Verses from the Poem “Through Knowledge, Nations Reach the Pinnacle of Glory”
In the words of Khalil Gibran regarding the significance of knowledge:
Through knowledge, nations achieve their utmost glory,
And there is no advancement for societies without it.
O you who have been called, your nobility responds to your generosity,
Just as the garden expresses gratitude for the rain.
Those who generously give with sincere intentions
Are rewarded with lasting blessings and favors.
If you find generosity that lacks commendation,
It could very well be a harbinger of demise.
Places of learning flourish when nourished by kindness,
Building pathways for the future’s ascent.
One foundation laid in a school of knowledge
Endures longer than the mightiest achievements of a tribe.
There is a stark contrast between a home that fosters growth
And a dwelling that preserves decay.
The East has been burdened by ignorance for too long,
Where ignorance reigns and communities are subjugated.
It is lamentable what has persisted in negligence
For a long while, and now it is time for revival.
Today, those who suffer from thirst are denied access,
As enlightenment remains elusive to the inattentive.
Those who seek even the simplest sustenance
Are often denied, so engage your mind, and do not let opportunities slip away.
Collectively, as individuals, those robbed of knowledge are
Subjected to the burdens of ignorance and defeat.
Poem: “Knowledge is the Ladder to Eminence”
As stated by Mustafa Sadiq Al-Rafi’i:
Knowledge is the ladder leading to greater heights,
And the knowledgeable strive to enjoy its blessings.
Knowledge adorns its possessors among the people,
Where both the wealthy and the impoverished are equal.
The sun rises on a bright day,
While the moon is not hidden by a dark night.
There is no pride in ancestry for one who does not pride themselves
In knowledge; without it, lineage is but a shadow.
The noble strives and attains their desires,
While others languish in their own distress.
And when you criticize the idle,
They may perceive you as a mere song in their ears.
Among people, some are alive like the dead in battle,
And the prick of spears scarcely impacts them.
Confront their ignorance with your knowledge, for
To oppose ignorance with knowledge is the wisest course.
Serve the land of your birth,
For nations rise through their dwellers.
Fill your heart with compassion for those in pain,
For the Merciful does not have mercy on the merciless.
Virtuous Character is a Purified Trait
From the verses of Ali ibn Abi Talib regarding noble character:
Virtues are purified traits,
With faith foremost, and intellect second.
Knowledge is third, and forbearance is fourth,
Generosity stands fifth, and excellence is sixth.
Kindness is seventh, and patience is eighth,
Thankfulness is ninth, and gentleness remains last.
The soul knows I am notfriend to it,
And I am only guided when I defy it.
Character Blossoms Like Plants
As stated by the poet Ma’ruf Al-Rusafi:
Character blossoms like plants,
If watered with the essence of virtues.
It stands tall when nurtured by the mentor,
On the trunk of virtue, bearing fruits.
It rises for noble deeds in harmony,
Just as the tubes of an irrigation canal intertwine.
It revitalizes from the deep essence of glory,
With blossoms that exude enticing fragrances.
I have not seen a better place for refinement
Than the embrace of devoted mothers.
The mother’s lap is a school that excels,
In raising sons and daughters alike.
The virtues of a child are measured by
The virtues of their nurturing mothers.
Not every child raised in noble circles
Is comparable to one raised among the ignoble.
Just as plants do not thrive equally
In gardens as they do in barren lands.
O nurturing breast of a girl, wide is your embrace,
For you are the refuge of the most exquisite affections.
When you hold the child as a slate,
Your love surpasses all of life’s slates.
If the child leans on you, the essence of tenderness
Becomes vividly mirrored.
Nothing harms your heart more than the lesson
That instills virtuous traits within.
The first lesson in moral refinement
Begins with you, O nurturing breast.
How can we expect goodness in children
If they grow up in the arms of the ignorant?
And can children attain perfection
If they suckle from the breasts of the incomplete?
What woes have mothers brought forth, leading to
The chaos of folly?
They are kind to the infant without knowledge,
Yet the gentleness of those nurses fades.
O mother of the faithful, to you we lament,
Our calamity, born of the ignorance of faithless mothers.
This is an affliction, O Mother, and from it,
We are on the brink of drowning in the Euphrates.
After you, we adopted traditions as creed,
Thus, Muslim women suffer the most.
For they have followed paths that lead to despair,
And barred them from the pathways of life.
To the extent they confine themselves to the depths of the home,
They are treated like mere instruments.
And they have been deemed weaker than a fly,
Without wings, and lesser than a scent.
They say the teachings of Islam decree
The superiority of ‘those who are above’ over ‘those who are below,’
And they assert that knowledge is merely
Something that weighs heavily on the hearts of the wealthy.
They claim that the ignorant maintain a purer soul
Than the knowledgeable.
They have falsely misrepresented Islam,
With gilded statements that will soon crumble.