This October, in honour of Islamic History Month, we at Sakeenah Canada celebrated the power of creative expression. This legacy has carried strength, hope, and sakeenah through generations.
Participants were invited to reflect on the themes of strength, safety, serenity, and sakeenah, and to express what these values mean to them through art, writing, and poetry. Muslim artists, writers, and creatives from across Canada shared how they experience faith and peace in their own unique ways.
From poetry and paintings to heartfelt reflections, each submission became a reminder that creativity is a way to connect, heal, and inspire.
As the month comes to a close, we are proud to showcase the final wave of powerful submissions from our community. These works speak to what it means to find sakeenah in struggle, strength in stillness, and beauty in belief.
The One that Speaks the Truth
By: Nida Azad
It’s in the air
The fever for freedom
And it’s calling to every
One of us
Only truth can relieve
Its thirst
Only God can reveal
What it’s worth
What is
Peace on Earth?
Devotion to the truth
So to it we turn
Let our path be open
Let us open the way
To the teachings of
Muhammad the great
May he forever sail
A sea of peace
May all his students
Strive to reach
A home
Right below
God’s throne
Why did
The Phoenix dactylifera
Cry?
It became absent
From the words
God sent
What does the heart long to hear?
The truth that brings peace
And settles its flutters
As sisters and brothers
Learn
What it means
To be
Free
No more
Shall we bare
The brunt
Of the unjust
Nor will
The truth sayer
Stay hushed
It’s starting!
It’s starting!
The angels must say
When the winds bring news
Of seekers
Finding truth
Who use it to wisen
Kids, men, and their wives
And gather together
To let love
Rise
And so they rise
To move
Towards
What’s greater
Than them
And all things
Of this world
With words of Islam
Nestled in their hearts
Tech, schools, and the arts
Are the tools
To start
A symphonic wave
To praise God
And raise the awe
For the One
Who illuminates.
“Is there any reward for goodness except for goodness? (Quran, 55:60)”
By: Maryam Hikmat
The ayah in Surah Rahman, “Is there any reward for goodness except goodness?” It gives you a sense of tranquility that no matter how much you feel everything is against you, you doing the right thing and doing good will only result in goodness.
Excerpt from “The Language Conflict on the Term ‘Conflict’: A Critical Analysis of How Discursive Language Dehumanizes Palestinian Men”
By: Zarmeen Fatima
Language is not merely a tool. It is the structure of power, mapping the boundaries of what can be seen, felt, and grieved. Every word is a political act, a decision to either uphold or dismantle a narrative.
A free Palestine—and with it, free Palestinian women, men, and children—is not solely a matter of land; it is a liberation of the mind, a rupture in the grammar of the colonial empire. It demands the unlearning of colonial syntax, the severing of metaphors that cast Palestinian resistance as deviant, and the refusal to let Palestinian lives be tallied as collateral. It means writing with intention, listening with reverence, and reading between the lines and against them.
Perhaps this is the quiet violence of language, as a single word like “conflict” can smooth over decades of dispossession, collapse asymmetry into ambiguity, and obscure the conditions that make resistance inevitable. It is, in itself, a language conflict. But Palestinians do not live in euphemism. They live under occupation, under siege, and still, they live for their liberation. In the end, to confront the politics of language is to confront the truth of visibility, and what it means to be truly seen, named, and known. Palestinian men prove that a deeper, unyielding reality remains beyond the reductive binaries of “conflict.” A truth that cannot be translated or diminished, held in the quiet power of one word, familiar and whole, that holds all their stories, their dreams, their wounds—and that word is (human): إنسان.
A SON’S PRAYER
By: Khalid Raheem
They said he would survive.
They lied.
He died before my very eyes
Could see him slipping past.
He breathed his last to me.
Paternal legacy!
My heart raced,
Pounding at Your door,
I pled:
“Please take, oh Lord,
My worthless life instead.”
But nay.
A thing ordained…
An empty shell remained
Where once my father lay.
The hand I held,
And shook in grief,
Held still my own
In disbelief,
And sorrowful goodbye,
As softly, prayers trembled
On my lips, and I,
With pain ‘til now unknown,
Did shudder in my heart
To cry:
“Salaam, dear father,
Go in peace.”
And then his gentle wings
Release,
To flutter up on high
And so depart
For good.
Forever gone,
I understood.
And how I wept then
As a child, who, exiled
From his father’s grace,
Condemned to never see
His face again,
Would weep.
And afterwards
I longed for sleep,
To ease the pain, despair,
To dream…
To keep my father near.
In vain.
I began, my Lord, to agonize:
Was punishment Your plan…
Or privilege
That I, alone, my eyes
Should watch my father,
Dying,
Heave his final sighs,
Then journey back to You?
Nay, questioning is sacrilege!
I am, my Lord, my father’s son.
Aameen. So, be it so.
Thy Will be done.
Help me to accept, my Lord,
This mental snapshot kept,
This flashback frozen,
Framed in time.
In time, perhaps I will.
The image, Lord, so vivid still,
Still stirs the embers
Of paternal memory
Among the orphaned ashes
Of my soul,
A testament to that day
Of wretched toll
When life so precious
Flickered, blinked away
To join the faceless shadows
Of eternity –
For me alone
To see.
