One day…
The sun will shine again.
The flowers will blossom again.
The birds will sing again.
One day…
The rain will fall again.
The rivers will flow again.
The gardens will be green again.
One day…
The lips will smile.
The tears will dry.
The prayers will be answered.
One day…
The shackles will break.
The darkness will end.
The doors will open…
and justice will prevail
-Babar Ahmad, HMP Long Lartin
2012
You are the tides that propel every lost vessel,
You are the shining stars that enlighten the path of every wayfarer,
You are the springs that irrigate every barren land,
You are the pillars that strengthen every crumbling edifice,
You are the flags that signal every impeding victory,
You are the rays of sunlight that shatter every dark night,
You are the helping hands that aid every drowning soul,
You are the gusts that oxygenate every suffocation,
You in your orange jumpsuits are the signposts upon the road to salvation,
You are the proof that faith can overcome mountains,
You are the proof that Allah is still worshipped in
the world today.
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- Babar Ahmad, HMP Woodhill
March 2006
Wave after wave batters me,
With brine, dark and cold,
But I will get through this stormy sea,
So my story will be told.
Fate tastes bitter on my lips
My will is sapped, but not yet dead
I breathe life in painful sips
For destiny weighs heavier than lead.
From time to time a boat appears,
That some day I will board,
Even if it be a few more years,
For the Pleasure of my Lord.
At the rising sun the night will clear
Its rays will shimmer on the sand.
So I will face my every fear
Until I reach the Promised Land.
- Babar Ahmad, August 2012
HMP Long Lartin
As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
For me is the model of Musab bin Umayr
The best dressed man in the city
But that was for him a state of pity
Until there came to him the Message
All did he leave of his privilege
For the sake of Allah and His Beloved
As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
For I think of Bilal when his chest was bare
On the burning sand did they make him lie
Until he thought he was going to die
They crushed him with rocks in the blazing sun
And begged him to reject the Almighty One
But never did he give in to the wicked
As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
I remember Khabbaab when they pulled his hair
In the blacksmiths of his evil mistress
With burning rods did she cause him distress
She twisted his neck and burnt his skin
Until his fat dripped into a tin
But he remained firm to his belief as long as he lived
As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
For I picture Khubaib when he was there
Tied and bound to an immovable tree
With no chance of him being free
Their spears and arrows did they fling
Yet grapes to him did his Lord bring
Until his noble soul was lifted
As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
I think of Yasir, Sumaiyah and their heir
Even when placed on sizzling ember
None but their Lord did they remember
Patience you all when paying this price
Indeed your abode is Paradise
As a reward for all that you did.
As long as You are not angry with me, then I do not care
My example is Your Beloved when struck from the rear
By the sticks and stones of Taif’s crowd
Yet he did cry in a voice so loud:
“O Lord! Forgive my people for they do not know,”
And even though I am feeling so low…
As long as You are not angry with me, then I do not care.
- Babar Ahmad, HMP Woodhill
August 19, 2004
When Adam ate the forbidden fruit, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah forgave him and erased his sin.
When Abraham was thrown into the fire, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah saved him and made the fire cool.
When ordered to sacrifice his son, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah replaced his son with a mountain goat.
When Hagar had nothing to feed her baby, she cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah burst forth for her the Spring of Zamzam.
When Joseph was thrown into the well, he cried “Ya Allah!”
So Allah reassured him of His Help and Victory.
When Jacob became blind at the grief of his missing son, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah restored his sight and returned to him his son.
When Moses fled his land in fear, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah gave him safety in the farmer’s house.
When Pharaoh’s army closed in on them, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah parted the sea for them and drowned their enemy.
When Job was stricken with distress, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah restored for him his health and wealth.
When Jonah lay at the bottom of the sea, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah ordered the whale to bring him to shore.
When David met Goliath, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah gave him victory and Goliath was slain.
When they tried to crucify Jesus, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah raised him up and saved him from crucifixion.
When Muhammad’s followers were tortured, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah opened for them the way to Madinah.
When he was nearly captured in the cave, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah’s spider spun a web and concealed him.
When his army was outnumbered at Badr, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah sent down angels to rout his foe.
When his Companions were massacred at Mauna, he cried, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah avenged their deaths and destroyed the oppressors.
When a ship is tossed by a storm, they cry, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah brings them safely to land.
When trapped in a dark hole, they cry, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah enlightens them with an opening.
When the rope becomes too tight, they cry, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah breaks it and brings them relief.
When they plead for Allah’s Help and cry, “Ya Allah!”
So Allah responds, “Indeed My Help is Near!”
When matters are beyond you, cry, “YA ALLAH!”
And He will aid you and assist you.
When all hope is lost, cry, “YA ALLAH!”
And He will bring you ease after hardship.
When you have nothing left, cry, “YA ALLAH!”
And He will provide for you from where you could never imagine.
When you have no one else to turn to, cry, “YA ALLAH!”
And you will find Him in front of you,
Hearing and Responding.
-Babar Ahmad, HMP Woodhill,
November 17th, 2004
Persevere! Persevere!
Life is too dear
To worry and care
Or fret and fare
Persevere! Persevere!
