries were reported by the media in Pakistan. It was indeed a sad day for Ismailis and non-Ismailis alike. Statements of condemnation were issued by numerous sources, and were particularly reported on Pakistan TV networks. A peaceful and generous community had been targeted senselessly by individuals who do not value life, the most precious gift from Allah.

Navyn Naran reflects on the tragedy that has brought profound sadness to countless people. We pray that peace prevails in the entire nation of Pakistan which has seen so much sectarian violence over the past two decades. We also pray for the peace and rest of the departed souls from this tragedy, and wish everyone who was injured from this act of terror quick and complete recovery.

(Following Navyn Naran’s reflection we have provided a few external links to stories and comments about the tragedy)

Of Karimabad, A Place of Generosity

By Navyn Naran

it was a place of comfort, a quiet haven in the wood
a cove where a mother fish and her young made home,
by the bank of a trickling brook,
he found solace there in this nook.
hot it became day by day, how shallow the water and nightly he prayed,
would there be rain droplets, just some?
it rained everywhere on earth it seemed, but here in this city,
the brook was drying
the fish drew closer to the bottom.
“Rain! please rain!” his heart implored
taking a few bottles of water, near the fish he poured.
And then the beginning of the end, it came!
Bhoommm!!! Crashh! lightning cracked
the heavens opened and buckets of rain fell
he danced in his shorts, his hair flying wet around his face,
his feet drenched in his sneakers,
soaked from the lovely rain.

A mother and a child, many people.
A man finds it not easy to cry
But today men cried as bodies bled
and lives were hurt
What was the sense of the two scenes?
The boy, his heart generous, is a seesaw with yours
His action against yours.
What is the message you were sending?
A message of good? Of right? Of admiration? Of envy? Of strength?
few on this earth will agree.
People were praying!
Prayers for peace where there is conflict
For health where there is illness
For abundance where there is poverty
in those prayer halls women and men seek to better their world
in Karimabad

The Karachi Bomb Attackes

Cowards!! you are cowards, envisioning bloodshed,
tormenting your fellow-man, with nothing gained,
Just Loss.
Our Loss.
For the mothers and children, the men and women you kill
are still alive within our hearts. That,
you can never take.
‘Do not take a life’ it is said, ‘for it is like taking all mankind’.
and who will you face then, but the Face of God?

Is it fear of peace, of the goodness of humanity which sickens you?
That there could be unity amid the plurality
does that threaten your space?
Is the Aga Khan and his teaching abominable to you?
Is the education and growth despicable to you?
How will you erase the entire goodness in humanity?
How will you bow to Nature’s Hand?

For we are one…have you read ?
From one woman and one man we came, do you know?
The family you cared for is the same one you killed.
What did it benefit you?
It is in ripples, you fearful man.
It is in ripples we send an energy;
and behind us is the force of the world.
Beside us is the force of the Universe.
cast a stone into a quiet pool and see ripples form…
Fight for an ethic
befitting your home

Date posted: Thursday, August 15, 2013.
Date updated: Friday, August 16, 2013 (links to stories on the tragedy, see below)

Copyright: Navyn Naran/Simerg.

____________

The tragedy on external websites:

1. Victims Laid to Rest
2. So then to this now
3. Three killed in bomb blasts on I-Day Eve
4. Consecutive blasts in Karachi Jamaat Khana leaves 2 dead, 28 injured
5. Altaf Hussain condemns attacks on Ismaili Jamaat Khanas
6. Two Ismaili Shias Killed in hand grenade attack
7. Violent evening

Dr. Navyn Naran was born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, to Anaar and Badrudin Naran. After beginning her high school in the UK, her family immigrated to the USA where she has lived since. Dr. Naran went to medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. She currently works in Paediatric Critical Care.

A Kaleidoscope of Inspiring and Uplifting Poetry for Imamat Day

6 July 2013

5 Comments

EXPRESSIONS OF MYSTICAL AND ESOTERIC LOVE FOR HAZAR IMAM

Ismailis throughout the world celebrated the Golden Jubilee of their 49th Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, Mawlana Shah Karim al-Hussaini, during the period July 11, 2007 – December 13, 2008. Part of the commemorative festivities in Europe included an exclusive project, entitled “Festival of Poetic Expressions”, produced and directed by Aitmadi Dr. Aziz Kurwa, under the aegis of the His Highness the Aga Khan Ismaili Council for the United Kingdom.