Let not Time relentless fade
My father’s memory,
But rather, Lord,
Record his presence
On my heart
That I, dismayed,
May conjure up at will
His walk, his voice,
His precious smile,
His lively laughter still.
His values, Lord,
Imprint upon my wretched soul
That I may henceforth learn to tread
Where once
His noble footsteps led.
And so now
Humbled beggar that I am
I plead
And stretch forth needy hands
To catch
Your Mercy’s fallen crumbs
To feed this hunger,
Aching void, this need…
And wash with tears
The hallowed ground
Before Your feet
In prayer to You
For one whose borrowed soul
Was due –
His blessed loan repaid!
His Book of Life complete.
And in Your promised Garden, Lord –
Your servants’ best reward –
Reserve cool shadows near a stream
And lead my father there
Therein to rest,
To dwell forevermore
In bliss.
And this I also do implore…
Permit me, Lord, to henceforth dream
Of days of yore not yet begun,
When, by Your leave,
We meet again…
My gentle father…
And his son.
In loving memory of my father, Abdul Raheem.
April 8, 1933 – November 28, 1991
Heavenly Dreams
Painting by: Wietske Merison
Heavenly Dreams (acrylics on canvas) was inspired by the feeling of comfort and warmth that embraced me after prayer. Once, as I was bathing in that sense of peace, I fell asleep on my prayer mat, very much like the woman portrayed. The painting is a playful expression of this beautiful memory, celebrating the patterns and colors of Islamic prayer mats and the beauty of the practice of remembrance and gratitude through prayer.
Gift of Sakeenah
By: Shohaima Akhtar
In every season of life, I realize how deeply the heart longs for sakeenah; that quiet peace only Allah (SWT) can place within us. The world often teaches us to seek strength in wealth, power, or control, but Islam reminds us that true strength lies in surrender. When we say La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no power or strength except with Allah [SWT]), we return to the source of all safety and serenity.
There are moments when storms feel endless, when fear and uncertainty surround us. Yet, in those very moments, Allah (SWT) sends calmness into the believer’s heart. It is in sujood, when the forehead touches the ground, that we find safety no walls can provide. It is in dhikr that serenity replaces despair.
There was a time when I felt completely overwhelmed… balancing school, responsibilities, and emotions that I couldn’t put into words. I remember sitting alone, feeling the weight of everything, until I opened the Qur’an and came across the verse: “Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest” (13:28). In that moment, it felt like the ayah was speaking directly to me. My worries didn’t disappear overnight, but my heart softened, and I felt a quiet strength, as if Allah (SWT) was reminding me that He never leaves His servant.
That moment taught me that sakeenah isn’t about life being perfect but about knowing Who to turn to when it isn’t. Whether in the calm of salah or the tears that fall in du’a, I’ve learned that safety and serenity come from placing my trust in Allah (SWT). Even in the most difficult times, He provides strength that I never knew I had, and peace that the world could never give. Sakeenah is not just peace; it is the assurance that we are never alone. It is the quiet strength that carried prophets through trials and the safety that wrapped the believers in the cave. In a world of noise and chaos, sakeenah is the gift that reminds us: Allah (SWT) is enough, and with Him, our hearts will always find home.
Strength, Serenity, Safety, and Sakeenah
By: Shazia Farooq
I am an abstract artist for home interiors. My work reflects beauty in earthy tones and textures. I create timeless pieces of art to add an element of luxury to your space.
Strength
By: Siddiqa Sadiq
Strength wears many faces.
Is it merely physical? Like that of a lion, the “king” of the jungle—a carnivore—unwilling to eat grass—because that is what its preys eat. He is a king not because of effort but because others fear him.
With all its might, the lion can spend the day lying in the sun, and with a single shift of his body or a low rumble in his throat, he reminds the jungle who he is.
No animal, big or small dares to challenge him. As long as that order is maintained, the jungle remains in check—a kind of uneasy serenity.
But there is another kind of strength. A quieter one. The strength of the Queen Bee. In a garden filled with colors, buzzing with life, the queen bee holds her place at the center. Her workers gather, build, and produce honey. She not only receives divine guidance and instinct but also provides order & stability to the hive. Without her, the colony collapses.
Her strength is not loud or visible. She never needs to roar. Yet she is the one who consistently sustains generations to prove that REAL strength is not only about dominance but also about quiet endurance and life-giving power.
The Light Within
By: Saira Anwar
Whenever I am burdened by shadows and despair,
You stand beside me, steady, always there.
You guard me when I stumble, you lift me when I fall,
A spark within the mist that guides me through it all.
When worry overtakes me and pain I cannot name,
You give me back resilience, you kindle hope’s flame.
You fill my heart with courage when doubt obscures my sight,
And brighten every pathway with confidence and light.
You guide me with a gentleness that keeps me strong,
The calm before the storm, the lamp that leads me on.
When hope slips from my grasp, you hear my silent plea,
Restoring strength within me, breathing new life in me.You heal the deepest sorrows, guard the soul I hold,
Transforming grief to courage, and pain to something whole.
