1. رعى اللَه أطلالاً بشهبائنا الغرا

    وحيا دياراً دون أنوارها الزهرا

    May God watch over ruins in our radiant Shahba'.

    And bless dwellings whose lights outshine Venus.

  2. ويا حبذا الأرجاء من حلب ويا

    سقى اللَه ذياك الحمى النهلة الوفرا

    Oh, how lovely are Aleppo's quarters, and oh—

    may God water that sanctuary with an abundant draught!

  3. ديار بها سكان قلبي ومهجتي

    وأرجاء قومٍ ذكرهم في الجوى سرا

    Dwellings housing the inhabitants of my heart and life's blood,

    and quarters of people whose remembrance is a secret within longing.

  4. معاهد أحباب كرام وسادة

    عظام وأعيان سما شأنهم قدرا

    Haunts of generous beloved friends and masters,

    great men and notables whose standing rose in worth.

  5. أفاضل قادات ثناهم وحالهم

    إذا مر في حي روى أهله نشرا

    Eminent leaders, whose praise and spiritual state,

    when passing through a quarter, refresh its people with fragrance.

  6. بلاد حماها اللَه من عين حاسد

    وأمطرها من غيم إحسانه برا

    Lands God has protected from an envier's eye,

    and showered with goodness from the cloud of His beneficence.

  7. بلاد بها التقوى بها العلم والتقى

    بها الفضل والإحسان والمشرب الأمرى

    Lands of godliness, knowledge, and piety,

    of excellence, beneficence, and the most wholesome draught.

  8. بلاد هي الدنيا ولا بدع إن تكن

    وكم من لبيب حولها حول الفكرا

    Lands that are the whole world—and no wonder if they are;

    how many a discerning man has turned his thoughts about them!

  9. بلاد بها طيب المعاش لساكن

    وطيب الهوى والماء والعيشة السرا

    Lands where residents enjoy a pleasant livelihood,

    and pleasant air, water, and prosperous living.

  10. بلاد بها اللذاتفي الدين والرضى

    بكل يسير والرضى يصحب الشكرا

    Lands where pleasures lie in faith and contentment

    with every modest thing; contentment accompanies gratitude.

  11. بلاد بها الشرع المنير الذي هو الص

    صراط لإنجاح المقاصد في الأخرى

    Lands where the radiant Law is the—

    path to achieving one's aims in the hereafter.

  12. بلاد بها أهل القناعة بالذي

    أتى من جناب اللَه بالهمة البكرى

    Lands whose people are content with what

    comes from God's presence, with pristine resolve.

  13. بنحن قسمنا أيدوا السرفا كتفوا

    بكسرة خبز عن رشيد وعن كسرى

    Through 'We have apportioned,' they strengthened the inward secret and were content [text damaged]

    with a crust of bread, needing neither Rashid nor Kisra.

  14. وقد أحرزوا صحرا المفازات وانزووا

    فهم في لبان المدن كالقطن الصحرا

    They took possession of the desert wastes and withdrew;

    in the bosom of cities, they are like desert-dwellers.

  15. وطابوا بمولهم فغابوا عن السوى

    كما أصلحوا في اللَه طول المدى المسرى

    They rejoiced in their Lord, becoming absent from all besides Him,

    as they set their course aright in God for all time.

  16. تعاموا عن الأكوان حتى كأنهم

    سكارى وتلقى الناس من شأنهم سكرى

    They turned a blind eye to created worlds, until they seemed

    intoxicated; you find people intoxicated by their state.

  17. راوا أنه الفعال في كل كائن

    فما طلبوا زيداً ولا قصدوا عمرا

    They saw Him as the doer in every existent thing;

    so they sought neither Zayd nor 'Amr.

  18. وقد سلموا من دس خائنة الريا

    فما عشقوا البيضا ولا حاولوا الصفرا

    They escaped the stealthy treachery of ostentation;

    they loved neither silver nor pursued gold.

  19. وفي الليلة الدهماء أنوار ذكرهم

    تصير بالعرفان ليلتهم قمرا

    In the pitch-black night, the lights of their remembrance

    through spiritual knowledge turn their night into a moon.

  20. وفي كل شيءٍ شاهدوا اللَه حاضراً

    فما نظروا بدواً ولا شاهدوا حضرا

    In everything they witnessed God present;

    they beheld neither desert life nor settled life.