The Festival of Poetic Expressions - A Golden Jubilee Initiative by His Highness Prince Aga Khan Shia Imami Ismaili Council for the United Kingdom.

The common theme underlying each performance was the expression of mystical and esoteric love the Ismailis have for their Imam of the Time.

Such expressions have resonated throughout Ismaili history, because Ismaili doctrine has always emphasized the principle of the Unity of Imamat where the Ismailis affirm that each Imam, as bearer of the Noor of Imamat starting with Hazrat Ali (a.s.), is the same irrespective of his own age or the time he lives.

Group photo of the participants and organziers of the

Group photo of the participants and organizers of the “Festival of Poetic Expressions”

Thus the poems selected below are timeless, and we hope they instill happiness in the heart of every Ismaili as they celebrate the 56th Imamat Day of Mawlana Hazar Imam on July 11th.

MY ULTIMATE DESIRE

عندما تأتي يأتي النور

Victoria Niema Alhaj

عندما تأتي يأتي النور
إمامي أنت مولانا
معك نشعر بالسعادة والامان
أنت إمامي
أنت حبيبي
أحب أن أراك دائما
لك حبي ياشاه كريم

By Niema Victoria Alhaj

O my Imam
when you come
comes the Nur.

You’re our Mawla,
and you give us
happiness and protection.

O Shah Karim,
you are my beloved Imam,
and to see you
is my ultimate desire.

_____________

Niema, pictured above, was born in Stockholm, to Syrian parents. Niema knows many Arabic Qasidas and Qur’anic Surahs by heart. She also has many talents including composing poetry, writing short stories, painting, and sports including Taekwondo (gained green belt) and swimming (has many diplomas).

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KALEIDOSCOPE OF FAITH

By Zainul Nasser

Takhtnashini in Nairobi
An event so momentous,
So significant
My heart is filled with wonder
And childish piety

Giving Bay’ah in Mombasa
Hazar Imam’s gentle hand
On my bowed shoulder
Benign, protective

The kaleidoscope is set
In simple, comforting patterns
Glowing brightly throughout childhood

Religion is woven
Through our lives
Jamatkhana as familiar
As our homes
Pictures of Hazar Imam
Surround us
A constant, reassuring presence

Childhood ends
And with it certainty
New ideas, new experiences
Overwhelm me
For a while, my inattentive soul
Loses its way
The familiar patterns
Seem blurred and distorted

But I am blessed
At Palace Gate we students
Sit at Hazar Imam’s feet
So fortunate
In this small, intimate setting
Hazar Imam’s gaze
Seems to rest on me
Infinitely understanding, infinitely merciful

My struggling soul is rewarded
Focus is restored
The patterns in the kaleidoscope
Acquire coherence, depth and sparkle

And over the years
The colours dim or brighten
But the patterns remain steady
And my hopeful soul
Journeys on
Towards
Golden Jubilee Imamat day

We come together
In joyous anticipation
Our hearts beguiled
By fervent Zikr tasbis, qasidah
And the rousing ‘Munajat’

We are shown
Hazar Imam’s untiring efforts
To help the needy
To bring hope and harmony and beauty
Everywhere
A shining beacon in a time of darkness
Our hearts sing with pride
We are inspired
We are humbled

And we are blessed
With the Irshad
So caring and compassionate
So full of love, wisdom and goodness

The kaleidoscope clicks
Into perfect symmetry
The colours polished to a lustrous luminescence
The child in me
Exults in the jewelled splendour
My imperfect soul
Is filled with gratitude
At this gift, this grace
And prays for it to last.

_____________

Zainul Nasser ( nee Karmali ) was born in Mombasa and grew up there. She came to the U.K. as an undergraduate and has lived here ever since.

Zainul has an Honours degree in English from Bristol University and a Postgraduate Degree in Education. She taught English in secondary schools in Birmingham for several years. She also served on various committees including Education and Women’s activities.

Zainul is married with three grown up children. She now lives in Sutton Coldfield, indulging her passion for reading and occasionally writing poetry.

