Submitted by : qalamuddin on Muslim

The man I admire
is no scathing liar
who hides his desire
under words of Hell-fire.

The man I seek is not weak
nor, in his ibadah, is he meek
he fully loves and fears Allah
and proclaims loudly: Allah-Akbar, Subhan'Allah.

The man I will find
will have a strong enough mind
to ignore gender and race
finding instead reflections of The Face.

The man I will say yes to
will know subtle ways to woo
without forgetting what is due.

The man who thus observes
will certainly receive what he deserves
as much respect
as he should expect.

The man I hear
has overcome his fear
of succumbing to his lust
by allowing his heart to rust.

But the men I must see
wear nothing but a grubby tee
without any idea of who they should be
not realizing women in ummah are the key.

The man I met
boasting of his net
has he not understood yet?
nothing is infinitely set.

Hence, the men I know
are commanded to grow
to follow the Sunnah of our Rasul
-- that is, if they know.

The men I judge
are too stubborn to budge
and they ignore Allah's COMMAND
that there be equality in His land.

The men upon whom I inflict
the criticisms of this edict:
it is better that I warn
before we are torn
-- and then begin to mourn.

By a Sister in Islam

4 May 1999.

This poem was written in response to my poem The Woman!
Excerpt -

The Woman

The Woman I admire
wearing her attire
hiding her figure,
thus, curbing my desire..

The Woman I desire
fearing the (hell) Fire
is diligent in her prayers
for the rewards of life hereafter...