The Collected Poems of Abdullah Quilliam

Ron Greaves, Yahya Bird (editors)

Paperback

9781912356898

 

The Collected Poems of Abdullah Quilliam brings together the secular and religious poetry of Abdullah Quilliam (1856–1932) together in a single volume for the first time.

 

Best known as the founder of Britain’s first mosque community, this collection covers his entire four-decade poetic output, and reveals much about his inner spiritual and emotional life, about the private man behind the public figure.

Excerpt:

 

The First Sura Paraphrased

 

Praise be to God the Lord of all creatures. Sura 1, Koran

 

Praise be to God the Lord of all,

Praise Him all creatures great and small;

With raptures now, the mercies sing,

Of Him the day of judgment’s King.

 

Exclaim, O Lord, we worship Thee,

Now while we kneel on bended knee;

Oh grant us by Thy mighty power,

Needful assistance every hour.

 

Direct us Lord in the right way,

Nor ever let us go astray;

Graciously keep us in Thy path,

Preserve us from Thy holy wrath.

 

And when the sands of life have run,

And all our time on earth be done;

We pray Thee O Thou God of love,

Take us to Thee in heaven above.