  21. بهم تغفر الزلات والكرب ينجلي

    وتستحصل الآمال والحاجة العسرى

    Through them slips are forgiven and distress is dispelled,

    and hopes and the hardest needs are fulfilled.

  22. تساوى لهم أمر الفخار وضده

    فما كرهوا باباً ولا رغبوا صدرا

    Pride and its opposite were equal to them;

    they neither shunned a doorway nor coveted the foremost seat.

  23. وقد عرفوا الدنيا خيالاً فأعرضوا

    بهمتهم عنها لضرتها الأخرى

    They recognized the world as an illusion and turned

    their resolve away from it toward its co-wife, the hereafter.

  24. وقد بذلوا الدنيا لراج وطالب

    فما أصلحوا بيتاً ولا شيدوا قصرا

    They gave away the world to hopeful seekers and petitioners;

    they repaired no house nor built a palace.

  25. يرومون إطعام الطعام ونهضة الظ

    ظلام وإفشاء السلام كما يدرى

    They seek to serve food and rise in the—

    darkness, and spread greetings of peace, as is known.

  26. وقد قطعوا الأيام للَه بالصفا

    فما استطولوا عاماً ولا استقصروا شهرا

    They passed their days for God in purity;

    they found neither a year long nor a month short.

  27. وقاموا لمولاهم بنصرة دينه

    فاورثهم من فضل سلطانه نصرا

    They stood for their Lord in defense of His religion;

    He granted them victory from the bounty of His sovereignty.

  28. وقد تركوا الآمال في لجة العمى

    فما أملوا مالاً ولا رهبوا فقرا

    They left hopes in the deep sea of blindness;

    they neither hoped for wealth nor feared poverty.

  29. تراهم إذا جالستهم كنز حكمةٍ

    وفي بابهم من صدقهم تنفع لذكرى

    Sit with them, and you see a treasure of wisdom;

    at their door, through their sincerity, remembrance brings benefit.

  30. فهذا تراه من القرى قام للقرى

    وقد بذر الوجود في بابه بذرا

    This one you see coming from villages to offer hospitality,

    scattering existence like seed at his door.

  31. وهذا تراه في القبائل ثاوياً

    بخيمة شعرٍ لم يحط بالسوى خبرا

    This one you see dwelling among the tribes,

    in a hair-cloth tent, knowing nothing of anything besides Him.

  32. وهذا تراه خاملاً في مدينةٍ

    ذليلاً بها جهراً عزيزاً بها سرا

    This one you see obscure in a city,

    outwardly humble there, inwardly honored.

  33. وهذا بعنوان الظهور مطيلس

    فظاهره الأولى وباطنه الأخرى

    This one, bearing the outward mark of prominence, wears a taylasan;

    his outer self belongs to this world, his inner self to the next.

  34. وهذا بوسطى الحالتين مقنع

    وقد جعل الأسباب في حالة سرا

    This one is veiled between the two conditions,

    keeping worldly means secret within his state.

  35. وهذا بمن يهوى بحق مولع

    فلم يستطع عن حبه في الهوى صبرا

    This one is truly enthralled by the one he loves;

    in longing, he cannot endure separation from his love.

  36. كأن حشاء فوق جمر الغضا أنسلا

    بفكرته ذهلى ومقلته عبرى

    As though his entrails slipped over ghada embers [reading uncertain],

    bewildered in his thoughts, his eye tearful.

  37. تخافى بأنواع الثياب فواحد

    يظن به شراً وثانٍ يرى الخيرا

    He concealed himself in various kinds of clothing; one person

    suspects evil in him, while another sees good.

  38. إذا رد طرفاً في المهمات ردها

    بهمته العليا ومقلتها حسرى

    Whenever he turns a glance toward grave affairs, he repels them

    with his lofty resolve, leaving their eye exhausted.

  39. وإن كسر القلب الشريف بمقصد

    لذي أملٍ أو مطلبٍ يجبر الكسرا

    If the noble heart is broken over some purpose,

    for one with a hope or request, he mends the break.

  40. يرى حاضراً في رحبه وهو غائب

    بمحبوبه حتى به ضيع العمرا

    He appears present in his courtyard, yet absent,

    absorbed in his beloved, until in Him he has squandered his life.

  41. فأيامه عين الليالي وليله

    نهار ولم بدر الزمان متى مرا

    His days are the very nights, and his night

    is day; he knows not when time has passed [reading uncertain].

