2019 – Ages 19+ : Winner

Raihana Mawjee (Age 32)

Theme – Beauty in the Darkness

Judges’ comments: An original poem portraying the beauty of darkness by highlighting wondrous events that took place within the dark – from Mawla Ali feeding the needy to Prophet Yunus praying in the dark belly of the fish. The rhyming couplets really work well, making this a poem worthy of celebration.

Beauty in Darkness

When we hear the word darkness we think of gloom,
We think of emptiness, we think of doom

But It is in this darkness that Tahajjud is prayed,
Where the world is asleep & Duas are made

It was in this darkness when my Mawla Ali,
Gave to the poor & the most needy

It was in this darkness that Muhammed fled,
And Ali lay instead on that Holy Bed

It is was in this darkness on that night of Ashoor,
The sound of Dhikr was heard till Suhoor

It was in the darkness of the belly of the fish,
That Yunus repented and made his wish

His Dua was answered and he was brought into light,
The way the world shifts from day into night

So there must be a hidden beauty in this ‘dark’,
An awakening for the believer, a revival, a spark

A time of serenity & point of reflection,
To look inside yourself for some introspection

And what we are told and what we hear,
Is to know 1 of them, you must experience the other…

So, it is only after being in this dark,
Experiencing its feeling & it leaving a mark

Can you truly understand what light is about,
The difference in vision & feelings no doubt

BUT I ask You.. What about
Seeing the light WITHIN the dark?
Seeing the beauty WITHIN the gloom?
Seeing the lesson WITHIN the test?

Wouldn’t that transform our perception,
Allowing a paradigm shift in the right direction?

As Allah (swt) puts it beautifully in His Holy Book,
If only we ponder and take a look

Surah 94: ‘WITH hardship comes ease’,
It does not say AFTER darkness comes ease

This must mean that with every dark spell,
There is Rahma within it, a chance to excel

I learn from Sayyeda Zaynab how she saw beauty,
At a time that is described as the biggest tragedy

Ma Ra’aytuu Illa Jameela,
Her famous line that lives on in this era

She saw through the pain, she saw something greater,
The will of Allah – The High and Exalter

Yet I still complain when darkness befalls me,
I question God and cry why Me?

But this darkness is there to teach me a lesson,
To teach me to be humble and my Ego to lessen

Not realising that he sent everyone away,
For me to turn back to Him as I’ve moved astray

For me to turn back and a chance to repent,
Another chance to be grateful for the blessings God sent

To use this time to rebuild that connection,
With my Lord, my Creator, my final destination

To realise this darkness is truly a gift,
A moment of time for my soul to uplift

After all this, how can I not see Beauty in the Darkness – Subhanallah!