Imam Ali ibn Musa Al-Ridha (AS)

Imam Ali ibn Musa Al-Ridha (AS)

By: Sahar Hussain

The silent prayer that I oft whispered,

echoed aloud in my ear;

as I helplessly rose to leave.

A little boy, laid crippled by the door,

with his mother drowning in grief.

The child; disabled for life,

smiled as I walked past him.

My heart was now burning in sorrow,

and my tears too weak to extingush the fire.

In my mind I spoke to you,

wishing you would reply to me.

My Beloved; I travelled so far;

away from home,

remote from the gracious sincerity of my loved ones.

I am now a stranger lacking support,

an exhausted wayfarer afar from my homeland.

Advancing towards your golden zareeh,

grasping the pillars,

and kissing each one.

Is this how Al-Redha welcomes his lover,

who has come all the way to meet his master?

I, am a peasant; a beggar at your door,

and a glance at you is all I ask for.

For your mother's sake,

for your beloved Jawad,

permit me to see you just once.

A hand on my shoulder,

who's warmth enriched my vacated spirit,

guiding me towards the zareeh.

'Allah is great' - a woman chanted,

with tears obscuring her vision.

Her little child - now walking & playing ...

I saw Al-Redha through a lover's vision,

through the reflection of his goodness.

This fulfilled the age long prayer that I had secretly asked for.

As I leave the holy vicinity of Mashad,

I have with me the purest souvenir;

the love of my master thriving forever in my heart.