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THE MORNING SUN

Zahira Virani

By Zahira Virani

Excited, mesmerised momins, full of expectancy,
full of love and joy
Communal love beyond any I have ever witnessed
An empty reservoir waiting to be filled
A hungry child awaiting its delayed meal
The desert gasping for its monsoon

Roses, jasmine and freesia release clouds
from the intoxicating agarbati
Rising and raising me higher and higher
till I land on a cloud
I become an eagle that soars
to dazzling heights in expectation
That knows the further it goes
the more bounteous its reward

Bump
Down to earth, bustling shuffling,
quick fire steps of volunteers Salwaat continuous,
rolling around in echoes and ripples of anticipation
Waezeen moving off the stage and evoking
a collective in-take of breath
Then chokingly a salwaat comes out
trickling water on a dry plant
Gently, gently but truly, truly
A teasing moment till it spills forth
the presence of Our Lord!

Overwhelmingly a wave upon a wave
of heat envelopes my heart and my mind
I lose my ability to focus,
through an uncontrollable gush of tears
I find my head bows,
surely my eyes are not worthy
To glimpse his face
Yet the presence opens a door in my heart,
where I can see glory
beyond my dreams
The family of momins around me
embrace me without arms, we are one

I am in union with them and my Lord
We are a garden of flowers resplendent
in the glory of the morning sun

~~~~~~

THE DANCING HEART

Greg Traynor

By Greg Traynor

Come [let’s] celebrate this golden year with sitar, lute and tabla
Clear the well-spring maple floor for dandia and rasra.
Tread the flattened, reddened earth.
The verdant grass, the seashore.
Clap your hands, Lift up your feet
– Be happy!

From mountain top in high Pamir to Ganges’ muddy waters,
From old folks in Portugal to Toronto’s sons and daughters
Will all join hands and navigate
Their way around the dance floor
Our hearts exult, our souls inspired.
– We are happy!

Pale ghosts of Alamut arise! Come, join in this occasion!
Scholars of al-Azhar’s red towers and saints of every nation!
Raise up your voices, all in praise.
Our Imam’s life to cherish
We, the living, wish to dance and sing
– So happy!

Our Imam’s fifty golden years witness his dedication,
His Dancing Heart has guided the formation
Of our joyous souls,
His thoughtful words have nourished and
His Farmans have enlightened.
Our dance will show we want to make
Him happy.

Greg Traynor presented the Dancing Heart as a non-Ismaili spouse. He lives in Ireland.

~~~~~~~~~

Date posted: Saturday, July 6, 2013.
Last updated: October 15, 2010.

Please also click The Festival of Poetic Expressions to learn about the festival and read more poems presented at the festival.

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The Ismaili Munajat Ya Ali Khuba Mijalas: Translation and Explanation by Sadrudin K. Hassam

16 June 2013

Remembering Laila Lokhandwalla Through Her Loving Golden Jubilee Tribute to Mawlana Hazar Imam

7 May 2013

20 Comments

LAILA LOKHANDWALLA

It is with deep regret and sorrow that we announce the passing of Laila Lokhandwalla in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday May 5, 2013 at the age of 55. Our heartfelt condolences go to Ms. Lokhandwalla’s family and friends, and we pray for the eternal peace and rest of Laila’s soul. Her funeral ceremonies took place at the Scarborough Jamatkhana on Thursday, May 9th, with special religious ceremonies for the departed soul later during the evening at the Headquarters Jamatkhana.

Laila Lokhandwalla was born and raised in India. Following her graduation in the early 1980’s from the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, England, Laila moved to Canada where she served with the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board for a number of years. She obtained her B.A. in Sociology from York University, Toronto, and thereafter, her graduate level Certificate in Teaching ESL, from George Brown College, Toronto. Professionally she was a teacher of ESL (English as a Second Language).

An articulate and engaging teacher as well as an Alwaeza (missionary), Laila also wrote beautiful and stirring poetry. Several of her poems and writings were published in Ismaili literary magazines around the world, including the flagship quarterly periodical Ilm published by the UK Ismaili Tariqah Board. In many of her poems, she sought to capture her immense love, affection and devotion to Mawlana Hazar Imam (His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Muslims).

Following the completion of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee, Laila penned a special poem “Reflections of the Golden Jubilee” which was published on this website, along with a personal statement expressing her fondness for writing.

