On the desertion of Muslim Ibn Aqeel by everyone at the mosque of Kufa, except one person, Hani Ibn Urwah, in whose house he was staying:
Muslim Ibn Aqeel turned around, after leading the prayers
And saw where once there were many, there was only one there
Where once loyalty had been promised, desertion had taken place
Where once sweet words were spoken, bitter rejection was the taste
Fear of man had overcome, when fear of God should have been greater
People fled to their homes, each locked door enclosed a traitor
How quickly they turned! How quickly they disowned!
This pious warrior, a noble stranger far from home
Shocked at what had just happened, silence hung still in the air
Where once there had been many, now there was only one there.
Written By Saqib Hussain
Taken from the book Sweet Bird by Saqib Hussain, available for free download from https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/566363
