A Poem in Devotion to God
March 12th, 2018
Medium: Poetry.
Week 7: Muslim Devotion in Local Contexts.
Title: A Poem in Devotion to God
Zikr Kerna Na Mumkin Hai
It is impossible to praise you
Shukr Kerna Lazim Hai
But an obligation to thank you
Hisaab Kerna Na Mumkin Hai
It is impossible to account in front of you
Jawaab Dena Lazim Hai
But an obligation to answer you
Subah Se Shaam Hojaey
As dawn descends into dusk
Zindagi Tamaam Hojaey
And my life recedes into nothing
Shumaar Kerne Beythoon Toh
As I sit down to praise you
Lafz Bhi Tamaam Hojayien
Even words amount to nothing
This course has particularly emphasized the importance of artistic expression in Islamic tradition. We have learned about how this artistic expression is expressed within the local context and how local cultural and traditional practices are incorporated into an expression of religious devotion. In Week 6, we saw one particular example of this in the Ta’ziyah among the many others we have seen throughout this course.
In this piece, I’ve tried to carry through with this idea of artistically expressing Islam by incorporating local tradition, which in my case is South Asian poetry. I’ve written this short poem in my native language Urdu and have provided a translation of the poem in English as well.
The central idea behind this poem is that God’s magnificence is incomprehensible to the human mind and how this results in a, seemingly, insurmountable challenge for Muslims.
In this short poem, I mention some of the obligations that a Muslim has to fulfill in this life and the afterlife and how, when viewed from a broader lens, they seem almost impossible. For example, by saying that it is impossible to praise God, I call on the idea that God’s positive attributes are infinite, and a mere human being can never fully comprehend God’s splendor let alone do justice to it through his praise.
Furthermore, I also write that it is impossible for a human being to for his actions in front of God, making an indirect allusion to the concept that a mere human cannot withstand God’s presence. This particular point was evident when the following Quranic verse that narrated Moses’s encounter with God was mentioned in class:
“When Moses came to the place appointed by Us and his Lord addressed him, he said ‘O my Lord! Show yourself to me that I may look upon You.’ God said ‘By no means can you see Me; but look upon the mountain; if it abides in its place then you shall see Me.’ When his Lord manifested His glory on the mount, He made it as dust and Moses fell down in a swoon.” Quran 7:143
Yet, even though both tasks are impossible they are also an obligation to every Muslim. This idea of having an obligation to do what seems impossible further underscores the many challenges that Muslims must overcome in their daily life, challenges that truly highlight the meaning of the term Islam – submitting to God’s will.
April 26th, 2018 at 3:00 pm
Awesome Poem … I just Love this Poem …