The American Muslim Powwow, Dr al-Islm, Abiquiu, New Mexico, 1414/1993

by Yahya Monastra

For Hakim Archuletta—il miglior fratello

To reach the high enchanted place, we must
Endure the harsh travail of travel, and
Our weary hearts obeying God’s command,
Plod ever on: “D⢢r al-Islm or bust!”
We come to seek what’s noble and what’s just;
The fire in our hearts by love is fanned,
Ascending through the beauty of this land:
A mosque atop the mesa’s sand and dust.
Our breasts expand beneath Allah’s blue sky;
There’s barakah aplenty as we find
The Sufi and the Navajo’s old ways
In deep Islamic harmony on high.
The lights of hearts, in sacred space entwined,
Bring knowledge of our selves: unto Allah’s the praise!

Originally published in the Winter 1993 print edition of The American Muslim