Samina Farooq
Think of all the things you wanted but couldn't have
 All the things you could have but didn't want
 The bundle of good deeds you amassed
 You wished to show them off, but didn't flaunt
You lie not while joking or fighting, but when right
 You didn't do good for the temporary reward
 You did not submit to false associations or pride
 All you sought was the pleasure of your Lord
You were a slave by choice 
 To a master who deserved the best
 Yet He demanded nothing but your heart,
 Damaged but repaired with regrets
You didn't sell your soul for a small price
 You saved it until the market was high
 And you sold it to the best buyer
 Whose mercy welcomed you to Paradise
You were pleased with your Lord
 And the faith He chose for you
 You raced for His forgiveness
 Sticking to hard work, submission, and what was true 
You fulfilled your obligations, and were kind, too
 You couldn't give much but constantly gave your best
 You were grateful to God no matter what
 And you kept no grudges in your chest
You devoted your youth to the One
 In solitude, you shed all your precious tears
 You treated everyone with respect
 And as a volunteer, looked after an orphan 
You promoted good and forbade bad
 Yet you never judged anyone
 You followed a path in your quest for knowledge
 But your parents, you never shunned
You restrained your gaze, even locked your tongue
 You caged your thoughts and counted each breath fall
 So now your soul is free in a body unbounded by death
 As you never considered minor sins so small
So now you enter as a VIP, while everyone waits
 You step in and already know your home
 A private palace of jewels with no noise or rent
 Purely customized to be your dome
You're surprised how it's exactly what you love
 Intricacy in each, and everything so bold
 Royally placed, silver doors and bricks of gold
 Without the excessive heat or the bitter cold
You see golden butterflies fluttering around a tree outside
 So you travel beneath the shade of its glory for 100 years 
 Colors your eyes have never seen
 You start sweating musk at whatever that appears
Scenery being painted in front of you as you think
 In lush green gardens, you ride your park
 Suspended there thinking, Is this all mine?
 Even when my report card had many red marks?
Now think of never having to feel hunger and stress
 Never feeling intensity of pain inconceivable by the brain
 All the truths unravel and it's all clear at once:
 No arguments to prove who's sane or insane
No regrets, no waiting, no hatred or discrimination
 No sorrow or fatigue; no wanting to catch a wink.
 Boredom is a word you simply forget
 Wishing that your eye would now never blink 
What you seek is what you see and hear
 Smelling the best and thinking the rest.
 A world of perfection, with nothing to fear
 It couldn't get any better, yet you got the best
You squint at the special upper abodes
 Far away from you, shining like bright stars
 You keep thinking you couldn't ever reach them
 Until you get upgraded from where you are
Maybe you had daughters that you treated so well
 Maybe your children died and your patience pulled you up
 Maybe you died with them, never bidding peace farewell
 Sticking to your testimony as the last words for a ticket above
The good character you taught your kids and their prayers
 Added to your deeds, even after death
 Maybe you never had kids, yet you collected
 So much charity that you were out of breath
Maybe some among your pious mates are up there
 They want you with them in the Garden
 You couldn't be happier for the blood you shared
 Or maybe they were from the friends you chose
You go up there and are filled with awe
 For you never imagined such beauty ever existed
 Suddenly you see all the prophets gathered
 Facing each other on raised thrones, coexisting
Surrounded by gold trees and soil more fragrant than musk
 With pebbles underneath of ruby, pearl, and sapphire
 Dressed in gold embroidered, fine green silk attire
 Eating together: delicious food and fruits, melting in the mouth
Around them, servants revolve like scattered pearls
 With never fading youth and cushions lined on stage
 They have access to celebrities not surrounded by security
 Adam, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad; all the same age
You rush to them in excitement, and suddenly
 Moses parts the sea with his staff
 Your pace suddenly slows down, to absorb the grandeur;
 You had to close your eyes to even imagine this
But now it’s a reality, your eyes wide open
 Never did 4D have so many dimensions
 Your overloaded senses make your heart burst
 As your mind is stampeded with 1000 questions
The Seal of Messengers greet, taking your name
 And you can't decide whether to cry or faint with glee
 So you just stand with them, shoulder to shoulder
 And pray as he leads
The river of emotions flows through your veins
 But a drenched soul can't express your gratitude
 The tides of rapture bring a hurricane inside you
 The soul soars high, with your heartbeats engulfed
You ask for the staff from Moses
 And rush to your mates to show off your delight
 In your way you find Solomon
 You ask for his winged horse and take it for a flight
You join the Angels and holy ones
 Flying like green birds with freedom
 You fill the cup at hand, with a delicious drink
 Right from the flowing spring of Eden
You look down and see adorable babies around Abraham
 Mountains humming along with the rhythm of David
 You never heard a melody so beautiful
 As more hypnotizing voices join in the mood
All your life you thought of meeting these ancestors in heaven
 The ones who sacrificed their lives for your faith to be strong
 Their efforts were what made it easy for you
 You owed them a token of thanks all along
"Was it a woman with a smile?
 When her hands and feet were pierced by nails?
 Or was it a man, thrown into fire
 When he didn't put his faith on sale?"
The reward of those who suffered in the world
 Made you yearn for your skin to be sliced
 Now that they find delight in their past miseries
 You hear their sad stories with a smile
Above all earthly cares they now soar
 Beyond the hurts they patiently endured
 You watch light flow from broken hearts
 Maybe you're one of them
Suddenly you're interrupted by a magical voice
 Which is even better than what you have heard before
 The voice of your Creator addressing you                              
 He'll show Himself clear, like a full moon's wash
Goosebumps cover your skin in anticipation
 And you hold your breath till you see His face
 You feel like shouting at the top of your lungs
 Glorified You are, when He uncovers His grace 
And you whisper to yourself: “Praise be to the One,
 My Master didn't let me be influenced by them
 Those who said there was no God, or heaven or hell;
 If only they had a heart attached to a brain stem.
If only they could see what I'm seeing right now! 
 Their doubts wouldn't have ever rid them of hope,
 Hope of being able to see the invisible. 
 But womb to dust was their only known globe."
You have every desire at your fingertips 
 Yet you want to do nothing but quietly stare
 At One who's guidance directed your soul
 It’s like you're new yet you, but enraptured
You don't feel like going to the heavenly market anymore
 For your beauty is enhanced with just a glance
 Seeing Moses looking at His Lord without fainting
 You just circulate in infinite loops of a euphoric trance
A single life seed you sowed and
 Reaped into forever more
 Each and every wish granted;
 In fulfillment, you run out of more
Wanting this all will never end
 So an end will be put to death forever
 So much joy that you could just die,
 But death has died forever
Never before were dreams so real
 Never again can reality be more
 Never before was ecstasy such
 And never again can life be most
My imagination is made up of what I know
 It doesn't go beyond my thoughts
 So I wait in serenity till that day comes
 When reality will connect all the dots
The test is here and the results there
 Do you just dream or do you strive?
 For time is running out, and the price is high
 A limited offer, but worth a life
 Or more...
Note: The poem has been inspired by a beautiful Jannah poem by Ammar Alshukry.
 
 

 
 
 