  42. وساعاته مصروفةٌ في حبيبه

    له الوقت يحلو فيه أن لذ أوامرا

    His hours are devoted to his beloved;

    time grows sweet to him in Him, when commands bring delight [text uncertain].

  43. وقد جمع الأشتات في سلك حاله

    فمقلته وسنا ومهجته حرا

    He has gathered scattered things in the thread of his state;

    his eye is drowsy, his heart burning.

  44. فذاك النجا للصدر أو رفقائه

    وهذا التجا محضاً لذي القبة الخضرا

    That one's refuge is the chief or his companions;

    this one sought refuge solely with the lord of the Green Dome.

  45. وذا جاهه بالمال والأهل والحمى

    وهذا بعليا خير من وطئ الغبرا

    That one's standing rests on wealth, family, and protection;

    this one's on the loftiness of the best who ever trod the dust.

  46. وذا أمل الحاجات من باب حاكم

    وهذا أجاب الظن في صاحب الأسرا

    That one hoped to have his needs met at a ruler's door;

    this one's hopes found an answer in the master of the Night Journey.

  47. فللَه در الشام حيث بأرضها

    مدار رحى الأبدال والحضرة الكبرى

    God be praised for al-Sham! Upon its soil

    is the pivot of the abdals' mill and the Great Presence.

  48. وأرض فلسطين إذا ما ذكرتها

    ذكرت كراماً جودهم يغلب البحرا

    Whenever I mention the land of Palestine,

    I recall noble men whose generosity surpasses the sea.

  49. أسود بميدان الوغى باع جدهم

    طويل عنان يقطع البر والبحرا

    Lions on the battlefield, the reach of whose earnest striving

    is long, its rein spanning land and sea.

  50. سلالة كرار الرجال الذي دحا

    بخيبر باب الحصن فارتج وافترا

    Descendants of the ever-charging warrior who hurled away

    at Khaybar the fortress gate, which shook and split open.

  51. وصى رسول اللَه حيدرة الذي

    مناقيد في كل تكرمةٍ تقرا

    The Messenger of God's appointed successor, Haydara, whose

    merits are recited in every noble celebration.

  52. فقوم لعمري طيب الكون حالهم

    وقد ملأ والأرجاء من نشرهم عطرا

    A people—by my life!—whose state sweetens existence,

    filling the regions with perfume from their fragrance.

  53. وقم بحب الآل سادوا فالحقوا

    بهم وعلوا قدراً وقد رفعوا ذكرا

    And a people rose through love of the Family, joining

    them and rising in rank, their remembrance exalted.

  54. بالصدق والإخلاص ضاعت قلوبهم

    وقد عظموا شأناً وقد شرحوا صدرا

    Their hearts grew fragrant with truth and sincerity;

    their standing grew great and their breasts were opened wide.

  55. أساتيذ هذا العصر سادات وقتنا

    شموس الورى أهل التصاريف والأجرا

    Masters of this age, lords of our time,

    suns of humankind, masters of spiritual sway and its exercise.

  56. طويل مديحي حين أثنى عليهم

    فصبر فلا أحتاج أن أبسط عذرا

    My praise is long when I extol them;

    patience, then: I need not offer an excuse.

  57. ولا سيما بالشهم مولاي والدي

    ملاذي ومن أعددته في الملا ذخرا

    Especially the noble man, my master and father,

    my refuge, whom I have counted a treasure among the people.

  58. أبو الهمم المعروف عند أولي العلا

    بفضل وجود هاشمي يغلب القطرا

    Abu al-Himam, known among those of high rank

    for excellence and Hashimite generosity surpassing rainfall.

  59. سليل الفتى الصياد وارث أحمد الر

    رفاعي عريض الجاه شيخ ربا بصرا

    Descendant of the youth al-Sayyad, heir of Ahmad al—

    Rifa'i, of vast prestige, a shaykh whose insight has grown.

  60. وملحوظ مولانا القريشي خالد

    أمير بني مخزومٍ أو سعهم صدرا

    And under the regard of our master, Khalid the Qurashi,

    prince of Banu Makhzum, the broadest-hearted among them.

  61. أخو الحزم سيف اللَه سيف رسوله

    مذيق العدا من حر حربته جمرا

    Brother of resolve, Sword of God, sword of His Messenger,

    making foes taste embers from the heat of his lance.