We pay our respect and tribute to Laila Lokhandwalla by re-publishing some of her pieces below, and invite the readers to also click on A Spring Poem for Shah Karim. We begin though with reflections about Laila from her former colleagues at the Institute of Ismaili Studies.

~~~

Tributes to Laila from Her Colleagues

From Mumtaz Virani, Toronto

Further to the above sad announcement about Laila, I would like to inform readers that a collection of Laila’s poems that has been published is available on-line at the following link: http://thewisdomofourhearts.com/.

Laila had been a bright student during her school career. She had inherited melodious voice from her mother who used to sing at the radio station in 1960’s in India. Laila had a special flair for arts and culture and had a strong command on English language because of her convent education.

She loved music and dancing. We witnessed her Kathak dance presentations at the parties during our student days at the Institute of Ismaili Studies in early 80’s. When in good spirit she was a well rounded person and it was easy to fall in love with her.

We pray that her soul may rest in peace. Ameen.

* * *

From Alnoor B. Kassam

At heart, Laila was one of a kind… a flower ripe for He Who Is, departed at our loss, well before her time… Her effervescence of mind was known only to those who’d sat with her during sessions of learning. How she challenged anyone shy of intellectual rigour, and yet was always keen to adapt to innovative trends of thought! Hers was a life we may thus celebrate.

Sure, there were challenges. She bore them with grace. And we know that Allah SubhaanaHu wa Ta’ala is Gracious, and He has now bestowed her with liberation of spirit. As it says in the Qur’an ash-Sharif, those who have passed on are even more alive than we are in this world, only we lack capacity in that we neither sense nor fathom it…

Her zeal each time we had an IIS alumni conference will be held in fond memory. Her intellectual honesty coupled with dedication to her vocation, was just as remarkable as it was sincere.

May she have well earned rest, in eternal peace, grace and blessing…

Please also see comments.

~~~

My Interest and Love for Poetry

By Laila Lokhandwalla

I have been writing poetry in English since childhood. I started out with writing devotional poems in praise of Mawlana Hazar Imam (His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th Imam of Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims), but I now have a collection of more than forty poems on various subjects, including politics, women’s and social issues as well as inspirational poems and poems celebrating nature. Besides poems, I have also written some geets (devotional songs set to music), in praise of Hazar Imam, in Gujarati and Urdu. I sometimes also write poetry in Gujarati and Urdu. However, most of my literary work is in the English language.

The love of religion, philosophy and social work, besides of course the pure love of language, especially the English language, have resulted in the poetry that has literally poured out of my soul. I have never really had to make an effort to write poetry. It has always automatically poured forth from my very being whenever I have been moved by anything in life. My poetry is the result of my life experiences and my feelings and thoughts on whatever I have experienced and lived.

_______________

Reflections on the Golden Jubilee

By Laila Lokhandwalla

The sun dawned in the East and slowly but surely,

Lighted up every corner of the globe, in stages, successively,

The earth looked like a newly wedded bride in its enlightened décor,

Even as my Mawla was visiting Jamats, scattered across the globe, one after another,

Illuminating hearts and sparking minds, spreading joy and enlightenment,

Bringing prosperity and progress, breeding hope and encouragement…

This was indeed a special dawn…the dawn of a golden era,

The celebration of the Golden Jubilee of my beloved Mawla!

Excitement within, the tempo building,

Hearts in unison, merrily dancing…

Celebrating in a multitude of ways,

These unique, precious, historic days!

Canada launches several projects new,

To commemorate and celebrate this event…

And to their Imam, their vows they renew,

Pledging love and loyalty with this golden advent!

The Aga Khan Museum and for Pluralism – The Global Centre,

The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat and The Ismaili Centre,

In their wake, planning a renewal,

A renaissance: cultural, social, intellectual and spiritual!

What exciting times, the future seems bright in prospect,

How immense the bounties, the blessings of the Imamat!

Could this be real, I am moved,

May I help build this future, as I am encouraged?

For that’s not all, there’s more to come…

My Imam directs, these things must be done:

Poverty must be eliminated,

Seniors must be supported,

Education and Religious Education, quality should reflect,

And walls that divide, must be replaced with bridges that unite…

Witnessing these times, I am blessed, I am thinking…

Even as I see the sun setting,

Slowly also setting upon this golden time…

Yet, the hope, the courage, the happiness, does not seem to dim!

The impact was so strong,

The memory shall linger on…

Forever more, to fuel energies and to inspire,

As to accomplish tasks and resolutions pledged, we thus aspire.

Spiritually renewed, yet humbled by all these graces,

I fall into a prayerful ecstasy, my heart races…

“Shukran, shukran, shukran”, repeats my inner soul’s voice,

In a rhythm that is endless and continuous…

For I envisage my Mawla, you’ve opened up the doors graciously,

To ever-increasing happiness and prosperity, endlessly…

Shukranalhamdulillah!

