After the death of their father,
Muhammad and Ibrahim were put into prison.
Later, they escaped and walked hurriedly away
In one place they did not stay.
A kind lady who was fetching water
Saw them hiding behind a tree
Took them home and gave them food
“Don’t worry,” she said. “At the moment you are free.”
At night Muhammad saw his father in his dream
Next day, he cried bitterly with his brother, Ibrahim.
Harith, the kind lady’s husband, found the two innocent ones
Angrily and without any love killed them at once.
Captured by a beast, the older child said
Kill me first o man I can’t see my brother dead.
For I have always taken care of my brother
From the instructions given to me by my mother
With their last prayers performed at the River Furat
Martyred were the sons of Muslim Ibn Aqeel
Their small bodies floated away clutching one another
Straight to paradise they will go together.
by F. T. Jaffer