Beloved, leader of our hearts, commander on every front.
Our Islamic guide and spiritual compass.
The voice of the oppressed, a mind of depth and philosophy.
Our teacher and mentor, the light that showed us the way.
Our martyred leader.
You were the embodiment of all of these virtues, and greater still.
You were not only all of this, but more than words can ever hold.
After years of quiet supplication, an aching longing,
God bestowed this honour upon you.
A reward for your sincerity.
For the whispered prayers in the depth of midnight,
And the humble pleas beneath the midday sun.
For the long, wakeful hours, the weary, tear-lined eyes,
And the strands of hair that silvered in devotion and sacrifice.
And now you rejoice in gardens of eternal bliss.
“O tranquil soul, return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing.”
How beautiful it must have been to be reunited.
Your beloved brothers, one by one, each welcoming you.
Their radiant faces, like countless suns,
Or perhaps like a sky adorned with luminous moons.
Each one shining in joy at your arrival.
What a gathering it must have been, so full of light and love.
You longed for martyrdom in this life, and they longed for your coming in the next.
Waiting with eager hearts, yet patient souls,
Until you were finally among them.
It was never a final farewell, as our beloved Sayyed,
The martyr of the Ummah once reminded us.
It is only until we meet again.
When blood triumphs over the sword.
Until we meet again in martyrdom.
Until we meet again in the company of those we love the most.
Father, I will grieve for you for a lifetime,
As Jacob grieved for Joseph.
I will weep for you until my eyes grow dim with sorrow,
Until they turn white with longing as his did.
And I will call upon God, as he once did in hope.
Will Joseph return? And I ask Him, will He return you to us?
I will ask the trees, the soil, the very air you once breathed.
Will our father return?
I will ask every martyr, every oppressed soul,
Every unseen, broken-hearted, and forgotten one.
All those honourable, buried without a trace.
Will our father return?
And then a voice will be heard, distant yet near.
Be at ease, he will return.
Along with the beloved leaders martyred upon this path.
Together we will stand in prayer in a liberated Quds, by the will of God.
Peace be upon the master of martyrs.
Peace be upon the guide of our age and time.
A light for every generation, every era.
And peace be upon those who walked their path and rose upon it.