Through comfort you awaken the voice I thought was torn,
A reminder that in brokenness, new beauty can be born.
Thoughts & Reflections on Surah An Najim
By: Habibo Moalin
So there is something to be said of the passing of time, florals and admiring Allah’s creation with the fading of foliage.
This is as to say I made the assumption that just as the evergreen trees that wisteria is ever purple. That I could make bouquets with the wisteria tree when winter came. For my guests to have a piece of our garden that made our space so beautiful.
I found myself bewildered at the thought of not being able to use the wisteria for a winter bouquet as it withered and died. I reflected on this Ayah from surah An-Najm.
وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ
By the stars when they fade away
Just Like the stars (وَالنَّجْمِ By the star wal-najmi ) wisteria in this instance (هَوَى hawa it goes down) fades away.
It’s September and I find myself pondering the transition of seasons.
The Sakeenah in Sajdah
By: Hafsa Mahboob
Shadowy whispers descend from
the veil of wet muscles, cries
beseeched from one’s larynx.
Respite with the one above — recite
prayers, the predecessors to forgiveness.
Prayers, the passage to morrow.
Amn is secured under the ribs,
softly caressing the ruh and
embracing quwwah with each act of restraint.
When the sternum is pressed with weight
and shoulders hold the pain,
surrender your soul.
God is greater—
let your sorrows fall when you
prostrate to He who is perfect.
Strive for sakeenah in sajdah.
When Counting Blessings, Don’t Leave Tranquillity Out
By: Anam Tariq
Sitting, with only the sound of faraway birds ringing through the air,
their clicking banter, or chat, you can say, a sign of peace.
Bread and butter, and bread and jam spread on blue-rimmed white plates
with a bonny breakfast on a blue and white checkered tablecloth
in the vicinity of a garden, the appearance of peace.
When peace rains (reigns), people scoot off to offices and schools and
to work on their fields and life progresses, placidly.
Tyrants govern where peace is not in power; destruction is the development,
(dead) bodies flourish, and families chew on hunger.
When counting blessings, don’t leave tranquillity out,
invisible like oxygen, yet its presence is huge. Just like while counting
banknotes, one clings to another, gets missed, but is equally valuable.
Ease and serenity are excavated during the best of actions—
the remembrance of Allah, and entreating Him (the doer, the helper).
Within olive branches, the guideline of Islam forbidding hurting unjustly
any of His creation. Harmony defined by Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) announcement
of amnesty for his enemies on the day of Fatah-e-Makkah.
Order found in the propagation of Islam by the Prophet,
revolutionizing the whole world with the least lives lost.
A handful of definitions of the thing not enough now to fill a million tiny hands.
Sakeenah in the Heart of Makkah
By: Aisha Patel
In the streets of Makkah, beneath the blazing sun,
A servant of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم began His
mission. He carried the truth, revealed from the
Most High, A trust from Allah, a call to testify.
They mocked His words, rejected His plea, Yet He
remained steadfast, patient, and free. Through exile
and hunger, through pain and despair, He placed
His trust in Allah’s care.
Strength was in patience, in faith that does not bend,
In holding to the Quran, in calling to Allah’s
command. It was in forgiving, in guiding the lost,
In steadfast prayer, no matter the cost.
Serenity flowed from the heart in sujood,
In dhikr, in remembrance, in trusting Allah’s mood.
Even when oppression and cruelty arose,
His heart was tranquil; His reliance never froze.
Safety was found in Tawakkul, complete trust, In
knowing that Allah is just and always just. Through
threats and exile, through hunger and flight, He
relied on Allah, day and night.
Then came Sakeenah, a mercy from above,
A peace sent by Allah, a gift of His love.
It filled His heart in the darkest hour,
A stillness granted by Allah’s power.
O hearts of the Ummah, remember the path He paved,
The Prophetصلى الله عليه وسلم, patient, pure, and brave.
Through struggle, through hardship, through every fight,
Seek your Sakeenah, your faith, your right.
Sakeenah Canada, a national charitable organization, was founded in 2018 in response to a gap in culturally and religiously sensitive services available for women and children facing domestic violence and homelessness. Since then, our services have expanded to include mental health therapy and counseling. Sakeenah has also started The People’s Market, a food program that helps combat food insecurity, and has become the first licensed foster care agency for Muslim children in all of North America. We currently operate 8 transitional homes across Canada: Toronto, Brampton, Milton, London, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Regina, in addition to the first long-term housing program for Muslim women and children in Canada, in Windsor.
Every night, thousands of women and children in Canada face homelessness, poverty, and trauma. We are on a mission to change that.
While Sakeenah functions at a national level, our head office and The People’s Market operate out of land that is part of the Treaty and Traditional Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Huron-Wendat and Wyandot Nations.
Sakeenah believes that while a land acknowledgement is the first step, we also understand that land acknowledgements alone are not sufficient to redress the harm caused by centuries of land theft, forced displacement and ongoing acts of settler colonialism. We recognize that this work is ongoing and complex, and we are dedicated to doing our part to create a better future for all.
© 2025 · Charitable Registration Number: 776013310RR0001