O Bittersweet Moon

Bismi Allah

*Were you the same moon who lit the way of the Prophet [peace be upon him] slipping through the desert on his hijra...*

Dawud W. Ali

Ah sweet moon. So luminous and beautiful. So strong and certain, yet so humble. You have been honoured to be amongst many signs in this universe. I can't help but smile when seeing you, just knowing that the beloved of Allah, peace be upon him, looked toward you and saw you as I see you now. This is the sweetness I find in you. This is what draws me to you.

But my dear moon, you are bitter too. You encapsulate a bitter reminder for me of how time passes. How we are limited and confined by time. Soon many moons will pass and our time will have elapsed. You are more than an hour glass can or will ever be. Through you, I have seen the great month of Rajab slip away. I smile at you with a weight in my heart knowing that as your next cycle arrives and passes, so too will Sha'baan. Ramadaan will not be free of this ending either. Such is its fate. Such is my despair.

Ultimately though, I submit to the wisdom of your cycles because you move not by your own free will. You are in complete submission to the commands of Allah. And again, I see the sweetness in you.

I admire you. I look up to you more than in the just literal sense. Were it that one day I could have a taste of such nur upon my face, this would be my peace. That I could share in the connection that you had to all the Prophets and Messengers, peace be upon them all, this would be my honour. Or that my life, like yours, could be a symbol of the unity of Allah, Most High and Transcendent is He, this would be my success.

I know though, your life is not easy nor simplistic. There are times when you must seek shelter behind the cotton creatures of the sky. There are times when you are beautifully orange, much unlike your usual tranquil pearl. There are times when your strength shows in crisp contrast to the background sky yet there are other times when your weakness fuses as a blur with the atmosphere surrounding it. What do you know, O Luminous One, that causes you to change so much? Your variations can almost be likened to deception as the truth of your size and enormity is never truly visible, even when you hover over the horizon on those beautiful, peaceful nights. When will you share your secret with me?

I know I will never hear your reply, so instead I take solace in what you offer me. You are a symbol, a mere symbol, of the greatness of my Creator. In the grand scheme of things, you too are simply dust which can float into nothingness. But while I see you, and know you, and watch you, I take heed in your warnings. The moons that have passed will never return, but the wisdom of your existence is here in this very moment. This precious moment that we call life.

Glory and praises belong to Allah, the Creator of all.