“A prayer between strangers” by Khawthar Eltom
- poet
- May 9
- 2 min read
Updated: May 16
look up—
don’t be afraid.
i’ll respond.
i promise.
i know what it’s like
to hesitate.
to wonder if your voice
will echo back
empty.
to offer peace
and get silence in return.
but still—
say it anyway.
say assalamu alaykum
even if your heart’s unsure.
even if your hands shake.
even if the world has taught you
to hold your breath in rooms that feel too loud,
to second-guess the sound of your own voice.
say it like a light,
like a bridge,
like the beginning
of something beautiful.
because salaam
isn’t just a word—
it’s a prayer in motion.
It's an invitation to peace.
a whisper of mercy
woven into syllables.
and when someone answers—
wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh—
you’re not just being acknowledged.
you’re being wrapped in du’a:
may peace be upon you.
may Allah’s mercy follow you.
may blessings rise to meet you
at every corner.
we forget how sacred this is.
how the angels respond too.
how even a simple salaam
can shift the weight of a heavy day,
remind someone they belong,
connect strangers as kin.
so say it again.
even if the world feels colder now.
even if responses are shorter,
quieter,
fewer.
say it for the one who’s afraid.
say it for the version of you
who needed to hear it once
and didn’t.
and if no one else says it first—
let it be you.
the first spark.
the first sign.
the first opening.
because the Prophet ﷺ said:
“spread salaam among yourselves.”
and what a gift it is
to be the one who starts it.
to be the one who makes someone feel seen
without needing to know their name.
so even if your voice trembles—
say it anyway.
and i’ll say it back
like a prayer,
like a promise,
like we’re already
on our way
back home.