Maryam Mughal

Maryam is an international student from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She is currently in second year at the University of Toronto and is in the Physical Health and Education program. She believes that it is necessary to promote awareness about Islam and the values associated with it. Below is a poem she has written describing her Islamic beliefs.

 

But what is Islam?

A pure religion of peace and charity,

Preaching the world brotherhood, love and humanity

 

Through it, to one God do we surrender,

Its power, giving us strength and making us fearless to poverty, hardships and hunger

 

Enlightening us to the true path,

Protecting us from God’s wrath

 

Islam is what the final message was all about,

Then why are we drowned in chaos, confusion and doubt?

 

Observing, contemplating and seeking answers is what it taught us,

Diminishing worthless arguments, man-made upheavals and fuss

 

On five main pillars are its foundational principles based and layered,

Belief in Oneness of Allah, Zakah, Hajj, fasting and prayers

 

Faith in God teaches us to be strong, distancing us from wrong,

Along with Prophet’s (S.A.W) way of life showing us that to Him alone do we belong

 

With Zakah and generosity do we learn to be rich,

Keeping the economy stable through this system, free of any glitch

 

Prayer makes us patient, steadfast, hopeful and committed to the One,

It is weapon of the Believers, answered by Him, equal to none

 

Hajj, an annual pilgrimage to the House of Allah in Makah,

Perfectly depicting world gathering, unity, and fairness spectra

 

During the month of Ramadan are some obligations met,

Sustenance, such as food and water, is avoided during pre-dawn and sunset

 

Such are the fundamental and comprehensive laws made clear,

Including codes of conduct, moral realism and applied ethics for family and peers.