We have the Potential

We have the potential to meet the need
We have the potential to succeed.
Hear me, my friend!
We have the potential indeed.

We have the potential to make past mistakes right
We have the potential to bring the hopes of daylight.

We have the potential
to save the next generation
We have the potential to rebuild our beautiful nation.

We have the potenital
to do away wth tyranny & backward mentality
We have the potential
to bring ourselves from the brinks of insanity.

We have the potential
to be like one family.
We have the potential
to find unity amongst our diversity.

We have the potential
to be the definition of inspiration
We have the potential
to end circle of violence and extermination.

From Boroma to Baidhabo
We have the potential
From Burco to Beledweyne
We have the potential
From Qardho to Kismaayo
We have the potential
From Hargeisa to Xamar
We have the potential

We have the potential to succeed
Hear me, my friend!
We have the potential, indeed!
All we've got to do is believe
In the powers of you and me

My Mission

I am on a mission
a mission to save a nation
a nation on death row

My mission is one of eradication
the eradication of deep desperation
desperation resulting from deprivation
the deprivation of a nation
a nation on death row

I am on mission
a mission to provide a vision
a vision of emancipation
emancipation of a nation
a nation on death row

My vision is of a nation
a nation free of frustration
frustration replaced by liberation
the liberation of a nation
a nation on death row

My vision will soon come to realisation
the realisation of a nation
a nation free of destruction
destruction replaced with the hopes of a nation
a nation no longer on death row

Qaraabooy qalad maa ku dhaqaaqay?

Hadaan Qarankeyga u istaago
Qabyalada hor istaago
Qaraabooy qalad maa ku dhaqaaqay?

Hadaan Qaadirkii weynaa talo saarto
Qurankiisane midigtayta ku qabsado
Qaraabooy qalad maa ku dhaqaaqay?

Hadaan Qalin qaato
Dhalinyarta qiiro geliyo
From Qardho to Qatar qeeladeeyda gaarto
Qaraabo qalad maa ku dhaqaaqay?

Ilaan dadkeeni qaali badnaa
Qaad baabiyo, qabuuro booxiyaan
ama qah iyo qoxootinimo ku dhintaan
Qaraaboy qaasidkeena ma yahay?

Qaraaboy, Al-Qayuum talo saarta
Quraanka qalbigeena ku qaboojista
Qarankeena qiimeesta
Qabyaalada badala
Qiyaamo isku diyaariya
Gargaarka Qaadir waa qariib

The A.K.M Syndrome

It is the A.K.M syndrome
that is driving us mad
It is the A.K.M syndrome
that divides you and I

It is the A.K.M syndrome
that creates war and not peace
It is the A.K.M
that prevent us from being polite, never saying please

It is the A.K.M syndrome
that made you divorce your wife
It is the A.K.M syndrome
that made you take another person's life

It is the A.K.M syndrome
that got the MPs stealing public money
It is the A.K.M syndrome
that make us so ugly and grumpy

It is the A.K.M syndrome
that got us destroying & invading nations
It is the A.K.m syndrome
that lead to the fall of previous civilisations

It is the A.K.M syndrome
that made you loose quality time with your family
It is the A.K.M syndrome
that made you lose track of reality

It is the A.K.M syndrome
that turned you into slave of money
It is the A.K.M syndrome
that made you forget your duties to the Almighty

It is the A.K.M syndrome
that got the Devil kicked out from paradise
It is the A.K.M syndrome
that is ruining your life

The Nomadic Empress

I am the Nomadic Empress
A Queen Sheba descendant
A modern-day Mary
Fighting corruption and injustice

I am a humble servant
of the only one who deserves it
The Creator of the Universe and everything in it

For pomp and glory I have no care
May not be rich, but in my heart
a real millionaire

Peace, Mercy & Justice
are the corner stones of my kingdom
A safe haven for the weak
and no room for oppression

My world is one where
the truth is known to all
My leaders prioritise peace
and limit the prospects for war

I am the Nomadic Empress
writing to express my distress
So listen up!
Cuz I'm about to teach you
a valuable lesson

Putting pen to paper
I'll inform you of how to be a true leader

First thing you gotta understand
The nation is not a property of you and your gang

Government is a sacred trust
and a heavy responsability
That must be discharged in the name of the Almighty
For the sake of community

A leader must have elegance
strength and intelligence
Although public duty can at times
be a real menace

Like Henry Ford once said
Coming together is beginning
Staying together is progress
But only working together
leads to the path of success

The Bible says where there is no vision
people will perish
While the Quran teaches you
to repel evil with goodness
As a true leader your only mission
is to ensure this

Greed must be replaced with gratitude
And gratitude is not an act but an attitude

Honour cannot be found in
a bank account filled with a million
Nor can it be gained through
a bullet or a gun
For it is only he who honours himself
who is the truly honoured one

I am the Nomadic Empress
Writing to express my distress
Over the corruption and injustice
of which I am a witness

How can you leaders sleep at night
While your people suffer
Do you not hear their plight??

