Prayer

"When anger strikes my heart, I recite the verses that remind us of mercy,
tolerance and forgiveness; raising the consciousness to see through the empty words that people speak,
to the meaning that may have been intended.
So I forgive.

When worries cloud my mind and I'm busy planning what I should do,
I recite those verses telling of good deeds and trust in the Lord of all.
The best of planners, the Subduer of evil and the Exalter of Whom He pleases.
So , I try my best, ask for help and leave the rest to Allah s.w.t.

My prayer, is a way of life.
It comes five times a day but the rest of the time is in preparation for the next,
awareness of the passing time, remembering my duty to my Creator and my responsibility to my own soul.
So whatever I'm doing, I stop and put it aside,
wash and stand in prayer,
trying to look within, at the faults that follow me around in my life,
of the evil my hands have sent forth,
and seek guidance, forgiveness
and escape from the evil consequences of what I may have done.

I think of the marvels of the universe,
how infinitely beautiful and amazing as they are.
The wonders of my own self, the physical human body and the wonders it contains.
The depth and breadth of the mind,
that few of us can compass and then I look to the trivial pleasures of life,
the transient nature of our existence and I feel an urge to do more,
to try harder,
to be better than I was the day before

And so I bow before my Creator,
acknowledging the fact that only He deserves my sincerity,
my obedience and my love.
All else in life, is secondary to the fact that if He hadn't chosen to create me,
I would never have existed.
Here I am! Here's my duty.
Worship is not only prayer and fasting but the way we live,
the way we speak,
the way we treat people and the way we solve
problems.
Knowing that we weren't only Created and left to discern truth for ourselves,
I adhere to the guidance given to me ,
to steady me on the path that leads to success in this life and the next.

I continue in my prayer,
whether well or ill,
tired or wakeful, sad or hopeful,
I continue, knowing that success doesn't lie in the amount of money,
weapons or strength one thinks one has, but in ones morality."

This s a poem inspired by me and created by a new convert of Islam Velma Cook. Her voice and intentions touched me, and the words are beautifully written. I appreciate the life and love of Prayer by this new convert, and how much it means to her and us. Futhermore, it is also about how we all forget to appreciate things that we have and how we all take them for granted. Verily, it is a relevant call to us all...May Allah (God), bless us all and guide us through bad and good times...Amen...