Boona Mohammed
"As long as you're still breathing you can start a new beginning."
The famous poet Boona Mohammed gave an eye-opening and chilling performance called “When the World Ends” at Loyola’s Mullady Theater this past February. The theater was packed with students from all around the Chicagoland area. Alongside the poet was the world renowned Qari Shaykh Ismail Al Qadi who gave the audience a live recitation throughout the performance. With these two talented individuals on stage, the event was a one-of-a-kind and unforgettable experience.
Boona opened by describing the intricacies of dying and, most specifically, our time in the grave. Four brothers carried in a life-size coffin, making the experience even more realistic. Accompanied by eerie images on the projector, light background music, and the occasional Quranic recitation, Boona continued his spoken word and went on to illustrate the emotions and events that will ensue upon us when we awaken from the grave. The fluctuations and intensity of his voice indicated that even Boona was getting emotional during the performance.
He went on to describe the Judgement Day and one’s journey towards heaven or hell. Due to the many temptations associated with college life, Boona’s message served beneficial to many Muslim college students. However, for the few non-Muslims in the audience, this intense discussion of the afterlife could have been both terrifying and alarming. Ahad Bagasra, a current senior, agreed that the event served as a great reminder of the afterlife but wished that Boona had catered to the non-Muslims as well. He added that, “it was very intense and the language was very charged, so it could have been terrifying especially for the non-Muslims.” Ahad enjoyed the combination of Quranic recitation and spoken word.
There were several Boona Mohammed fans who enjoyed the event wholeheartedly. Sadaf Paya, a current freshman, had several things to say about the performance: “I've been watching Boona Mohammed's videos since the beginning of high school and watching him perform live was one of the most memorable and life changing experiences of my life. His spoken word piece made me reconsider all of my actions and made me strive to be a better person. I knew death was inevitable and was something to come but the specifics and process of the afterlife gave me the chills . His use of descriptive imagery will never leave my head and that's something that keeps me grounded and in check every day. I'm forever grateful for our MSA for putting this event together because it made such a heavy impact on my life.”
For the majority of Muslims who came to the event, Boona Mohammed left them with a lasting realization that our time in this world is temporary. He was able to convey some of the fears that we will experience on the Day of Judgement and the satisfaction we will feel when we finally reach Heaven (inshAllah). I, along with my peers, left the event moved and with a renewed desire to better ourselves in the eyes of our Lord.
Unsa Shafi