War Zones

By : Rabia Siddiqui

I lie 
In the field 
Ready to die 
Not out of weakness
But to defend my own 

In the depths of the night 
My wounds bleed with my eyes 
Praying for peace 
As the bombs fly

Striding tall to hide the weak
Armour, guns, weapons and all
Walking with my heart so small

Suppressed are those feeling that deem me sane 
For this is not a place for those 
Sadness and sorrow
Weakness and wounds 
Not the time for those 

Walking miles in dusty boots 
With stains of blood
From those we knew

My heart will forever ache for those 
The ones who’s innocent lives were taken 
Blood spilled over 
Hate, fear, injustice and no truth 

***

Rabia Siddiqui is a first year student at UBC and an aspiring architect.


Death

By: Ahmed Khan

Death.

Death is something that everyone agrees will happen to them. There will come a day where you will be buried by your loved ones and you will soon be forgotten. I guarantee you that day will come. When death arises to a loved one, questions begin to linger within our minds. What’s going to happen to them? Why did I ever disrespect them? Why would this happen to them? What exactly am I here for? What is the purpose of my existence? These questions require serious contemplation and force us to reevaluate ourselves.

It says in the Quran, “Competition in worldly affairs diverts you. Until you visit the graves (Quran 102:1-2). It is only once death hits us, that we are found contemplating the meaning of our existence. Death is what gives us a reality check that indeed all of us are here for a finite period of time and what matters to us now is how we used that finite period of time and what we did with it.

When you lose a loved one, it is common to experience depression and sadness to some extent. For some, this may be serious and for others its seen as a temporary state. When coping with this loss, it’s easy for one to lose their mind and go insane. “I’m never going to see or even hear them again. How am I supposed to move on from someone who played a vital role in my life?”. I myself began to seriously contemplate these questions.

I thank God for instilling a sense of faith in my life. For my family and others who deal with death, our faith is what keeps us going. Our faith is what brings us peace and contentment during these times. We fall back onto verses from our scripture to answer the questions that linger. “O you soul who is at peace. Return to your Lord, with Him being pleased with you. Come and enter my servant. Come enter my paradise (89:27-30)”. These verses were constantly recited by myself and my family which brought peace to us knowing our beloved is with our Lord and with Him being pleased with her. These soon became our favorite verses.

Without our faith, my family would have gone crazy reflecting on our loss and serious mental health issues would have arisen for us. My faith is something I cherish tightly because its something I can rely on whenever I am tested with hardships and tribulations. My faith is what keeps me going.

***

Ahmed Khan is currently the President of the SFU Muslim Students Association. He is a History Student but takes electives on everything. Ahmed loves reading in his spare time about Philosophy, Islam and contemporary issues. He is active within the community and hopes that his work inspires others to better themselves.