Divine Paradox Poem by Mohammad Younus

In the quiet moments where the Divine touches the soul,
a truth emerges that defies worldly wisdom:
Greatness is not found in power or pride,
but in humility and surrender.

Ibrahim, thrown into fire by Nimrod, became a leader of nations.
Moses, a fugitive shepherd, stood before Pharaoh.
Jesus, a humble teacher, spoke truths that turned the world upside down.
Joseph, cast into a pit, rose to rule a kingdom.
Muhammad, an orphan with no wealth or army,
became a mercy to the world,
his name echoing in every call to prayer.

The Qur'an reminds us:
'Indeed, the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous.' (49: 13)
True honor lies not in climbing higher,
but in bending low—
in humility that lifts the soul to the Divine.

When the Quraysh mocked the Prophet for gathering the poor and outcasts,
revelation came:
'Do not turn away from those who call upon their Lord,
seeking His face.' (18: 28)
The rejected ones were the beloved ones,
though the world could not see their worth.

Death, feared by all,
becomes a doorway in this paradox.
The Prophet taught us to die to the ego,
to let go of control and illusion.
The Qur'an says:
'Do not say of those slain in God's path, ‘They are dead.'
They are alive, though you do not perceive it.' (2: 154)
True life is found not in clinging,
but in surrendering to the Divine will.

The world admires strength and conquest,
but the Divine reveals a different power:
the strength of gentleness,
the power of forgiveness.
Jesus said, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.'
The Qur'an teaches:
'Had you been harsh and hard-hearted,
they would have abandoned you.' (3: 159)
The Prophet forgave his enemies—
even Hind, who mutilated his uncle,
and Wahshi, who killed his beloved Hamza.
When he entered Mecca victorious,
he declared, 'Go, for you are free.'
The Qur'an says:
'Repel evil with what is better,
and your enemy may become a close friend.' (41: 34)

The world says, 'Hold tightly to what you have, '
but the Divine says, 'Give, and you will receive.'
Jesus spoke of a seed that dies to bear much fruit.
The Qur'an says:
'A single grain grows into seven hundred.
God gives increase to whom He wills.' (2: 261)
The Prophet, though a ruler,
often tied a stone to his stomach to ease his hunger.
He gave away everything he had—
food, wealth, even the cloak from his back.
Generosity is not loss;
it is the alchemy of the soul,
turning scarcity into abundance,
fear into trust,
isolation into connection.

Even in suffering, the paradox holds.
Jesus said, 'Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.'
The Qur'an promises:
'Indeed, with hardship comes ease.' (94: 6)
Suffering, though painful,
is the soil where transformation grows.
It is the fire that refines,
the storm that clears the air,
the darkness that reveals the stars.
The Prophet endured immense loss—
his parents, his wife, his children,
his followers tortured, his body wounded.
Yet he never wavered.
When Ta'if rejected him with stones,
he prayed for their guidance instead of cursing them.
The Qur'an says:
'Perhaps you dislike something,
while it is good for you.'

Jesus reached out to the marginalized—
the Samaritan woman, the tax collector, the leper.
In their brokenness, they found wholeness.
The Qur'an tells of Hajar,
left in the desert with her infant son,
yet chosen to be the mother of nations.
Her desperate run between Safa and Marwa
is now commemorated by millions in Hajj,
a testament to God's favor on the forsaken.
Mary, when accused, responded with silence,
a profound act of trust in God.
Sometimes, the deepest truths are spoken
not with words, but with stillness.

Jesus chose fishermen, not scholars,
to be his closest followers.
Their simplicity became their strength.
Muhammad's companions included slaves, the poor, and the marginalized—
Bilal, an Abyssinian slave,
Ammar, whose parents were the first martyrs,
Sumayyah, a woman of unshakable faith.
The Qur'an recounts Moses,
a man of stuttering speech,
chosen to confront Pharaoh.
'God chooses whom He wills.' (28: 68)
In weakness, there is strength;
in humility, divine power.

This is the Divine Paradox:
a call to live upside down in a right-side-up world.
To find power in humility,
freedom in surrender,
joy in trials,
and life in death.
The question remains:
Will we dare to live this paradox?
To trust the unseen,
to walk the unknown path,
to believe that the first shall be last,
the meek are mighty,
and the seed of sacrifice holds eternal promise?
The invitation is open.
The path is clear,
though it winds through valleys and shadows.
Will we walk it?

MyKoul