The prayer my eyes made before they’d even seen
Lord bless me with Ziyarat Al-Arbaeen
Before I became… Hussain called my name
* * *
On Earth… my birth… his earth… my worth
God created me from clay and yet He’d tease me with Hussain’s dust
Yearning Karbala’s scent, reaching him was not a choice, but a must
Since then… children… till when…. they’re men
Have a yearning to reach Hussain’s grave and reach it year after year
I watched this before I was created and yearned to shed a tear
I prayed… Earth swayed… dismayed… I made
A promise to God and Muhammad that when I was created
I will reach the land that swims in the dust on which I prostrated
A moth to a flame… Hussain called my name
* * *
I walk… we flock… they mock… they talk
But I erase it with the sparks of love from my two walking feet
For beneath my feet Heaven lies if ever my death I meet
Lion… lay in… real men… begin
I walk and I won’t need a lion’s help for I have become one
In fact I see lions shy away when toward them I come
I hush… I crush… in flesh… Daesh
Every step I take crushes their heads and crushes terrorism
And with every Hajj and Umrah it crushes Wahabi’ism
To bring them to shame… Hussain called my name
* * *
Mighty… weighty… forty… plenty
Are the days which we are given to crush all Hussain’s enemies
And we crush them with our numbers which can outweigh the seven seas
Listen… glisten… hasten…. shorten
The list of excuses you’ve chosen to not stand before his grave
Understand that your Master craves you just as much as him you crave
Seize it… own it… live it… light it
The fire that burns within, crying out Hussain’s name daily
Be the one that reaches his grave and cries out in tears “finally!”
Cry out, void of blame… Hussain called my name
* * *
Heartbreak… hearts break… I ache… awake
And alive is the mourning of Hussain despite how much we’ve died
Despite how many times our tears for our Master we’ve had to hide
Names crossed… hearts tossed… souls lost… what cost
A holocaust of lovers of Hussain that lasted centuries
And now our freedom on the road towards Hussain the whole world sees
Love chars… our scars… and stars… are ours
For every soul that walks toward Hussain a star watches in awe
Their tears enter the eyes of Fitros and from Jibra’eels they pour
What wonderful fame… Hussain called my name
* * *
Rise up… don’t stop… don’t swap… don’t drop
The flag that you’re holding to show Abbas that his flag can still fly
Every time you twirl it brings joy to that single working eye
In sight… his might… would light… your right
To walk holding his flag and each time it flutters his heart flutters
Remember what he taught you – besides that flag nothing else matters
Kneeling… healing… wailing… complaining
And whatever else comes into his shrine as people beg from him
They beg God and Abu Fadhil and through him God gives all to them
He cries just the same… Hussain called my name
* * *
Don’t fall… don’t fail… recall… the wail
Of the daughters of Hussain as they were marched upon that desert
They walk with you as you walk, don’t you dare question it, believe it
Don’t quit… don’t sit… commit… own it
The length of that road shall shorten the road between you and Heaven
But what is Heaven really when you’re walking to Ali’s children
Safely… strongly… proudly… Ali
And his son Hussain shall embrace you when you at last reach his shrine
And he’ll tell you “I’ll come to your grave just as you had come to mine”
Death I overcame… Hussain called my name
* * *
(London – 20/11/15)