'A DRONE OVER THE SKIES OF MADINAH ...'

Ask yourself: if the Prophet was with us today,
If he spoke the same words and lived the same way,
If he returned with the same message to relay,
How long would the forces of the world let him stay?

Back then, he taught humankind to: 'Bow down to none,
No idol, no tyrant, no oppressive nation,
Keep your heart and mind free from their domination,
True power is with God, so don't fear anyone!'

Quraysh let him be so long as he was benign,
And to his message, they thought that few would incline,
But when he preached openly, would not bend his spine,
The state turned against him, for he had crossed the line;

At first, they rushed to him seeking some compromise,
They'd give him the mic if he just ceased to chastise,
The ills around him they feared he would neutralize,
But he would not clothe his words in any disguise;

And he persisted in making more minds aware,
Of society's false gods of which to beware,
Of the tyrants of Earth, so the state could not bear,
And his "freedom of speech" vanished into thin air;

Choking him as he prayed, they tried suffocation,
Then imposed three years of economic sanction,
Signed off authorizing his assassination,
He was hunted in his land, forced to migration;

To track down this "radical", the vast land they'd comb,
Abu Jahl led the pack, his mouth frothing with foam,
Put him on a 'Wanted' list in his own home,
Like Jesus Christ before him at the hands of Rome;

And the Romes of today at whose hands we're abused,
Who preach to us values from which they're self-excused,
How similar the tools of repression they used,
The tyrants of past and present are ever fused;

Today, he'd see us consumed by the same fires,
With the gods in our hearts these worldly desires,
And the gods of the Earth nations and empires,
Headed by killers and professional liars;

He laid siege to Qaynuqa' for one woman's fear,
So what would he say to those who gang-raped 'Abeer?
Muffled 'Aafia's screams as she shed tear after tear?
And occupy Muslim countries year after year?

He'd come back to remind us to: 'Bow down to none,
No idol, no tyrant, no oppressive nation,
Keep your heart and mind free from their domination,
True power is with God, so don't fear anyone!'

In a repeat of that reality uncouth,
Imagine he stood and struggled for the same truth,
And had the same impact on society's youth,
Would they not once again fight this man nail & tooth?

Of course, they'd first test him to see what he's about,
Would he stay true like before, or would he sell out?
Would fear of the state instill in his mind some doubt?
No doubt, he'd be a mountain shaking off their clout;

In an era where his inheritors deprave,
The trust of their knowledge so their skins they would save,
He'd be an inspiration for every field slave,
Craving an example of the fearless and brave;

Their think-tanks would scramble to counter his appeal,
Find scholars for dollars with whom to make a deal,
To persuade us: 'The Prophet is just full of zeal,
Grieving injustices - quote - "perceived" and not real!'

They'd wiretap him as he said: 'Bow down to none,
No idol, no tyrant, no oppressive nation,
Keep your heart and mind free from their domination,
True power is with God, so don't fear anyone!'

Then they'd name him on a federal indictment,
American court would charge him with incitement,
Through Surat at-Tawbah - marked 'Criminal Statement'
Khalid bin al-Walid as his co-defendant;

They'd say he conspired from the North to South Pole,
And seek a life sentence with no chance of parole,
In a bright orange suit on lockdown in the Hole,
Such do they treat those spirits they cannot control;

Like the rest of us who have committed no crime,
But to be a proud Muslim at this point in time,
As the war on his message has reached its full prime,
Giving those who live by it more mountains to climb;

When they saw that in this message he would persist,
They would designate him a global terrorist,
And just like Quraysh, they would pound an angry fist,
Before placing his name on their own target list;

Over the skies of Madinah, they'd send a drone,
Distribute 'Wanted' posters with his bearded face shown,
Talk to local tribes, make the reward money known,
For those who capture or kill him and retrieve each bone;

They'd study Badr and Uhud, learn his strategy,
And profile those who pledged to him under the Tree,
Try to identify his 'Number Two' and 'Three,'
Is it Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, or 'Ali?

To the Prophet's Mosque, they'd send an entire brigade,
To round up the Ansar who had given him aid,
To kick down his family's door in a night raid,
To make him the target of their final crusade;

Because his message would still be: 'Bow down to none,
No idol, no tyrant, no oppressive nation,
Keep your heart and mind free from their domination,
True power is with God, so don't fear anyone!'

Imagine if the Prophet was with us today,
If he spoke the same words and lived the same way,
If he returned with the same message to relay,
They'd reserve him a cell at Guantanamo Bay ...

Tariq Mehanna

Monday 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah 1431/
15th of November 2010

FOOTNOTES:
1.) Abeer Qasim al-Janabi, a 14-yr old Iraqi girl who was gang-raped,
beaten, shot, and burned along with her parents and siblings by American soldiers in March of 2006, south of Baghdad. (May Allah have Mercy on them)
2.) Referring to the hadith: "The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets."
3.) Referring to the Pledge of Ridwan given under a tree on the day of Hudaybiyah, as mentioned in Surat al-Fath, v.18.