Poem #16. A Mother's Heart [قلب الأم]
by Ibrahim Al-Mundhir [إبراهيم المنذر], translated by The Scholar
[Standard Translation]
One day, a man beguiled an ignorant youth
With his coins until desire consumed him
He told: Bring to me your mother’s heart, young man
And you shall have jewelry, dirhams, and pearls1
So he set forth and plunged a dagger into her chest
Removed the heart and returned in haste
But due to his excessive rush he fell
Thus the broken heart rolled away at his stumble
It called to him the mother’s heart coated with dust:
My son, my beloved, has any harm befallen you?
It was as though this voice despite its tenderness
Was like ire pouring upon him from the heavens
He grasped the severity of the crime
none other has committed but him since the beginning of human time.
He drew back towards the heart washing it with what
Flooded from his eyes of torrent tears
Oh heart revenge on me
and do not forgive me for my crime is unforgivable
He drew his dagger to stab at his heart
A stab that will remain a lesson for whomever takes heed
The mother’s heart called to him: stop your hand and do not
pierce my heart twice upon the mark
أغرى امرُؤٌ يوماً غلاماً جاهلاً
بنقوده كيما ينالَ به الوطَرْ
قال ائْتني بفؤاد أمكَ يا فتى
ولك الجواهر والدراهم والدرَرْ
فمضى وأغرز خنجراً في صدرها
والقلبُ أخرجه وعاد على الأثرْ
لكنه من فرط سرعته هوَى
فتدحرج القلب المقطع إذ عَثرْ
ناداه قلب الأم وهو مُعفَّرٌ
ولدي حبيبي هل أصابك من ضررْ؟
فكأن هذا الصوت رغم حُنُوِّهِ
غضبٌ عليه من السماء قد انهمرْ
فدرَى فظيعَ جنايةٍ لم يَجْنِها
أحدٌ سِواه منذُ تاريخ البشَرْ
وارتدَّ نحو القلب يغسله بِما
فاضت به عيناه من سَيل العبَرْ
ويقول يا قلبُ انتقم مني ولا
تغفر فإن جريمتى لا تُغتفَرْ
وإذا غفرتَ فإنني اقضي انتحـا
راً مثلما يوضاسُ مِن قبلي انتحرْ
واستلَّ خِنجرَه ليطعنَ قلبَهُ
طعنا فيبقى عِبرةً لمن اعتبَرْ
ناداه قلب الأم: كُفَّ يَداً ولا
تَطعنْ فؤادي مرتيْنِ على الأثَرْ
[Translation With Romanization]
One day, a man beguiled an ignorant youth
أغرى امرُؤٌ يوماً غلاماً جاهلاً
aghra imruun yawman ghulaman jahilan
With his coins until desire consumed him
بنقوده كيما ينالَ به الوطَرْ
binuqudihi kayma yanala bihi al-watar
He told: Bring to me your mother’s heart, young man
قال ائْتني بفؤاد أمكَ يا فتى
qala i’tini bifu’adi ummika ya fata
And you shall have jewelry, dirhams, and pearls
ولك الجواهر والدراهم والدرَرْ
wa laka al-jawahir wa al-darahim wa al-durar
So he set forth and plunged a dagger into her chest
فمضى وأغرز خنجراً في صدرها
famada wa aghraza khinjaran fi sadriha
Removed the heart and returned in haste
والقلبُ أخرجه وعاد على الأثرْ
wa al-qalbu akhrajahu wa ‘ada ‘ala al-athar
But due to his excessive rush he fell
لكنه من فرط سرعته هوَى
lakinahu min fart sur’atihi hawa
Thus the broken heart rolled away at his stumble
فتدحرج القلب المقطع إذ عَثرْ
fatadahraja al-qalbu al-muqatta’ idh ‘athar
It called to him, the mother’s heart, coated with dust:
ناداه قلب الأم وهو مُعفَّرٌ
nadahu qalbu al-umm wa huwa mu’affar
My son, my beloved, has any harm befallen you?
ولدي حبيبي هل أصابك من ضررْ؟
waladi habibi hal asabaka min darar?
