If the hajj prescription was man-made
Or the perception was unguided
Or the journey was merely worldly
Or the custodians were non-vigilant
Hajj would be frustrated
By the evil plotters promised
Never to access the Grand Mosque
Fortified by guides ready and steady
I saw it nearly happen
How I was reactivated by water
Allah knows – water makes life
A multitude from the guests of Allah
Gave up the ghost at Mina
A holy site for hajj
Close to pelting the devil
Irony of a journey to kill the devil
It was on the great Eid Day
Just few hours after their sins
Their whole life shortcomings
At Arafat plains were pardoned
Rejoice sinless departed souls!
What neat books of record!
Yet, what pains for the families
O yea little creatures on earth
From Allah alone we are
And to Him alone we return
Knowing not where and when
How sorrowful, just after a crane mishap
At the count of twenty one days
From September 11 2015 at the Grand Mosque
Of Holy Makkah
Hallowed by angels more than humans today
Though limited in endurance is man
I saw it nearly happen
After a life struggle past two T-junctions
The third a hell, the air seemingly ceased
The sun seemingly let loose
And the dying souls cried for aid
Clinching on anything, dying bodies, the air
As a drowning man the water
Nay the ice as last resort
But they have not died
A fruitless death – death in sin
But that witnessed by the angels
A throng with arch angel Jibril
Who picked gently, not pulling
Such mighty souls chanting the best
“Here I am O my Lord; here I am”
And so shall these be resurrected
When the manner, place and time
Of departure will matter assuredly
Even as no man bears the lore
Where and when to grasp last breath
O yea weeping Muslim world!
The Haramain custodian yelled
And the grand qadi the next day wept
Delivering Friday sermons heavily worded
That drew showers of tears from me
With worshippers heavy with rainy balls
Then I knew these travelers went on transit
To the final abode we all seek
But in vain we fear our origin
The Muslim world counted losses
Controversies trailed the cause
But nothing is away from Allah
The all-Knower, the Planner
No blame trade, let’s be proud
Against the devil will, hajj continues
And we pelt it till the Doomsday
***Muhammad Ajah is an advocate of humanity, good governance and the rule of law.
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