Thirty-three Tritinas (5 - 7)

5. Al-Baqi, the One Who Remains; Al-Ba’ith, the Resurrector; Al-Mujib, the Responder to Prayer

It'll do you no good to remain
on your knees begging for resurrection.
That's not the purpose of prayer.

If you want people to remmber you with kind prayers
go out and do some good that will remain
in the world. Don't be so concerned with resurrection.

Do we believe because we hope for resurrection?
Or is it just that we want someone to respond to our prayers?
If that's the reason, doubt will always remain.

The truth remains: Resurrection does not come in response to our prayers.

6. Al-Muqaddim, the One Who Puts His Creatures Ahead; Ash-Shahid, the Witness; Al-Mani, the Preventer

They very cleverly planned ahead
so that there should be no witnesses.
But your seeing was not prevented.

You couldn't have prevented
what they did; no-one sees that far ahead.
But now you're the only witness.

Do your best as a witness;
if God wills, it will prevent
the same thing from happening in times ahead.

You've been put forth as a witness to wrongs you couldn't prevent.

7. Al-Wajid, the One Who Forms; Al-Hamid, the Praised One; Al-Ghaffar, the Forgiving One

Pygmalion created a beautiful form.
Much infatuated, he fell to praising
but it remained cold and unforgiving.

Aphrodite, for once forgiving
let life flow into the stone form
for she counts all kinds of love as praise.

Give freely of your praise.
Even empty forms
may fill up with forgiveness.

Beyond form: give praise, and ask forgiveness.