{This poem in loving memory of Khubayb, is reputedly composed by the Muslim poet Hassan Ibn Thabit, and is hailed in Arabic literature as a masterpiece. The charm of the original language and its lilt is impossible to convey in translation}

My Suffering

The enemy allies have converged on me,

incited their clansmen to muster strength;

They've invited their women and children to see,

and tied me to a solid trunk.

To Allah I complain of my loneliness and suffering;

Of enemies who surround me to rejoice at my death.

O Master of the Mighty Throne, grant me strength ,

To bear what they are doing to me;

Piercing my flesh and tearing my limbs.

They gave me a choice to turn away from Thee,

But death is preferrable to that;

That very thought of which brings tears to my eyes,

Not the pain they inflict on me.

I am not afraid of death, for some day everyone has to die;

But I shudder out of fear for the fire of Hell,

for the fury of its flames.

These limbs of mine are a sacrifice for Allah,

Hoping He'll bless every limb offered in His way.

So long I die a Muslim, I don't regret a thing,

For My death will occur in Allah's way.

 

{ At every piercing stab of their sharp spears he chanted:

La-ilaha-illal-aa Muhamma-dararasul-lah,

until his noble soul fled from his body in search of his Lord,

to complain of the tyranny of his tormentors.}