  62. فذا زبدة الأشياخ أهل الصفا ومن

    كراماته واللَه لم تقبل النكرا

    This is the cream of the shaykhs, the people of purity; and among

    his wonders, by God, are those admitting no denial.

  63. وماذاك إلا الشمس في عين حاذق

    فلا غرو أن يكره ذو المقلد العورا

    He is nothing but the sun in a discerning eye;

    no wonder that one with an impaired eye dislikes him.

  64. عنايته جلت وأحوال سره

    شهيرة شأن لا تقوم بها حصرا

    His solicitude is exalted, and the states of his secret

    are renowned—matters you cannot exhaust by counting.

  65. وللَه كم من مدلهم أحاطنا

    فمزقه بالانكسار فما ضرا

    By God, how many a dark calamity surrounded us,

    which he rent through humility, so it did no harm!

  66. وكم من عدوا جاس رحب ديارنا

    بسوء فأولاه بهته قهرا

    How many a foe prowled the breadth of our dwellings

    with evil intent; by his resolve he brought him defeat.

  67. وفي عسكر الليل البهيم أباده

    فجوعه جاهاً وأشبعه فقرا

    In the host of pitch-dark night he destroyed him,

    starving him of prestige and sating him with poverty.

  68. وكم من ضعيفٍ لاذ صدقاً ببابنا

    فأعقبه من بعد كسرته جبرا

    How many a weak person sincerely took refuge at our door,

    and he gave him restoration after his brokenness!

  69. وكم من مرادات علينا تعسرت

    فأبدلها من سحب دمعته يسرا

    How many of our wishes became difficult,

    and he changed them to ease from the clouds of his tears!

  70. وكم فل عزماً من رجال تجمعوا

    علينا ببسط الكف فانقبضوا دهرا

    How many a resolve he blunted among men who gathered

    against us, extending his palm, and they recoiled for an age!

  71. وكم ذلة عمت بنا وبسره

    أزيلت ولطفاً بدلت الرضى نصرا

    How many a humiliation overwhelmed us, and through his secret

    was removed, gently exchanged for contentment and victory!

  72. وكم من عليل حين لاقاه عاجلاً

    أتاه الشفا من فضل بارئنا جهرا

    How many a sick man, on meeting him, swiftly

    received healing openly from the bounty of our Creator!

  73. متى وجه القلب الرفاعي لحاجةٍ

    قضاها له الرحمن من لطفه برا

    Whenever the Rifa'i heart turns toward a need,

    the All-Merciful fulfills it for him through His gracious kindness.

  74. لقد ترك الدنيا بميزان طبعها

    وأهملها خلقاً وطلقها فكرا

    He left the world, judging it by the scales of its nature,

    disregarding it in character and divorcing it in thought.

  75. ترى اليمن معقوداً ببطن يمينه

    لمن جاءه يرجوه واليسر باليسرى

    You see good fortune bound within his right palm

    for whoever comes hoping in him, and ease in his left.

  76. وإثاره لا ريب فيه وأنه

    تبرأ من بخل فسبحان من برا

    His selflessness is beyond doubt, and he

    is free of avarice—glory to Him who created him!

  77. كليث الشرى في غابة الشان بارز

    وفي خلوة العرفان منكسرا سرا

    Like a lion of al-Shara, he stands forth in the forest of honor,

    yet in the seclusion of gnosis he is secretly broken and humble.

  78. عظيم لدى أهل الدنا وبطبعه

    ذليل بباب اللَه في الحال والمسرى

    Great among the people of the world, yet by nature

    humble at God's door, in his state and course.

  79. يجود بنفس لا لأرضاء نفسه

    بحق لوجه اللَه لم يقصد الفخرا

    He gives his very self, not to please his own self,

    but truly for God's sake, never seeking pride.

  80. ويكشف أسرار الضمائر من خفا

    جليس ويبدي ما توهمه فكرا

    He unveils the secrets of consciences from the hidden depths

    of a companion, revealing what he conceived in thought.

  81. ورؤياه مجلاه عمود الضحى كما

    يارها دجى يأتي بهيئتها ظهرا

    His dream is made manifest in full morning light, just as

    he sees it in darkness; it comes in its very form at noon.

  82. نعظمه حالاً وشخاً وإنه

    عظيم لدى أهل الكمالات والمدرى

    We revere him in state and person, and he

    is great among those of perfection and understanding.

  83. به في الحمى سدنا في رغم ضدنا

    ودسنا العدى واللَه عوضنا خيرا

    Through him we attained mastery in the sanctuary, despite our opponent,

    and trod down foes; God rewarded us with good.

