home

'home is where the heart is', it is said.

home, that ethereal, unpalpable thing, is it a place or a feeling?
if your heart is in a place then does that place become your home?

some say, 'where i lay my head is home' -
so perhaps somewhere in between is where we should aim to be.

the blessed Prophet (May Allah's peace and blessing be upon him) was forced to leave Makkah after three years of continuous persecution by the unbelievers in the city, and as he left the city for al-Madinah in Yathrib he looked back and expressed how dear the place was to his heart.

yet, after ten years, when the muslims re-entered Makkah as victors, and the Ka'bah became the centre of Islam, Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) decided to return to live out his days in Madinah.

once you live anywhere for a period of time it becomes a home, but the place of origin always holds a special place in the heart. Allah (exalted is He) made the earth to be travelled over, and nowadays it is so easy to get anywhere (apart from visa restrictions and such in some places which of course is one of the wrongs in our world). then He made some places more special than others, like Makkah of course, being centre of the world, then Sham (Palestine, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon) and Yemen. (this has been related through our blessed Prophet (the Peace of Allah and His blessings be upon him)).

so obviously there is merit in being in these lands, but to travel to other lands is also beneficial, especially in carrying light from place to place, and fulfilling the whole purpose of Islam - to show others the way of Truth, and the path to success and happiness in this life and in the Hereafter, and the means to attain the love of Allah, both coming from the Almighty and in one's ownself.

because the real home is the place your heart yearns for most, and the people of understanding exert their yearning towards that home in the Paradise, firdaus-ul-'ala, and to be brought near to Allah (exalted is He) is their goal. and what a goal. there is nothing higher than that.

so lets exert ourselves - be in our lives among those who live as if they are travellers, and strangers - people seeking their true home, and that palpable safety of everlasting peace and happiness. our life here is like a man who was travelling, and for a while he rested in the shade of a tree, then to continue on his journey..

let's follow Muhammad's way (May Allah bless him and give him peace), and take him as our guide on the way home.

whispered (a second sonnet)

Evil thoughts they come - your resolve to break,

Disguised lies and half-truths come from nowhere,

At night when you're half 'tween sleep and awake -

To lead down roads of darkness and despair.

Diseased words and manifested regret,

Remembered - consciously solidified.

Old promises that have never been kept -

Too weak to fulfill, too frightened to die.

Water wont wash away those twisted fears,

They remain inside like frozen, dead weight.

Unmeltable, no release of warm tears,

Mere loneliness for you to contemplate.

Turn, repenting to the One Friend above -

He is the Source of peace and endless love.