No! A true leader can never
go to sleep with a full belly
while his people go hungry

As a true leader you must be visionary
Put the extra in extra-ordinary
And commit to your role like a missionary

I am the Nomadic Empress
writing to express my distress
So if you feel my word
Don't just sit and curse the darkness

Take a solemn vow to change the globe
with the Lord as your only witness

MEN!

They are our fathers, brothers, uncles, sons and husbands
That's why we love them

They are our abusers, rapists, murderers and violaters
That's why we hate them

They are our lovers, providers, protectors, best friends and other halfs
That's why we cannot be without them...

Dalkeygow (Dear Motherland)

Dalkeygow, I hear your calling
Dalheygow, I feel this yearning
A yearning to return to you
My birthplace, my second womb

Dalkeygow, when will I be able to see you again?
When will my eyes be ableto adore your beauty again?

Dalkeygow, for how much longer will I be seperated from you?
For how much longer will I be dreaming of you?

Dalkeygow, they told said you are a 'dal dad waayey'
Dalkeygow, they lied to you for you have a people
A people known for their beauty, strenght & intelligence

Dalkeygow, it is true some of these people
have to you been nothing but a menance

They have abused, raped & plundered you
Never thinking about your well-being or success

Dalkeygow, they have turned you into a war-zone
Where kids do not learn how to read and write
But how to work a gun

Dalkeygow, do not despair
Hope and happiness is near
For your youth everwhere
Are standing tall, united and loudly declare
'Dalkeygow, we are all here!'

Dalkeygow, we realise your real worth
Your youth knows you are the real secret heaven on earth

Dalkeygow, you have become synonmous with pain and misery
But thy name is so holy and dear to me

Dalkeygow, you are where I am from
The land where I was born
The heaven I am longing and dreaming of

Dalkeygow, I hereby take an oath to thee
I will give my all to restore your dignity and prosperity
So help me God, ameen!

Yes, I am a Muslim

I sleep like you
Eat like you
Walk like you
Breath like you
But, yes I am a Muslim

I have the same rights as you
The same ambitions as you
The same dreams as you
The same hopes as you
But yes, I am a Muslim

I hurt like you
Bleed like you
Cry like you
Laugh like you
But yes, I am a Muslim

I am human like you
Have a soul like you
Have a mind like you
Have a heart like you
But yes, I am a Muslim

I might dress differently from you
Pray differently from you
Speak differently from you
But bottom line is
I am Human
Just like you

My Kinda Man

They say, why you still unmarried, sister?
Don't you wanna know the bliss of being a mother?

I know a nice brother that will suit ya
Just give me the permission and I'll introduce ya!

Yet, these sister do not try to understand me
They rather just judge me

Labelling me as a feminist
Tellin' me, that my fitrah I should not resist

Sister, I ain't looking for any type of brother
I need a man whose a best friend and not just a lover

Sister, I ain't lookin' for another Ja Rule
But someone who lives only by God's rule

Sister, I need someone to honour and defend me
Not bribe me with Gucci, D&G or Fendi

I need someone deeply pleased with God's decree
Not bragging to me about his status, salary or Master's degree

Someone who understands that his woman's strength
Does not challenge him, but only adds to his success

Sister, I'll tell you the kinda man I need
A man to nurture me both spiritually and intellectually

Sister, I do not judge a man based on his fly ride
But the extent to which he worries what will happen to him when he dies

Sister, I need a warrior for goodness
Someone giving his all to stop this world's madness

Sister, I am looking for a dignified brother
Who will honour and cherish his descendants' mother

Sister, if you really wanna help me
Then try to see things from my perspective

Sister, I am not a feminist I do not have the need to be
See, if I'm still single, it is only due to God's decree

"That you may know one another"

We’ve heard it all before; girl meets boy, boy proposes, father refuses and all hell breaks loose. Father declines, because the boy is from a different nationality than his own, and the two youngsters emotionally charged and armed to their teeth with Qur’anic verses, sayings of the Prophet (SAW) and (more often than not) support from their local imam, embark on a mission of condemnation disguised as sincere admonition. “But father”, the daughter pleads “Islam does not allow discrimination based on race or nationality! What you are doing is plain wrong and haram!” The imam chips in, “Fear God, my brother! Have you not heard of God’s words in the Qur’an where He says He created us in nations and tribes so we may know one another? What better way of knowing one another than through inter-cultural marriages? “

Yes, it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of colour, race or nationality. Yes, God did say nationality and tribes are for recognition only. But, while it is easy to condemn the wrong-doer it would be wiser to try to understand him. Why would a father, who is fully aware that declining a marriage proposal on the basis of nationality is condemned in our religion still deny his daughter the God-given right to marry the man of her choice and risks to loose his daughter in the process (as too many fathers have done)? Many of my friends have been faced with this dilemma, and yet when I ask them this very question, none of them has a rational or viable answer. Most of them condemn their fathers for being ignorant follower of not “real” Islam but one that is mixed up with their tradition and culture. But are our fathers, the ones who raised us and made us who we are, really just a bunch of, for lack of a better word, stupid and badly informed chauvinists? I somehow found this hard to believe and decided to dig a bit deeper.

