Inspired by the first ten verses of Surah Saba (34: 1–10)
The Weight
The weight of an ant
The weight of an atom
The weight of whatever is smaller
It doesn’t escape the All-Knower
The weight of the heavens
The weight of the earth
The weight of whatever is bigger
It submits to Allah, the Greatest
So, I will give my grievances to Allah
I will give them all to Him
And know that the prayers of the oppressed are answered
And know that the final Judgment will come
I will fix what I can with my hands
I will speak against what I can with my tongue
I will hate what I can in my heart
But I will leave what I can’t change to Him
I will bow my head in prayer
And give it all to Him
I will give Him the weight of a microaggression
I will give Him the condescending tone that makes me feel not smart enough
I will give Him the being followed in the store that makes me feel not good enough
I will give Him the joke, the caricature, the stereotype that makes me feel not human enough
I will give him the countless everyday things whose weight has almost bowed my head—
Almost
I will give Him the weight of those things
And unburden myself with His justice
I will lift my head high and I will be made whole,
I will be made new
I will give Him the weight of 400 years of oppression
I will give Him the baby ripped from the arms of his mother country
And the baby redlined into missed opportunities and miseducation
I will give him the girl raped and beaten
And the strong Black woman she becomes — a mixture of mule and magic
I will give Him the innocent man hanged from a tree
And the man enslaved with chains and prison bars
I will give Him the cries of the mother at the auction block and those of her child too
And the cries of the mother as the police stop and frisk and those of her child too
I will give Him the song of the freedom seeker following the drinking gourd by night
And the song of the freedom fighter marching to overcome by day
I will give Him those things that have almost crushed my people —
Almost
With the words of my prayer, I will give Him the weight of those things
Oh Allah, unburden the ancestors with Your justice
Unburden their descendants too
Insha’Allah, we will be made whole.
Insha’Allah, we will be made new.
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Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is the author of the critically praised debut picture book, Mommy’s Khimar. She worked as an English teacher in high schools and middle schools for over a decade. She now works in the nonprofit world as a program director at Mighty Writers helping kids learn how to write outside of the classroom. In her writing, Thompkins-Bigelow strives to portray children who are Black American and Muslim, two identities that she is proud to represent. She has also served as an anti-racism educator through her work as a fellow with the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative. She received her bachelor’s degree in English Education from Temple University and a master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. She resides with her family in Philadelphia, Pa.
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