AL-BAYYAN MYSTERY |OCTOBER 2018|
Photos taken by Iqra Ahmed (top) & Hazem Alkhan (bottom)
mys·ter·y /ˈmist(ə)rē/ noun noun: mystery; plural noun: mysteries something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain synonyms: puzzle, enigma, conundrum, riddle, secret, unsolved problem
The Tribulation Sufyaan Kalota The walls press in The dirt collapses The sound of their sandals are long forgotten Nothing is left of you No one to speak for you An eternity passes In what seems like moments When the curtains have fallen A light flashes And three questions are spoken What have you done to prepare for this moment
حضرة The biggest mystery of all is the present moment. All we have to do is solve It. Ali Nasaruddin
A Dangerous Path Anonymous The devil knew of God’s existence. He believed in Him, he believed in all of His creation. He was a worshipper. He knows everything the Quran is here to teach us. He knows all about the truth. The devil has abundant knowledge. Yet, arrogance is what makes him a demon. An internal state. So what is the purpose of life, really? Salvation does not reside in knowledge or practice--but in the heart. The only battle is within ourselves.
The caterpillar born On a rose bush thorn Ate every flower in sight, Hoping he might become like The Beauty he sees. Because He mistook hunger for disease And eating as it’s cure But soon he was sure That with every bite his body only grew more grotesque Ashamed, he finally abstained To protect the few flowers that remained He built a coffin, and locked himself inside Still his hunger would not subside So the caterpillar began eating itself Until nothing remained of him except his appetite Then his appetite was forced to eat itself In this holy union of consumer and consumed He thought he would die In that annihilation he felt a great expansion, finally free to enter into his new being The butterfly is born, now able to beatify the garden, that regrew in his absence So Blessed was that fire that drove us into this space Where the only thing left to consume is ourselves Where we understand that what we thought of as our disease was an even stronger cure, only waiting for intentions that are pure Yavus Baysal
Life’s Mysteries Hazem Alkhan How many atoms are in the sky? Is there ever an end to pi? Could we travel to the stars? Is there really life on Mars? How many insects are alive? How many birds above us fly? How many raindrops have ever fallen? How many flowers are there? How much pollen? Why do leaves change color in the fall? Why were the trees created so tall? How much pebbles and grass blades and sand grains exist? Why is my heart as small as my fist? How many fish swim under the sea? The answers to these questions are a mystery. As a birder, I speak from experience, About this hobby I’m passionate and serious, How often I’ve encountered a bird, The species of which I’m unsure, And then, I watch as it flies, Before it could be identified. What was it? Where did it go? That’s something I’ll never know. How many birds migrate overhead By night, while we lay asleep in our beds? Will I ever see every bird that there is to see? The answers to these questions are a mystery. How much people are being born as I write this? How many people are dying as I type this? Will I transfer elsewhere or stay in UIC? Will I finish in ten years? Will I finish in three? Will I pass all my semesters, or will I fail? Will I drop out of college? Will I end up in jail? Will I find someone to marry? Will I stay or divorce? Will I stay in this country? Will I leave it by force? Will I make a lot of money or will I be poor? Will I be taken and tortured like my uncles before? When, and in what condition, will I die? When I get my book of deeds, will I laugh or cry? These events and questions are part of every person’s life history, And until the deciding moments come, the answers are a mystery. Many such questions have answers we’ll never find, It’s best if we put the quest to find them behind, Besides, some questions are better left unanswered, unsolved, It’s more enjoyable to wonder about them than have them resolved, Because some answers, no matter how hard we try, Are only known by Allah, The Most High, And knowing that that there’s an answer, not known by man or me, I just sit back with satisfaction and contemplate life’s mysteries.