It was as though this voice, despite its tenderness
فكأن هذا الصوت رغم حُنُوِّهِ
faka’anna hadha al-sawt raghma hunuwihi
Was like ire pouring upon him from the heavens
غضبٌ عليه من السماء قد انهمرْ
ghadabun ‘alayhi mina al-sama’ qad inhamar
He grasped the severity of the crime none other has committed
فدرَى فظيعَ جنايةٍ لم يَجْنِها
fadara fazi’a janayatin lam yajniha
But him since the beginning of human time
أحدٌ سِواه منذُ تاريخ البشَرْ
ahadun siwahu mundhu tarikh al-bashar
He drew back toward the heart, washing it with what
وارتدَّ نحو القلب يغسله بِما
wartadda nahwa al-qalbi yaghsluhu bima
Flooded from his eyes of torrent of tears
فاضت به عيناه من سَيل العبَرْ
fadat bihi aynahu min sayl al-abar
Oh heart, revenge on me,
ويقول يا قلبُ انتقم مني ولا
wa yaqulu ya qalbu intaqim minni wa la
And do not forgive me for my crime is unforgivable
تغفر فإن جريمتى لا تُغتفَرْ
taghfir fa inna jarimati la tughfar
He drew his dagger to stab at his heart
واستلَّ خِنجرَه ليطعنَ قلبَهُ
wa istalla khinjarahu li yaṭ’ana qalbahu
A stab that will remain a lesson for whomever takes heed
طعناً فيبقى عِبرةً لمن اعتبَرْ
ta’nan fayabqa ibratan liman i’tabar
The mother’s heart called to him: Stop your hand, and do not
ناداه قلب الأم: كُفَّ يَداً ولا
nadahu qalbu al-umm: kuffa yadan wa la
Pierce my heart twice upon the mark
تطعنْ فؤادي مرتيْنِ على الأثَرْ
tat’an fu’adi marratayn ‘ala al-athar
[Scholars Notes]
We have all heard similar stories before: a son who hides dead bodies in a well, only to find them gone the next day. That is, until he kills his mother and disposes of her body in the well, only to discover that she, the one he had just killed, was the one removing and disposing of the bodies out of fear for her son. Or the son who loses his eyesight and discovers that he has finally found an eye donor, only to learn after surgery that his mother has given him her eyes. But these are fictional stories. What about the real ones?
The Australian mother who used her bruised and heavily injured body to shield her baby from a severe hailstorm in Australia.2
The countless mothers who have covered, shielded, and fought for their children from vicious dog attacks.3
The mother who ran back into a burning building, suffering severe burns, to save all of her children, saying, "I gave birth to six children; I was leaving with six children."4
The countless Palestinian mothers who have had to carry their children twice in this world: once in their wombs and once in their funerals.5
The Kentucky mother who tied her children to herself with a vacuum cord to survive a flood.6
No, the stories told here are not fiction, and the mothers in them are not imagined. These are real women who have gone above and beyond to protect their children, just like countless mothers around the world today. Our mothers, who birthed us, raised us, clothed us, and taught us, are nothing short of miracles. May God lengthen their lives, ease their burdens, and grant them the highest rewards, both in this world and the next. For no love matches that of a mother, and no sacrifice is more sacred.
Happy Mother’s Day.
Video: Poem by Ibrahim Al-Mundhir, Recited by Ibrahim Muhammad
The term used here is “dirhams,” which is a unite of currency; i.e, money
https://globalnews.ca/news/4541214/mother-battered-bruised-shielding-baby-hailstorm/
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/mother-uses-her-own-body-to-protect-child-from-a-violent-rottweiler-video-leaves-netizens-divided-about-who-is-to-be-blamed/articleshow/118605723.cms?from=mdr
https://www.brightvibes.com/emma-schols-mother-of-6-singlehandedly-saved-all-of-her-children-from-a-fire/
https://scheerpost.com/2025/05/11/how-much-longer-must-mothers-in-gaza-fear-losing-their-children/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/08/01/kentucky-flooding-survivors-bowling-creek/10194460002/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p
This is the most beautiful poem I have ever come across...
😢 beautiful, and amen!