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Read more about the article I Saw a Saint Today – Wajiha Khalil

I Saw a Saint Today – Wajiha Khalil

I saw a saint today my heart fragmented in a hundred directions all pointing to God Each path particular but none contradicting the other I Saw a Saint Today - Wajiha Khalil in A KALEIDOSCOPE OF STORIES Muslim…

Continue ReadingI Saw a Saint Today – Wajiha Khalil
Read more about the article Pull a puddle into your palm – Wajiha Khalil

Pull a puddle into your palm – Wajiha Khalil

“Pull a puddle into your palm one sip will fill your mouth with poetry and quench the quest for art” from The Valley of Khayal - Wajiha Khalil in A KALEIDOSCOPE OF STORIES Muslim Voices in Contemporary Poetry…

Continue ReadingPull a puddle into your palm – Wajiha Khalil

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Eid Mubarak! Wishing you and all your loved ones a Eid Mubarak! Wishing you and all your loved ones a joyful and blessed Eid celebration.
Catch the replay of the Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ec Catch the replay of the Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry Prize 2025 award ceremony and poetry reading, with judges Baraka Blue and Sukina Noor and hosted by Medina Tenour Whiteman. Listen to the poets reciting their winning and shortlisted poems together with some interesting and uplifting commentary from the judges. Link in our bios @ecstaticexchangepoetry and @lotetreepress
This poem won first prize in the inaugural Daniel This poem won first prize in the inaugural Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry competition. You can listen to it being recited by the poet in the award ceremony replay (link in bio @ecstaticexchangepoetry) along with other winning entries and shortlisted poems. Also look out for the upcoming chapbook of the long listed, shortlisted and winning entries to be published by Lote Tree Press. You can sign up to our newsletter for poetry in your inbox and publication news and updates. Link in bio @lotetreepress
Access our course “Poetic Traditions of the Isla Access our course “Poetic Traditions of the Islamic World” for a one time payment of £99, including any future updates to the course. For centuries poetry was the primary form of literary expression in the Muslim world. In this course we discover some of the treasures of this rich poetic heritage. Explore the poetic traditions of the Islamic world with us from a faith-based perspective from the poetry of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, through the mystical verses of Sufi poets from South Asia to West Africa, to the history of Palestinian resistance poetry. Poetry Writing Prompts 
The course includes poetry writing prompts inspired by the poetic traditions of the Muslim world to help spark your own creativity. Community Online Space 
You will also gain access to our online poetry community space where you can post your own poetry and discuss all things poetry with other members. Link in bio @lotetreepress
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Join us tomorrow for an online poetry party with j Join us tomorrow for an online poetry party with judges Sukina Noor and Baraka Blue to hear the winners of the inaugural Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry Prize reciting their winning entries! We look forward to seeing you there! Link in bio @ecstaticexchangepoetry and @lotetreepress
Join us tomorrow for an online poetry party with j Join us tomorrow for an online poetry party with judges Sukina Noor and Baraka Blue to hear the winners of the inaugural Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore Ecstatic Poetry Prize reading their winning entries! We look forward to seeing you there. Link in bio @lotetreepress
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Truth is the Night of Power hidden amidst the nigh Truth is the Night of Power hidden amidst the nights In order that the soul may make trial of every night - Rumi حق شب قدر است در شبها نهان تا كند جان هر شبى‌را امتهان haqq shab-e qadr ast dar shabhā nahān tā konad jān har shabī rā emtehān the Truth . haqq . حق the Night of Power . shab-e qadr . شب قدر is . ast . است in . dar . در nights . shabhā . شبها hidden . nahān . نهان in order that . tā . تا makes . konad . كند the soul . jān . جان every . har . هر night .‌ shabī . شبى [direct object marker] rā . را trial/ test . emtehān . امتهان
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For the sown fields of the soul whose kernels are For the sown fields of the soul whose kernels are concealed the cloud of mercy is full of the water of Kawthar زرع جان را كش جواهر مضمر است ابر رحمت پر ز آب كوثر است zar’-e jān rā kesh javāher muzmar ast abr-e rahmat pur ze āb-e kawsar ast sown fields of . zar’-e . زرع the soul . jān . جان ‎را . rā . for whose . kesh . كش kernels/ essences . javāher . جواهر concealed . muzmar . مضمر are . ast. است the cloud of . abr-e . ابر mercy . rahmat . رحمت full . pur . پر of . ze . ز water of . āb-e . آب Kawthar . kawsar . كوثر is. ast . است