Date posted: Tuesday May 7, 2013
Date updated: Saturday, May 11, 2013.

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We welcome your messages and feedback. Please complete the comments box below or send your an email to simerg@aol.com.

2013 Navroz Readings: (IV) “Amen Khudavind” and “Hope” by Navyn Naran

21 March 2013

2 Comments

“AMEN KHUDAVIND”

Enlightenment

a window opens.

a green meadow, lush
new tufts of grass under her feet,
running across these verdant, undulating hills.
weathering the storms past,
she tills the moist, brown soil.
emerald shoots peer fresh as a new-born baby’s cheeks
what news will spring bring?
what did i sow?
and how will i reap?

“i’m late to catch the train!
stop at the lights.
did i grab my lunch? my ticket?
presentation is 7am , room 337”
huffing up the stairs,
“did i remember my gym bag?
will he remember to call the dentist?
what will we eat tonight?
ok, gather self and be ready
here comes the first of the audience”

everyone is looking ahead
while living in the present.
i prayed for siratal mustaqu’eem,
and iman ji salamat
for jan, mal, aal, izat and abru…
thumb on my chin and finger resting on my lip i ponder…
“but did i keep balanced?
did i make an ethical choice?”
was there time for my spiritual space
or did i let it go another day?

“this is such a mirage in Time!”
i sit back resting in my chair…
like a continual accordion of days
as if in pieces we organise it.
each ritual is a reminder,
as practice of submission and perfection
towards a stillness of thought and mind.

if you stop and give your Time
there will be naught but LIFE
a philanthropic donation if you will,
to venture out of the chatter or vision
familiar to oneself

“it’s Navroz”
and am i too rushed to notice?
Time does not rush…it provides, as promised,
sunshine, blossom and rains
if only we disrupted not its natural flow.
“have i done my work?”
do i stop long enough to reflect and answer?
the undulating specks or motion of time as we see,
are pregnant with change and gift
what was my gift to Mawla?
was it something i thought would “just happen”
by virtue of my breath?
or did i consciously plan and rise?
there is always the next second
“yet tomorrow never comes”.
so we live in the present with regard to future
and miss the essence because we are expectant.

Mawlana Hazar Imam said
“I say to you all on Navroz,
Navroz Mubarak.
I pray that in this New Year your worldly and your spiritual happiness should progress tenfold
and that this be the case every year.”

“Amen, Khudavind”

a window opens.
into a prayer hall of contemplative men and women
only their souls are alight

will mine enter here today?

~~~~~~~~~

HOPE

Spring Day Around the World

Syria, your hopes and your struggles
are not forgotten,
nor forgotten are other struggles in our world
Navroz Mubarak to all around the globe
we look forward with HOPE
as time promises a new morning,
so Navroz promises a New Day.

a day of peace, good health, security,
a day when stranger greets stranger like brother and sister
where as children, our compassion and tolerance burn bright
for all wish for goodness and grace
even the earth’s submissive tilt
renders it perfect for season and change

the sun on this spring equinox
equates the day and the night
and symmetry magically stabilises our earth in motion
now daylight will become unbroken in the North, as ying,
and darkness will cover southern skies as yang
let us breathe
let us pray that all is fresh
and at moment’s peace on Navroz

Date posted: March 21, 2013.

Copyright: Navyn Naran/Simerg

________________

Navyn Naran

Salamiyya and Syria: “Peace Will be Again”

30 January 2013

14 Comments

By Elia Badrudin
Dates in season - Salamiyya, Syria

Salaam , al Salaam, O salaam
to all of humanity, Peace

al Salamiyeh , KNOW that Peace will be again.
the heavens will smile on you again.
all humanity which speaks for Peace
has promised that
the planet has your place

al Salamiyeh, more than a thousand years before
prayers were seeds of this ground
a grassland lying on Syrian steppes
a fertile plain of hope
a soft quiet spawning the golden age
a diverse Ummah immersed with the Fatimids…
you’ve nurtured yourself for the heavens here
and it is not all gone today.
you are not lost to us; neither sand grain lost to the sky.
as hearts are the stronger carrying yours
as anguish is balanced with resolute prayer
transformed, you will return, al Salamiyeh
the world is not asleep.

we are an entire Ummah living together in al Salamiyeh
the world has not left you
nor any other facing terror —
“you may feel alone
but you are not alone”
does not your date tree stand strong in windstorm?
and your smile not nourish your child?
He is “Always with you, Always with you”
remember.
and the world will not sleep.

not dogma, not terror,
there’s no martyrdom in suicide!
whosoever taketh life of another..
brutal condemnation
the bestiality of his own cowardly nature
who will betray your homeland and ours
has fallen to the brainwashing of his idols
and their very own envy

not even an animal kills but of hunger
leave them to their desolate running.
only, the ends of the earth are round
and of the heavens, eternal.
where will they go?

and the world will not sleep
all day and all night
across our globe
Ismailis holding hands with every other faith
for all of Syria and for all your families.
“you are not alone, you are never alone”

our seven days, a satado,
are seven ages of pain vanquished
are hearts awry yet steadfast
and hope takes root in this action
then Time too will make space..

and these fools will not rule
fear not the evils, for though they have drained innocent blood,
their souls and hearts are for His Taking

Salaam , al Salaam, O salaam
to all of humanity, Peace.

