Khader Adnan: The Heart of a Lion

Wake up, get up, it’s been 62 days,

As we lie in our beds, time is slippin’ away,

Like his restless soul, which cries out to be free,

Free from the shackles or begs from this world a release.

What remains after liberty? Nothing save slavery,

And a symbol of hope, a blinding light of silent bravery.

Allah knows best how much a soul can take,

And though it seems the world has stopped tryin’,

I envy your spirit which refuses to break,

Those soldiers know they’re faced with the heart of a lion.

Release him from this madness, this bitter tyranny,

Why do I feel like a dog set loose in a forsaken cemetery?

Forced to hear the cries of the dead and the dying,

Whilst the world does nothing, nothing, yet becomes tired of trying

To liberate a person, a person, a human being,

What am I missing? Don’t take a backseat, let me try and explain to you what you’re not seeing.

Allah knows best how much a soul can take,

And though it seems the world has stopped tryin’,

I envy your spirit which refuses to break,

Those soldiers know they’re faced with the heart of a lion.

Adhering to their sanctions, we pay our dues and thank em,

Thinking we played it smart, oblivious to the consequences of our actions.

Standing on the safe side, fearing the brave side,

Pretending not to see his father weep by his grave side.

Yes, he has a father, a brother and a mother,

Children and a wife just like any other.

Allah knows best how much a soul can take,

And though it seems the world has stopped tryin’,

I envy your spirit which refuses to break,

Those soldiers know they’re faced with the heart of a lion.

Not forgetting others, like in Tamimi, we lost a gem,

But rest assured that the Almighty won’t fail to judge between them.

For him, it was the right time, right place,

Coz he had the right to be there, the right not to have a canister shot in his face.

Allah knows best how much a soul can take,

And though it seems the world has stopped tryin’,

I envy your spirit which refuses to break,

Those soldiers know they’re faced with the heart of a lion.

The ummah is a community; closer still, it’s like a body,

So the pain that’s felt by one should be pain absorbed by everybody.

Feeling hurt, feeling helpless just sitting at home,
But it’s important to remind one another that we’re never alone,
His family are in my thoughts, his wife, may Allah relieve her
pain, and let’s not underestimate dua, the weapon of a believer.

Wake up, get up, it’s been 62 days,

As we lie in our beds, time is slippin’ away.

There are no veils between the prayers of the oppressed and their Lord.

Khader Adnan's face appears on posters during a protest in Gaza City. Photograph: Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images