Ta’lim-ul-Islam: Quest for Knowledge – A poem by Alnoor Rajan Talwar

TA’LIM-UL-ISLAM* – QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge

Is just another conversation

With Life

With what we do daily

Rituals

Culture

Tradition

Prayer

Interpretation

Language

Misinterpretation

There will always be

The search for answers

Who am I?

Who are we?

When did it all begin?

When will it all end?

What changes will we live to see?

Will this world ever mend?

Ta’lim came to provide

Answers

That can no longer hide

We constantly strive

For a better and more meaningful life

For knowledge and guidance that change with the time

For values and ideals that make life sublime

For community relations to last

Regardless of creed, color or cast

In the depths of yearning

In the shadows of grieving

In the agonies of living

When I have sought (to no avail)

For some assurances of peace

Ta’lim came to heal

My soul

Fulfilling

My quest for knowledge and solace

Feeding

My hunger for a higher wisdom

Teaching

Me of bridges that link my past, present and future

Of faith that moves mountains

Of miracles and myths

And fables and facts

Of thriving Ismaili empires

& Dai’s preaching under blazing fires

Because of Ta’lim

I am now constantly seeking answers

My thirst may be quenched

But not quite

As I live

To fall and rise

And rise and shine

In my own way

With all my might

I can finally say

Without a fight

I AM

I am

A better Muslim

A better Ismaili

And a better person

Who speaks the unspoken

And hears the unheard

And who is not afraid

To soar the winds

Like a bird

Thank you, Ta’lim-ul-Islam

Alnoor Rajan Talwar

*Ta’lim-ul-Islam, a religious education program of Canada, is a series of educational sessions delivered by scholars from across North America.
All related: https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/tag/alnoor-rajan-talwar/