I am here to awaken your spirit
Whose inner voice, through my ritual, is amplified
At this divine time, each year
I invite you to celebrate:
Serenity to still the chatter of bodily
sensation;
And to abstain, not only from food and drink
But all evil desires and wicked intention.
A voyage of an entire month full of
hardship;
Will only take you to realm so high and pure.
Social conscience is renewed:
To link you with the poor,
In an aura of empathy, real and true.
Selflessness will prevail,
Toward a haven of unity,
Your ship will anchor, still its oar and sail.
During the vigilant hours of nights,
Worshipers, before Almighty Allah,
Make their plight
Tears of devotion flood each heart,
Touched by the glorious,
And moved by the light.
Clouds of darkness fade away,
To clear the path for dawning day:
When divine words to the prophet,
Where first revealed,
In the Night of Power;
The first verse of the Holy Qur’an,
conveyed;
“Read, by the name of thy Lord, the
Creator.”
— Badia Kashgari is a Saudi poet and writer. She can be reached at [email protected]
