“It is upon you to have Taqwa of Allaah when you are forgetful …”

   Poem by Imaam Ash-Shaafi’e

“It is upon you to have Taqwa of Allaah when you are forgetful,

Sustenance will come to you from where you don’t know.

How dare you fear poverty when Allaah is the Provider!!

Indeed He provided for the birds & the whales in the sea.

And whoever thought that sustenance comes with power,

when the bird ate something with the eagles.

This world goes by you & you do not know

when the night covers if you will live until Fajr?

How many healthy died without a reason,

and how many weak live forever?

How many youth go to sleep & wake up laughing,

and we buried him at sunset & he didn’t even know?

So whoever lives a thousand, then a thousand years after that,

no doubt there will come a day when you will to the grave!”

(Slightly edited for clarity..)