"Behind The Iron Curtain" — Najib Pens A Poem On Loneliness To Mark His First Year In Jail
In his poem, he wrote that he prays for the strength to be patient and to be freed from suffering.
By Sadho Ram — 23 Aug 2023, 04:37 PM
To mark the first of his 12-year sentence behind bars, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has penned a poem, in which he ruminated how 365 days have passed and how lonely he has been inside the Kajang Prison
The poem, posted on Najib's official Facebook page early this morning, 23 August, is in Bahasa Melayu (BM). At the time of this writing, it has garnered close to 90,000 reactions and over 7,000 comments.
In the poem, Najib describes how he has spent the last 365 days on the "cold cement floor" behind the "iron curtain" — as a poetic reference to the iron bars of his cell at the Kajang Prison.
The jailed former prime minister then goes on to describe his daily routine inside his cell — while waiting for the morning sunlight to "penetrate" through the "iron-curtained window" — as he prays five times a day.
As per his poem, he prays for the strength to be patient, and to be freed from suffering, and as his days have slowly turned into nights, he remembers Allah as he recites the Quran in solitude.
Read Najib's full poem in BM below:
365 hari telah berlalu pergi
Di sebalik tirai besi
Beralaskan dinginnya lantai simen
Tikar sejadah menjadi teman
Sujud
Mengerjakan solat lima waktu
Merayu belas kasihanNya meringankan ujian beban
Mendoakan ketenangan, kebebasan derita
Di subuh
Menanti sinar mentari pagi
Menembusi jendela tirai besi
Di waktu senja bertukar malam
Hening dan sunyi
Mengalunkan Al-Quran
Berzikir dengan hati
Keseorangan.
Walaupun tahu Allah sentiasa ada
Tidak akan pernah meninggalkan hambaNya
Here's an English translation of the poem by SAYS:
365 days have passed and gone
Behind the iron curtain
On the cold cement floor
The prayer mat becomes a companion
Prostrating
Observing the five daily prayers
Begging for His mercy to lighten the burden
Praying for tranquillity, freedom from suffering
At dawn
Awaiting the morning sunlight
Penetrating through the iron-curtained window
As evening turns to night
Silent and still
Reciting the Quran
Engaging in remembrance with the heart
Solitude.
Though knowing Allah is always present
Never abandoning His servant