So, I asked “what reasons do the fathers give when declining the marriage proposal, when they have not even met the brother in question yet?” Now, this question started leading me to the root of the problem. Many of these fathers tend to point to the very bad track record of other boys from that particular nationality. For instance, Somali fathers have time and again pointed to the many broken down marriages between Somali girls and other nationalities, most notably Nigerians and Jamaicans and refused to marry their daughters on this basis. The fathers argue that the boys did not treat their daughters well and very few of their son-in-laws actually took time and effort to learn the language or tradition, something that they found almost insulting. If they say inter-cultural marriages is one very good way in which people can get to know one another better, why do they not then bother learning the tradition of their wives?

This for me is where it really got interesting. These are really rational and valid points from the fathers, and as they seem to be rationally discussing and thinking about these issues, then we should be able to reach a rational solution to the problem, right? As the saying goes, it takes two to tango. Most of the time, the blame of this is laid upon the fathers but it seems to me that a lot of the problem is actually caused by the prosecutors (i.e. the young people in question) themselves.

Inter-cultural marriages are not something new, nor is it unique to the Muslim community. Since the beginning of time, kings and rulers from various nations used to marry their daughters to one another so to forge links with that particular state or nation. Our beloved Prophet (SAW) himself practised this as his wives included women from other tribes, nations and even religions. But with these marriages came responsibilities, more than those that usually come with matrimonial life. These rulers were very careful not to mistreat the women they married for these purposes as this could potentially, or even more likely, start a war between the two nations. Although inter-cultural marriages between Muslim youths of today do not really have the same extreme consequences if they go pear-shaped, I still feel too many of us underestimate the responsibilities. When you marry a sister or a brother from another nationality, you are in effect an ambassador for your whole community. So, if you are, for instance, a Nigerian brother marrying a Somali sister, the whole Somali community – whether you like it or not – will be watching how you treat your wife. And your actions could influence the likelihood of other Nigerian brothers marrying Somali sisters. This is sad, but true to my experience. I have cousins who have married women from other nations and, mashALLAH, the good characters of these sisters have actually caused some parents within my family to encourage their boys to marry girls from these particular nationalities!

So, let us go back to the oft-quoted verse in this context. I am of course referring to the verse in chapter Al-Hujurat (The Inner Apartments) in which God states the following:

“Oh, mankind! We have created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you” (Al-Hujurat, verse 13).

The key words in this verse are “that you may know each other”. Looking into the life of the honoured mother of the Prophet (SAW), we will find out she died on her return from Medina having taken her very young son (SAW) to visit not only his father’s grave but to also to meet his paternal uncles and relatives. Let us look at this episode of her life in a modern context. During this era, there was no such thing as a nation-state but rather we had city-states. So going from one city to another, i.e. Makkah to Medina would today be equivalent to travelling from one nation to another. And what was the purpose of her visit? Although the Qur’an was to be revealed much later, Amina was really practising the wisdom of the above verse. Ponder on the loyalty of this amazing woman to her diseased husband. She travelled to another city, the last journey she would make in her life, so that her son could know his roots and familiarise himself with the history of his own lineage.

Now, I wonder, how many of those who have married from other nationalities have benefitted from the wisdom God intended with this verse? How many of us have learned the native tongues of our spouses? How many of us have taken time out from work to visit the motherland of our partners? How many of us educate our other halves about our own history and backgrounds? How many of us actually think of doing this at all? We quote the above verse in our defence when fathers disagree to inter-cultural marriages, yet very few of us actually apply the wisdom of this verse once married.

For all of us who propagate or even are in inter-cultural marriages, it is time to step up to the game and not only point the finger at our fathers and condemn them to hell for being racists. We have to realise the responsibilities that come with these marriages, being good ambassadors. Do not let yourself down by not benefitting from the great wisdom imbedded in this verse. For it is one thing to blame a person for their wrongs, and a completely different ball-game to become blameworthy in the sigh of God…

Worries

Why is it that worries lead to many things?
Many things that will lead to nowhere nice?
Worry gives life to anxiety
And anxiety is poison for the soul.

Why is it that worries occupy my mind
When I cannot solve my problems thinking about them?
Why do I worry when I know the sunrise brings hope every morning?
Why do I waste time worrying when worrying doesn’t solve a thing?

Why is it that worries lead to many things
When most things are not worth worrying about?

Follow your happiness

All God ever wanted for us is to be happy.
You are meant to be the ligh of happiness and delight
Born to make dreams a reality.

Yet, are you happy?
Do you still dream?
Are you living or just making a living?
When did you stop dreaming?
When did you stop being happy?
When did you die?

To be happy
To be a dream-maker
You have to first know yourself
And what makes you happy
Then, just follow your happiness!