Your Efforts Matter!

(I wrote this poem as part of a class assignment back in 2022. The topic was how the knowledge itself that “God judges us based on our efforts” can result in many different kinds of effects. I liked the poem so I decided to post it here.)

The scholar stood up for his speech
And gazed at those he’d come to teach.
From every walk of life they came,
But the words they’d hear would be the same.
How could one message cater all,
The rich, the poor, the big, the small?
He paused, and chose his words with care, 
Addressing those assembled there.
Would he, when preaching their belief,
Be long and flowy, or keep it brief?
Judiciously, he chose the latter,
And spoke three words:

“Your efforts matter.”

---

Ali looked up and softly gasped,
With trembling hands both tightly clasped.
His life had been a gloomy chain
Of needless work and pointless pain.
He always tried hard to succeed,
But that was not what God decreed.
Like sandy castles caught in a wave,
He lost his work by forgetting to save.
He planted seeds that wouldn’t grow.
He cooked for guests that wouldn’t show.
He’d take great pains to pray tahajjud
Only to fart in his tashahhud!
It was the fate he always faced
To see his work go all to waste.
He feared that he, when his time came,
Would pass with no deeds to his name.
He now accepted this sad fact,
With lessened hope in every act
Until today, when now he heard
A claim so bold, it was absurd.
Was there some worth to all his toil
Even when the fruits would spoil?
And yet, the God who’s All-Aware
Is just and kind enough to care.
It’s not just raw results that count.
The effort, too, is paramount.
All those times he stayed and tried
Were noticed, valued, verified.
The outcomes may get lost or shattered;
That’s not the point. His efforts mattered.

---

The words that fell on Zaynab’s ear
Were ones she thought she’d never hear.
Ever since her tender youth,
She’d faced an overwhelming truth:
That things are bad, that life’s not fair,
Corruption festers everywhere.
Growing up in grimy slums,
She saw first-hand what life becomes:
Violence, anger, fear, and greed,
Hopelessness in times of need.
The system here was fully flawed, 
Unjust, oppressive, devoid of God.
The rich got richer, and the poor
Were forced to beg from door to door.
Zaynab felt this couldn’t be
God’s vision for humanity.
She used to dream, back in the day,
That she might figure out a way
To fix the world, and make things bright.
She had been naïve, all right! 
Did she really think this through?
What could a single person do? 
The odds were so demoralising,
Her lack of hope was paralysing.
She almost gave it up and quit,
But today, again, the flame was lit.
Yes, it’s true the chances were slim;
She’d work for God and leave it to Him.
The fight might leave her bruised and battered,
But still she’d try, for efforts mattered.

---

The words hit Hamza like a stone
And made him heave a heavy groan.
He was not the type of guy
To ever really want to try.
His favourite way to spend the day
Was sleeping most of it away.
Instead, he’d stay awake at nights
With games and parties, screens and fights.
Since the time he was a boy,
He loved pursuing every joy.
Not a thing would peeve him more
Than being forced to do a chore.
Now an adult, in his prime,
Hamza squandered all his time.
Deep down he knew it wasn’t right
To burn away his day and night.
Though feeling useless was a curse,
Admitting it was even worse.
He always wished that he had found
The strength to turn his life around.
But comfort left him clinging on
To a life he wished were gone.
Enough! No more! The preacher’s tone
Shook him to his very bone.
What would he show, what would he say
When God called him on judgement day?
No time to waste, for thirsty souls
Were made to chase for lofty goals.
With that, his inner demons scattered.
He had to work, ‘cause efforts mattered.

---

The scholar paused and looked around,
And saw the impact was profound.
How much these few words could achieve,
This promise of God for those who believe!
It gave them hope for their dark days,
And guided the slow to change their ways.
The crowd understood, the scholar could tell,
But the message was meant for him as well.
It’s easy work to talk the talk;
The real test is to walk the walk.
Every time he preached the creed,
His words should match up with his deed.
If people praised him through and through
For things he said but didn’t do,
He shouldn’t let himself feel flattered.
Not in a world where efforts mattered.