~~~~~~~~

Please also see Peaceful Times and Fond Memories of Salamiyya, Syria….Then Terror Strikes Violating the Qur’anic Injunctions on the Sanctity of Life

“Crystal Clear” – A New Year Observation by Navyn Naran

1 January 2013

2 Comments

here’s to crystal magic, clink!
and starlight.
shimmering
cool and clearest,
p e a c e
in the vacuum of purple night
of unseen and
unheard
a magic so hidden
you scarce believe in its reality..
for they say, it is the most real thing there is.

look!
light of all light
shimmering ….
impenetrable,
but yes, conscionable.

clinking glass and platefuls..
musically cheery and
mirrors, mirrors,
reflecting glamour and light
what a happy night!
faces are smiling, lips moving, masterful chatter
practising attitudes.
beautiful shimmers, radiant!
glitter and glory
oh, happy night and new year!

there are sparkles of crystal and bangles
rushes of laughter and giggles
all in tonight…thank you God for this another moment,
thank YOU.
what we have learnt and gained this year,
are Blessings beyond truths.
who have we hurt and cared for?
been hurt by and healed from?
only children make it real delight,
a time of play and being,
a reality of truth

ah yes, a respectable consort you are indeed.
how beautifully perfect.
behind festivities and food and dance and happiness
grateful for the safety and health of your space.
and the world crumbles on

hurting exposures, crying and deceit
lies and lip service
a rich, heavy deep velvet
fertile for an inner fortitude ..
here’s to a very happy new year
in these mirrors of charm.
and he rewards you for your heights and emblems,
‘ there are those i see with my eyes and
there are those i feel with my heart’.
which one am i?
which? in the limelight?
in the mirror perhaps?
flight…
in the crystal shimmers
there’s a seen.
and in magic, we are told,
and perhaps we pray,
and maybe we can really try to believe..
a practice of faith,
in action, yes, perhaps there IS

the unseen.

~~~~

Navyn Naran

About the author: Navyn Naran was born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, to Anaar and Badrudin Naran. After beginning her high school in the UK, her family immigrated to the USA where she has lived since. Navyn went to medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, MA. Dr Naran, has a subspecialty in Paediatric Critical Care.

Simerg – Insights from Around the World

Simerg is an independent initiative dedicated to Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan — their Hereditary Imam — and the Ismaili Imamat, and Islam in general through literary readings, photo essays and artistic expressions

Category Archives: Poetry

Poems for Salgirah: The Noor of Imamat Breathing with the Trillion Stars….and OOops (the Optimistically Out of Poverty Society) by Navyn Naran

ThE NOOR OF IMAMAT….OOops

Poems for Salgirah: ALI by Sherali Kara

ALI

Ismaili Ginan “Ek Shabada Suno Mere Bhai”, an explanation by Shiraz Pradhan, with recitation

A Reflection on the Tragedy in Karachi

A Kaleidoscope of Inspiring and Uplifting Poetry for Imamat Day

The Ismaili Munajat Ya Ali Khuba Mijalas: Translation and Explanation by Sadrudin K. Hassam

Remembering Laila Lokhandwalla Through Her Loving Golden Jubilee Tribute to Mawlana Hazar Imam

Tributes to Laila from Her Colleagues

My Interest and Love for Poetry

Reflections on the Golden Jubilee

2013 Navroz Readings: (IV) “Amen Khudavind” and “Hope” by Navyn Naran

Salamiyya and Syria: “Peace Will be Again”

“Crystal Clear” – A New Year Observation by Navyn Naran