Never live in fear
Like the lion in its lair
For only cowards never dare
Persevere! Persevere!
When life seems unfair
Don’t you shed a tear
For relief is always near
Persevere! Persevere!
When it’s all too much to bear
A way out will appear
Like a breeze of fresh air
Persevere! Persevere!
Even after many a year
From some place or somewhere…
Victory will soon be here!
-Babar Ahmad #A9385AG
HMP Long Lartin, May 2012
The night is dark and there’s no sign of light.
The tunnel is long and there’s no end in sight.
The road is thorny and the path is steep,
There’s no time to rest and no time to sleep.
The air is thin and the rope is tight,
There isn’t much energy left to fight.
The ocean is deep and the brine is cold,
The lifeboats of rescue have all been sold.
The forest is thick and full of peril,
At every turn are snares of the devil.
Seething serpents in every crevice,
Snarling hisses full of menace,
With crocodile tears and a stiff upper lip,
And venomous bites that cause steel to rip,
With fake smiles and eloquent words,
As sweet as nightingale singing birds,
With shiny suits and well-groomed hair,
They entice victims into their lair.
The world is ruled by crocodiles and snakes.
The world is ruled by frauds and fakes.
Diversity and multiculturalism,
(Are just fancy words for state racism).
Fairness and honour are things now extinct,
Justice and power are two things distinct.
Power corrupts and gets to the head,
It enters the blood and turns gold into lead.
Years without trial incarceration,
In what is supposed to be a great nation!
The rule of law and human rights,
Have melted away into silent nights.
Those who claim moral superiority,
Only instil hatred into the minority.
Those who care fear more for themselves,
And thus leave their values on the bookshelves.
So where are the bearers of valour and nobility?
Where are those who stand tall in adversity?
Where are the men who stood up to power?
And dismiss the urge to hide and cower?
Where are the men who have a conscience?
Why don’t they put an end to this nonsense?
Where are the knights and where are the scholars?
Who worry about more than their pennies and dollars?
Why do they fear to correct that which is wrong,
Then justify it with words that are so long?
If they can’t walk the walk, they shouldn’t talk the talk,
But sit at the table with their knife and fork.
How can it be that men are born free,
Yet they prefer to live in slavery?
Grovelling and bowing to the snakes on thrones,
Slavering away until they turn into bones.
But what good is there in a life of disgrace,
Where every second is spent saving face?
What is in the dark must come to light,
All then their lies will be swept out of sight.
For truth is a stallion that never fails its master,
If it is suppressed it gallops even faster.
The victims of injustice are thorns in the side,
Like bleeding arteries they never subside.
Until the oppressed are returned their dues,
Their plights will remain headline news.
The Day is approaching in which tyrants will weep,
As they have sown so shall they reap.
That is the Day: Judgement Day,
When the One Most High will have His Say.
The night is dark but it will soon be dawn,
Since the noose is tight so shall it be torn.
The night is dark but it will soon be dawn,
And then a new era… shall be born.
–Babar Ahmad, (written in HMP Manchester, February 2007)
I will never live in disgrace.
I will never bow down before any man.
I will never let you humiliate me.
I will never be your slave.
Even if you take my liberty,
You will never take my dignity.
I will always live free.
Cut my throat from ear to ear.
Suck my life from year to year.
Rip my skin from tear to tear.
Pound my brain from fear to fear.
My flesh may bleed, but my soul will shine.
My heart may break, but my face will smile.
I will always live free.
Whatever will be will be.
No matter what my destiny,
Even under tyranny,
Even in captivity,
I am free.
I was born free.
I will always live free…
Babar Ahmed A9385AG HMP Long Lartin South Littleton Evesham WORCESTERSHIRE WR11 8TZ UK
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O one bound in fetters of steel,
Trust me, I know how you feel.
When that door slams shut at night,
The reality begins to bite.
You alone with your thoughts.
Hopes and fears of all sorts.
What will arrive tomorrow?
Some good news or just more sorrow?
Know, my friend, that every ocean has a shore.
And every hardship has a door.
Every desert has springs.
And every caged bird has wings.
So hold your head high and smile.
For perhaps you are on the final mile.
Babar Ahmad
Written in HMP Long Lartin, 2011
Babar Ahmed A9385AG HMP Long Lartin South Littleton Evesham WORCESTERSHIRE WR11 8TZ UK
Beyond the mask and beyond the front.
Beyond the name and beyond the image.
Beyond the rhyme and beyond the prose.
Beyond the metaphors and beyond the rhetoric.
Beyond the campaign and beyond the publicity.
Beyond the words and beyond the speeches…
There is a caged bird.
There is a caged bird whose only wish is to be a bird again.
There is a caged bird that yearns to fly free again.
And soar over the mountain tops and glide through the valleys.
There is a caged bird that is no better than any other bird.
And no different to any other bird.
There is a caged bird whose wings have been cut and voice has been muted.
Whose only desire is to be a bird again.
That’s why the caged bird sings.
Babar Ahmad
Written in HMP Manchester, May 2007
Babar Ahmed A9385AG HMP Long Lartin South Littleton Evesham WORCESTERSHIRE WR11 8TZ UK
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