ألا بلِّغ جنابَ الشَّيخ عنِّي

ألا بلِّغ جنابَ الشَّيخ عنِّي

رسالَة مُتْقِنٍ بالأمرِ خُبرا

رسالَة مُتْقِنٍ بالأمرِ خُبرا

Lo, convey to His Reverence the sheikh, on my behalf,

Deliver unto the reverend Sheikh this message from me,

a message from one thoroughly versed in the matter.

A precise account of the matter, fully informed.

وسَل منه غداةَ يهُزُّ رأساً

وسَل منه غداةَ يهُزُّ رأساً

بحلقة ذكره ويدير نحرا

بحلقة ذكره ويدير نحرا

And ask him in the morning, as he shakes his head

And ask that tomorrow morn, as his head nods

in his circle of remembrance and turns his neck:

In the circle of his remembrance, and he turns his throat,

أقال الله صفِّق لي وغنِّ

أقال الله صفِّق لي وغنِّ

وقُلْ كفراً وسمِّ الكفرَ ذكرا

وقُلْ كفراً وسمِّ الكفرَ ذكرا

Did God say, “Clap for Me and sing,

May God still his hands' applause for me and check

and utter unbelief, and call unbelief remembrance”?

His singing of blasphemy, naming unbelief as praise.

وأيُّ ولاية حَصَلتْ بجهلٍ

وأيُّ ولاية حَصَلتْ بجهلٍ

ومن ذا نالَ بالكفران أجرا

ومن ذا نالَ بالكفران أجرا

And what sainthood was ever attained through ignorance?

What guardianship was ever attained through ignorance?

And who ever gained a reward through unbelief?

Who ever gained reward by denial?

فإن قُلتَ اجتهَدْتَ بكلِّ علمٍ

فإن قُلتَ اجتهَدْتَ بكلِّ علمٍ

فأعربْ لي إذَنْ لاقيت عمرا

فأعربْ لي إذَنْ لاقيت عمرا

So if you say you have striven in every field of knowledge,

If you say you strove with all your knowledge,

then parse for me: “I met ʿAmr.”

Then explain to me, if you met Omar,

وما يكفيك هذا الفعل حتَّى

وما يكفيك هذا الفعل حتَّى

كذبتَ على النبيِّ وجئت نكرا

كذبتَ على النبيِّ وجئت نكرا

Nor was this deed enough for you—you even

And this deed does not suffice you until

lied against the Prophet and committed an outrage.

You lied about the Prophet and came as a stranger.

متى صارت هيازع من قريش

متى صارت هيازع من قريش

فعدِّدها لنا بطناً وظهرا

فعدِّدها لنا بطناً وظهرا

When did Hayāziʿ become part of Quraysh?

When did the weak clans of Quraish become

So enumerate their lineage for us, belly and back.

Noble lines? List for us their lineage, front and back.

فإنْ تكن السِّيادة باخضرار

فإنْ تكن السِّيادة باخضرار

لكان السلقُ أشرفَ منك قدرا

لكان السلقُ أشرفَ منك قدرا

So if nobility were a matter of being green,

If supremacy lies in greens' flourishing,

then chard would be nobler than you in rank.

Then vegetables are nobler than you in merit.

تقول العيدروسي كانَ يحيي

تقول العيدروسي كانَ يحيي

من الأَنفاس من قد مات دهرا

من الأَنفاس من قد مات دهرا

You say al-ʿAydarūsī used to revive

You say Al-Aidarous was able to revive

with breaths those who had long been dead.

With his breath one long dead for ages.

أكان شققتَ للباري شريكاً

أكان شققتَ للباري شريكاً

فيَمْلِكُ دونه نفعاً وضرَّا

فيَمْلِكُ دونه نفعاً وضرَّا

Have you carved out a partner for the Creator,

Did you set up a partner for the Creator,

so that he controls benefit and harm apart from Him?

To rule without Him, benefiting or harming?

فويلك قد كفرتَ ولستَ تَدري

فويلك قد كفرتَ ولستَ تَدري

ولم تبرح على هذا مُصِرَّا

ولم تبرح على هذا مُصِرَّا

So woe to you: you have disbelieved, and you do not know it,

Woe unto you! You blasphemed and knew not.

and you remain obstinately set upon this.

You persisted upon this and would not turn back.

وويحك ما العبادة ضربُ دُفٍّ

وويحك ما العبادة ضربُ دُفٍّ

ولا في طول هذا الذقن فخرا

ولا في طول هذا الذقن فخرا

And alas for you! Worship is not beating a frame drum,

Woe unto you! Worship is not beating a drum

nor is there glory in the length of this beard.

Nor glory found in the length of this beard.

برؤيتك الأنام تظنُّ خيراً

برؤيتك الأنام تظنُّ خيراً

ولو علقتَ لظنَّت فيك شرَّا

ولو علقتَ لظنَّت فيك شرَّا

On seeing you, people think well of you;

Seeing you, people think goodness,

but were you hanged, they would think ill of you.

Though had you hanged, they'd have thought evil.

أجب عمَّا سألتكَ واشف صدري

أجب عمَّا سألتكَ واشف صدري

وإنْ أكُ قد عرفتك قبل ثورا

وإنْ أكُ قد عرفتك قبل ثورا

Answer what I asked you, and soothe my breast,

Answer what I have asked and soothe my chest,

though I had already recognized you as a bull.

Although I knew you before the bull was agitated.