Wash your hands Because the table and divine banqu Wash your hands Because the table and divine banquet from the heavens has arrived Wash your hands and mouth Do not eat or speak Find those words and mouthfuls which have arrived for the silent ‎دست بشو کز فلک مایده و خوان رسید ‎دست و دهان را بشو نه بخور و نه بگو ‎آن سخن و لقمه جو کان به خموشان رسید dast beshu kaz falak māyede va khān rasīd dast u dahān rā beshū nah bekhūr u nah begū ān sukhan u lugma jū kān beh khamūshān rasīd hand . dast . دست wash . beshu . بشو because . kaz . کز the heavens . falak . فلک heavenly banquet . māyede . مایده and . va . و table . khān . خوان arrived . rasīd . رسید hand . dast . دست mouth . dahān . دهان [direct object marker] rā . را do not . nah . نه eat . bekhūr . بخور speak . begū . بگو that . ān . آن word/speech . sukhan . سخن mouthful . lugma . لقمه find/seek jū . جو has . kān . کان for . beh . به the silent ones. khamūshān . خموشان arrived . rasīd . رسید
When the self is in need the soul ascends on a jou When the self is in need the soul ascends on a journey to heaven When the gate of the prison is broken the soul reaches the land of the Beloved ‎نفس چو محتاج شد روح به معراج شد ‎چون در زندان شکست جان بر جانان رسید nafs chu mohtāj shod rūh beh mi’rāj shod chun dar-e zendān shekast jān bar-e jānān rasīd the ego/self . nafs . نفس when . chu . چو in need . mohtāj . محتاج is . shod . شد soul/ spirit . rūh . روح on . beh . به ascension/ journey to heaven . mi’rāj . معراج goes. shod . شد when . chun . چون the gate of . dar-e . در the prison . zendān . زندان is broken . shekast . شکست the soul . jān . جان the land of . bar-e . بر the Beloved . jānān . جانان arrives at/ reaches . rasīd . رسید
Patience is like a gentle cloud, wisdom raining d Patience is like a gentle cloud, wisdom raining down from it Thus it was in such a month of patience that the Qur’an came down ‎صبر چو ابریست خوش حکمت بارد از او ‎زانک چنین ماه صبر بود که قرآن رسید sabr chu abrīst khosh hikmat bārad az u zānke chonīn māh-e sabr būd ke qurān rasīd patience . sabr . صبر like . chu . چو is a cloud . abrīst . ابریست good/gentle . khosh . خوش wisdom . hikmat . حکمت rains . bārad . بارد from . az . از it . u . او thus . zānke . زانک such . chonīn . چنین a month of . māh-e . ماه patience . sabr . صبر it was . būd . بود that . keh . که the Quran . qurān . قرآن came/arrived . rasīd . رسید
Don’t strike the drum for sahur too much, that i Don’t strike the drum for sahur too much, that is to say, speak little and fall silent They will come to understand fasting from fasting itself سحوری کم زن ای نطق و خمش کن ز روزه خود شوند آگاه روزه ‏sahūrī kam zan ay nutq u khamush kon
ze rūze khod shavand āgāh-e rūze 
 سحوری . sahūrī . ‏sahur drum (to wake people up) کم . little . kam زن . strike . zan ای . meaning / that is . ay نطق . speaking . nutq و . and . u خمش کن . be silent . khamush kon ز . from . ze روزه . fasting . rūze خود . itself . khod شوند . they will become . shavand آگاه . aware of . āgāh-e روزه . fasting . rūze
Like Yusuf, the one who endures patiently in the Like Yusuf, the one who endures patiently in the well of fasting attains the kingdom of the Egypt of love ‎چو یوسف ملک مصر عشق گیرد ‎کسی کو صبر کرد در چاه روزه 
chū yūsuf mulk-e misr-e`ishq gīrad 
kasī kū sabr kard dar chāh-e rūze like . chū . چو Joseph . yūsuf . یوسف kingdom of . mulk-e . ملک Egypt of . misr-e . مصر ‘ishq . love . عشق attains . gīrad . گیرد the one . kasī . کسی who . kū . کو patience . sabr . صبر practices . kard . کرد in . dar . در the well of . chāh-e . چاه fasting . rūze - روزه
Gazing up (to see the moon) my hat fell from my he Gazing up (to see the moon) my hat fell from my head Intoxicated as my head was by the Sovereign of fasting ‎نظر کردم کلاه از سر بیفتاد ‎سرم را مست کرد آن شاه روزه

nazar kardam, kolāh az sar beyoftād
saram ra mast kard ān shāh-e rūze
 I gazed . nazar kardam . نظر کردم hat . kolāh . کلاه from . az . از head . sar . سر fell . beyoftād . بیفتاد my head . saram . سرم direct object marker . rā. را intoxicated . mast kard . مست کرد that . ān . آن Sovereign of . shāh-e . شاه fasting . rūze - روزه
How wonderful the felicity, good fortune and sple How wonderful the felicity, good fortune and splendour of fasting is! زهی اقبال و بخت و جاه روزه ‏
zehī iqbāl o bakht o jāh-e rūze how excellent/wonderful is . zehī . زهی the felicity . iqbāl. اقبال and . o . و good fortune . bakht . بخت splendour/rank of . jāh-e . جاه fasting . rūze . روزه
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