My Liberation

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Wed, 22 May 2013 16:57:39 -0400

Ink stained fingers: Seven Times

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:32:49 -0400

Before stepping into the circle
of tightly packed men in Ihram reflecting the Sun
women in black shrouding their sensuality,
I wept.
   If He hadn’t have forgiven me
     why would He let me into His home?
perhaps I wasn’t such a disappointment
after all—
     careful golden calligraphy gleamed
high over my head, entitled
we all squinted through the tears
    to read His own words
and whisper our sincerest thank yous

I paid no heed to the warnings
of aggressive inclinations in the Masjid:
     “They’ll steal your shoes,
    shove you out of their way,
    step on your head
    while you’re prostrating”
   and as I had expected,
    no one was violent
    no one was selfish,
   too fixated on what was resting
over their left shoulder
to be anything
    but peaceful, patient
   and kind.

The men they said would grope me
apologized profusely for grazing
against my arm while the crowds shifted
     making way for sallow women in wheelchairs
     trying to fulfill the second requirement
of walking with millions of people
from towns
   they have never heard of

I have traveled too many times to count,
yet never felt equality
until I had my trembling hands on the Kaaba
weeping next to an elderly woman
   from Jakarta
and a young man
   from Albania,
each of us praying
   in the same breath

I had never felt small
    until I looked up to estimate
    the height of what Abraham built

I had never felt privileged
    until I pulled a sister
    to take my place and rest her head
    on the musk-scented inscriptions

I had never felt the extent of my neglect
   until I watched a father shake,
   heaving repentances towards the Qiblah
in my own Arabic tongue

I can only speak two languages
   but I understood every word whispered
into the cupped hands
of those I walked with,
they were all asking
for the same thing I sought,
they were all weak
     and human
                  just like me,
I have moved too many times to count,
yet I had never felt
                  so at home.

During the seven times,
    I never saw His face or heard His voice,
   but I had never been so sure
of His existence,
               I was certain—
in the breaths of the infant
     sleeping in her mother’s chest
     despite the millions chanting His name
in the knees
      of the 90 year old Turkish woman
      who walked for hours
      just to visit Him
in the tears of my father
      who never broke
      for anyone in his life
between the crowds
      that suddenly parted
      so I could touch my forehead
      to the Kaaba
He was there
and I felt him
               I’m certain.

—

naira badawi

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Wed, 22 May 2013 15:33:21 -0400

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Wed, 22 May 2013 14:03:51 -0400

anneyhall: Photo by Sacha Van Dorssen

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:06:25 -0400

anneyhall:

Photo by Sacha Van Dorssen

0verb0ardd: lovewillbethere: theonehecamehometo: tnsouthernswe...

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:05:13 -0400

0verb0ardd:

lovewillbethere:

theonehecamehometo:

tnsouthernsweetheart:

Pictures on here always show soldiers and their girlfriends but this is the first time I’ve seen a father and son, and it’s such an amazing picture

i love this.

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Mon, 20 May 2013 18:58:22 -0400

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Mon, 20 May 2013 18:53:32 -0400

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Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:23:37 -0400

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Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:00:30 -0400

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Sat, 27 Apr 2013 19:02:07 -0400

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Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:43:34 -0400

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Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:09:35 -0400

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Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:52:24 -0400

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Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:07:54 -0400

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Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:02:53 -0400

the-absolute-funniest-posts: brainfluids: multicolors: There...

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:54:52 -0400

the-absolute-funniest-posts:

brainfluids:

multicolors:

There are children on this site

This post has been featured on a 1000notes.com blog.

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Mon, 22 Apr 2013 19:51:53 -0400

voxamberlynn: rottenworld: hotlava bugwork: “It is common...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:27:10 -0400

voxamberlynn:

rottenworld:

hotlava

bugwork:

“It is common for koalas to roam back to their home range afterwards and become confused to find nothing there. A worker noticed a koala had been sitting stationary in broad daylight on top of wood piles for over an hour.”

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Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:26:07 -0400