Christchurch

I wake up this Friday to news alerts.

Dozens Hurt –

I wake up to notifications - our brothers and sisters, in the midst of their supplications,

In the midst of talking to Allah find their conversations

cut short.

Firearms Incident –

Gunshots –

Our brothers and sisters in the midst of their supplications,

Tending to their obligations,

Find their souls set free.

I wake up to Trends on Twitter and Hashtags on Instagram,

New Zealand, Christchurch –

I wake up to see

headlines.

Multiple Deaths in New Zealand Mosque Shootings

إِنَّا لِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

Cut down in the safest of spaces,

In the midst of their supplications,

Mid-conversation

With our Lord, in the safest of places.

I wake up to headlines,

New Zealand Police Warn People to Avoid Mosques

The safest of spaces.

I wake up to stories of a brother who sees a man enter his mosque, who greets him,

Assalaamu’alaikum –

Peace.

Gunshots –

I wake up to retweets, to a video circulating.

Gunshots –

Our brothers, prostrating,

Never to rise to their feet.

I wake up to an ummah shaken, collectively awakened

To a frightening reality, to our mortality, to questions of morality.

A profound sadness runs through our community.

We wake up to a renewed need for unity, we wake up amidst questions from all corners of society.

We wake up to a police statement –

“We ask all mosques to shut their doors”

Seemingly the safest of spaces no more –

But it is imperative they remain open, even more

Crucial than before. It is imperative that we remain open –

Bruised, scarred, but an ummah unbroken

Even as stories come out of blood along the floor.

Unbroken as we are we do not lock ourselves inside.

We do not close our doors, we have nothing to hide.

Our arms are open.

The depths of confusion and consternation can only resolve with conversation.

We wake up, an ummah unbroken.

We wake up to You knocking on our doors, our windows, our hearts and minds,

We wake up to You

Reminding us to be kind

To ourselves, to one another,

Woven, as we are, together.

We wake up to You knocking on our doors, reminding us to be glad

That every time we fall

Asleep, we wake up at all.

We wake up to You.

Are we truly ready for the arms of Your embrace?

Are we truly ready for a conversation with You, face to face?

We wake up.

We wake up to You.

We wake up to headlines, to retweets, to trends on Twitter, on Instagram.

May we remember you.

& may we remember You, Allah.

We wake up to talk to You,

To perform our supplications,

To tend to our obligations,

To join our Lord in conversation.

We wake up for You.

Al-Fatihah.

This article has been edited for the online platform.