Die Before You Die (Sonnet 9), read by Rabia Spiker

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“Abdal-Hayy Moore was a family friend who became Muslim at the same time as my parents. My first strong impressions of him were formed at the age of 8 or 9, acting in the wonderful and fantastical school plays he wrote for the Islamic school in Abiquiu, New Mexico, Dar al-Islam, into which he wove stories from the Islamic tradition for us, and put this all into rhyming couplets! His poetry has always been an inspiration, and I feel blessed to have been mentored by him more recently through his Ecstatic Exchange Poets group. May his poetry continue to reach hearts and minds and to perform its otherworldly alchemy, and may he be showered in mercy and Baraka and blessed with the highest of stations with his Lord.”

Rabia Spiker

Throughout Ramadan, SeekersGuidance is paying tribute to the late Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, one of the most prolific and skillful poets of our time. Each day, a selection from Ramadan Sonnets will be read by a friend and loved one. To contribute, please email us. 

See also Sidi Haroon Michael Sugich’s moving tribute to Abdal-Hayy on the SeekersGuidance blog.