  84. وكل يد بيضا لنا بالرضى انجلت

    بسر دعاه قد منحنا بها جبرا

    Every white hand that appeared for us in favor,

    through the secret of his prayer, has bestowed restoration on us.

  85. ولم نره يوماً أقام لشأنه

    مقاماً ولا كنى بذاك ولا ورى

    We never saw him, even once, establish for himself

    a lofty station, nor hint at it, nor imply it.

  86. شفوق كثير العطف يبكي ترحما

    لحال فقير شامه يشتكي أمرا

    Compassionate, full of tenderness, he weeps in mercy

    at the plight of a poor man he sees lamenting some trouble.

  87. حزين لحزن المسلمين وضاحك

    لأفراحهم ما ميز العبد والحرا

    Sorrowful at Muslims' sorrow, smiling

    at their joys, never distinguishing slave from free.

  88. عروف بمقدار الكرام وغيرهم

    ومن غيره في شأن تفريقهم أدرى

    Knowing well the worth of noble people and others—

    who else is more discerning in telling them apart?

  89. شهامته دلت على طيب أصله

    شهامة مجد تكره العجب والكبرا

    His chivalry has shown the goodness of his origin,

    a noble chivalry that hates vanity and arrogance.

  90. توله بالمختار قلباً ونيةً

    فما احتاج من صدق النوله للذكرى

    He became enthralled by the Chosen One, in heart and intention;

    his true devotion needed no reminder.

  91. وأضحى لأعتاب النبي انتماؤه

    وفي بابه المحمود قد ضرب الخدرا

    His allegiance came to rest at the Prophet's thresholds;

    at his praiseworthy door he set up his curtained dwelling.

  92. وصار رفيع الجاه في ظل جاهه

    ومن غيره في فيض إحسانه أحرى

    His prestige rose in the shade of the Prophet's prestige;

    who more than he deserves the overflow of his beneficence?

  93. وحاز مقاماً أحمد يا ظله

    أقمنا بأمن اللَه لم تختش المكرا

    He attained an Ahmadian station, beneath whose shade

    we dwelt in God's safety, with no fear of deceit.

  94. وأيدنا المولى بتأييد حاله

    فطبنا به اسماً وطبنا به ذكرا

    Our Lord strengthened us through the support of his spiritual state;

    through him our name and remembrance became sweet.

  95. أمولاي شيخ الوقت يا حسن الرضى

    وأستاذ من في رحبهم دور والخمرا

    O my master, shaykh of the age, O beauty of contentment,

    and teacher of those in whose courtyards wine goes round [text uncertain],

  96. ويا زاكي الأخلاق يا وافر الثنا

    ويا عزتي الطبع يا من سما قدرا

    O pure of character, O richly praised one,

    O 'Izzati in nature, O you who rose in rank,

  97. ويا خالدي الشان يا شبل أحمد

    أغثني وارد كنى وكن مسعفي دهرا

    O Khalidi in standing, O lion-cub of Ahmad,

    rescue me and come to my aid [text damaged]; be my helper always.

  98. فإنك يا مولاي أنت وسيلتي

    وباب رجائي حينما صحفي تقرا

    For you, my master, are my means of approach,

    and the gate of my hope when my scrolls are read,

  99. وواسطتي العظمى على كل حالةٍ

    لجدك هادينا وجدتك الزهرا

    and my greatest intermediary in every circumstance

    with your grandfather, our guide, and your grandmother al-Zahra'.

  100. بسرك لاحظني ولا ننسني فما

    سواك بهذا لوقت لي في الحمى ظهرا

    By your secret, watch over me and do not forget me, for

    apart from you, at this time, I have no support in the sanctuary.

  101. وأزكى صلاة اللَه ما لاح كوكب

    على ملجأ الأكوان وانتعمة الكبرى

    God's purest blessing, whenever a star shines,

    upon the refuge of all worlds and the greatest blessing,

  102. محمد المحمود في كل حضرةٍ

    وآل وأصحاب وتباعهم طرا

    Muhammad, praised in every presence,

    and his family, companions, and all their followers,

  103. وأهل طريق اللَه ما قال منشد

    رعى اللَه أطلالاً بشهبائنا الغرا

    and the people of God's path, whenever a chanter says:

    May God watch over ruins in our radiant Shahba'.