Our dreams Umar Siddiqui I dream of the setting sun. I dream of mountain ranges that soar above my wildest dreams, piercing through the heavens, scantily clad in clouds. I search for the wide open prairie, that sea of green, that beckons me beyond the horizon, toward the mysterious. I roam among the toiling sea, the spray of salt. I dream to wrestle with titanic waves and thunderous intent, to bare my soul against the unrelenting world in a clash of will. I ponder the silent forest; its all-consuming quiet. To close my eyes and feel the ebb and flow of nature, of the kingdom of God. I look up to that painters canvas; defiant pinpricks against an inky black; a splash of milk on the vast dark sea. I dream of the mystery of the world, of the whirl that flies around me each day. In thine blood rests the dreams of all mankind; that yearning desire to stretch your hands beyond the known, and to plunge them into the unknown. Heed your dreams, and venture into the mysterious.
The forbidden fruit falls down the family tree. impacting heads, of Adams children eternally.
Yavus Baysal
Bulletproof Rafia Ali You think you’re safe. You’re in that bulletproof bubble, the impenetrable shield of privilege and comfort. Until the onslaught begins and that shield is slowly stripped back, piece by piece, peeled back, exposing your soul, until paper cuts feel like slashes across your heart. Suddenly you are surrounded on all sides, a mouse in a trap, isolated and vulnerable. You can handle flurries but instead you are being buried by blizzard after blizzard, a storm of wreckage, losing your head underwater, chest constricting, struggling for each breathe, consumed by the chaos. No. No. This isn’t it. No. This isn’t the end. You have the blood of warriors coursing through your veins. You have the legacy of fighters, decades past but not lost. You have a spark in you, the sheer will and determination, the power to stand up. You were created for strength, not weakness. You were created to rise from the ashes, not to fall in the flames. Shoulder back, head up, face forward. Step by step, one foot in front of the other. Reach up high. There’s no limit Feel the ground. It’s solid. Your shield? You don’t need it. You’re bulletproof.
Life's A Mystery Hazem Alkhan Life's a mystery; We live each day not knowing What will happen next.
The Greatest Unsolved Mysteries of All Time Anonymous What I’m doing with my life Why I Still procrastinate When I’m going to get my act together Where I want to be in life How I find motivation to get up each day
The poets are all dead, Words with no weight flow out my head Let us feast on the filth we intended to serve our brother Crying is the sound of my heart breaking there’s blood on the hands of anyone who tried to put It back together As we suffocate on once fresh air, now polluted by my putrid words I can’t apologize enough for being the bad guy in your story But these worthless words can only produce counterfeit apologies That hide the fact that I had ever opportunity to change As darkness only settles in the field of hypocrisy And if God burns me for my criminal behavior Have solace knowing that justice was served And that clarity will always outlive confusion In the end When the poets are all dead Only that crying sound remains Yavus Baysal
Saba Ali
Zainab Mohammad
Thank you to our sponsors at Biryani Pot! This issue wouldn’t be possible without you. Show them some love and grab some Indian food! 2811 Patriot's Ln ste 101, Naperville, IL 60563
Staff Writers: Muneeba Zehra Rafia Ali Naba Durrani Ummesalmah Abdulbaseer
Illustrator: Sumaiyya Ahmed
Staff Artists: Saba Ali Zainab Naveed
Executive Board: Nui Waris, President Ali Nasaruddin, Vice President
Cover Photo by: Shapla Shaheen
Nabeeha Bakhrani, Treasurer Shapla Shaheen, Creative Director Saba Ali & Samirah Alam, Social Media Director Rafeed Hasan, Technology Director Huda Kalota, Outreach Coordinator Javerea Ahmed, Executive Assistance
Al-Bayyan has served the UIC Muslim community for over 10 years by giving Muslim students a platform to express themselves. The publication and Al-Bayyan’s annual live showcases have allowed a means for Muslim students to be honest, authentic and true to themselves. From this effort, has emerged an incredibly beautiful and diverse amount of artwork. Students have shared their passion through poetry, reflections, singing, storytelling, spoken word, comedy acts and many more. In whatever way it may be—Al Bayyan is an invitation for all forms of selfexpression.
Want to submit your work? Email us at albayyanuic@gmail.com! Keep up with new issue releases and community events by following @albayyanuic on our social media
Check out previous issues online at https://issuu.com/albayyanuic