The Irish Famine and the Sultan, pt. 3
continued from page 11
Of the never-ending
Bright steps ascending
Up to the nighest
Abode of the Highest,
In the infinite calm, in the clear
serene,
Where the feet of God’s wonderful
Throne are seen!
In the name of God the most Merciful!
In the name of God the Compassionate!
Let us bless the good Sultón! —
He has guarded from danger
The brave-hearted Stranger —
He has stretched out his hand
To the chief of the band,
To the noble Kossuth2!
Who from God’s high commission,
Not for gold or ambition —
Less a lord than a lover —
Ruled royally over
His dear native land
With the sceptre of Truth;
O Prince of the Faithful!
From all that is scathful
A side view of the pavilion of Sultan Abdul Majid (1823-1861) in the Topkapi Palace (Istanbul, Turkey).
Protect that dear life!
By his old mother’s fears,
By his young children’s tears,
By the anguish that lies
In the heart and the eyes
The Arabic saying, “Greatness is
determined by admission of the
enemies,” is the perfect criteria for
unveiling someone’s true nature.
Praising our own nation or brethren
in faith is an oblique form of selfpraise,
since they are an extension of
ourselves. But the admission of an
enemy, who seizes on every weakness
and disregards every good, is a
testimony of excellence. The sultan,
as a representative of Islam, proved
that Islam is truly a friend of humanity
even if the faith, race, culture and
land is/are different.
2 Known as the Father of Hungarian Democracy and a freedom fighter, Lajos Kossuth (1802-1894), sought asylum with the Sultan. Despite
pressure from Russia and the Hapsburgs, the Sultan refused to extradite him and settled him in the Ottoman lands, raising the specter of war
between the Ottomans and Russians at the time.
Confessions of a Convert; Lost and Found
continued from page 19
quency to change altogether. It is up to
us to keep ourselves clean from contaminants
so that we can reclaim our
natural disposition.
We need to turn to Allah and ask Him
to remove the filth and filters from
the lens’ of our souls. All those things
that prevent us from asking Allah for
guidance need to be tackled and dealt
with immediately. The more we strive
to attain guidance, the more Allah increases
it in us. He says: “As for those
who accept guidance, He increases
their guidance, and grants them
taqwa” (47:17).
30 March – April 2021 | AL-MADINAH