In Every Heart a Prayer

In Every Heart a Prayer

Mahmoud Al-Jayli’s “Allah Gaadir”

Above, bonds of friendship shared during Mawlid celebrations in Omdurman, 2019.

This week I reproduce one of the most well known and beloved songs in contemporary Sudanese culture, accompanied by a rough summary of the text in Engish. Allah Gaadir (Allah Qaadir), God is Capable of All Things, is based on the verses of contemporary Sudanese lyric poet and poetry promoter and broadcaster, Mahmoud Al-Jayli, whose work I will be exploring in more detail in coming posts. Brought up in a family of writers and poets, Al-Jayli has published poetry collections in both classical Arabic and Sudanese colloquial. His compatriots’ love for his vernacular verse is testimony, Al-Jayli believes, to the unique expressive depth and force of Sudanese Arabic.

A full, annotated transcript and translation will be available soon on https://sudanesearabicdocumentariestranscriptionsandtranslations.wordpress.com/

Read more about the poet in محمود الجيلي صلاح الدين and Interview with Popular Poet Mahmoud Al-Jayli

Above, Hamid Al-Nil zikr celebrations, Omdurman.

Allah Gaadir embodies for so many Sudanese the profound consolation of faith in the face of adversity. It is also a hymn to the patience and resilience of those suffering hardship, loss and injustice on a daily basis. Al-Jayli draws profound inspiration from the Sudanese Sufi poetic tradition and the poetic form of the madiiH, hymns in praise of the Prophet. The song makes reference to several Attributes of God recognized in Islam.

“The name Al-Qaadir encourages Muslims to maintain unwavering faith and perseverance in supplication, regardless of how distant or impossible their desires may seem. Perseverance in prayer is a testament to one’s faith in Allah’s ability to fulfil ay need or desire.” Islamfaq.ca

See too A Thousand Prayers

Above, scenes of Khartoum, pre-war.See more in Another Khartoum, Another Khartoum Part 2 and Khartoum at Peace.

Listen to the Song here:

Lyrics Below

An interpretative summary of the Song

For all those eyes holding back unshed tears yet weeping, those hearts that do not tell of their sorrows, remember Allah Gaadir, Allah Gaadir, Allah Gaadir. He hears you when you lament, the poor, the forlorn and those at a loss, those who pass the day in sighs. Those living in just one room, worried how to pay the rent. Every heart bears a prayer, a supplication. For every heart stifling its sighs and patiently bearing its cares; Allah is All Knowing, All Seeing, Allah Gaadir. Remember God never forsakes His own. Every dark night comes to its end and the morning will near its appointed hour. The darkness at least veils our wounds. Careworn still, trying to afford the medical care you need, the school fees. Allah Gaadir Allah Gaadir Allah Gaadir. Allah is the All Sustaining, The All Protecting. For all those in body and soul broken and unhealed, a life passed in great sorrow. The wounds of the body burn with pain but the wounds of the spirit burn with greater fire. For all those hearts, be consoled in knowing God will bind up their wounds with compassion, will bring you consolation. Remember God never forsakes His own. Every dark night comes to its end and the morning will near its appointed hour. The darkness at least veils our wounds..

Below, more Khartoum scenes taken before the outbreak of war last April.

This week’s post remembers all those Sudanese I had the privilege to meet in Khartoum before the war, hoping and praying for their safety.