Adam’s corrupted seeds passed through this dunya
existing in a state of dual nature.
Purity and innocence has superseded our heart
as we’ve evolved through tumult, oppression and bloodshed.
As our hearts bleed,
we pray for blue faces and large mansions,
buying gifts that we become cursed with.
Digging our way into a bottomless pit,
applying pressure,
looking for diamonds and gold.
Losing ourselves to circumstances and opinions.
Losing ourselves to systems and structures
that leave us in dark places
where shaytan tries to dim our light.
There are sleepwalkers everywhere we look,
causing all our dreams to be haunted.
Ambition can cut a man off at his knees
but if one is wrapped in Al-Rahman’s cloak
we can still climb the stairways to heaven.
We must long for the life after our travels.
Guilt is a pressure cooker.
It can burn when one wrestles with their conscience.
The self accusing spirit of their past.
Be conscious and remember Allah’s mercy
is greater than His wrath.
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Jerel Matthews is from the Auburn Gresham neighborhood in the South Side of Chicago. He is a father, young grandfather, brother to many, abolitionist, writer, poet, artist, and Muslim who is currently incarcerated and fighting for his freedom. He earned a BA in Social Science from Northeastern Illinois University and is a proud member of Jamaat Ibad al-Rahman, a Muslim community formed within the former Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois.
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