قد اهتزت الأكوان وارتعد الملا

لقتل امام قامَ اللّه فيصَلا

All creation has shaken, and the multitude has trembled,

At the killing of an imam who stood as God's arbiter.

على سيرة الفاروقعدلاً وحكمةً

يسير بها للّه ليسَ لما خَلا

Following al-Faruq's way in justice and wisdom,

He walked it for God's sake, not for anything else.

إمام حباه اللّه نصراً مؤزراً

ولم يتخذ شيئاً سوى اللّه مَوْئلا

An imam whom God blessed with mighty victory,

Who took nothing but God as his refuge.

وقام بقسط اللّه في أهل أرضه

بخارقة من أمره تعجز الملا

He upheld God's justice among the people of His earth,

Through a marvel of His command that left the multitude powerless.

على سُنة ذا همّةٍ مشمخرة

لاظهار حكم اللّه حتى تهللا

Following the Sunnah, with towering resolve,

To make God's rule manifest until it shone forth.

تجرد يُعلي كلمة اللذه همُّةُ

ليصبح مغزى كلمة الكفر أسفلا

His resolve was wholly bent on raising God's word,

So that the import of unbelief's word should lie lowest.

بسطوة مقدام إذا الحرب ألهبت

ولا ينثنى إلا وقد أدرك العلى

With a dauntless warrior's might when war blazed,

He did not turn back until he had reached the heights.

يفلق هامات الخطوب بعزمه

إذا قام قرن البغي أعلاه مقصلا

With his resolve he split the heads of calamities;

When rebellion's horn rose, he raised a cleaving sword above it.

رأى الجور أربى فاستقام لقطعه

وما كان وَهْناً رايُه متزلزلا

He saw oppression swelling and stood firm to cut it down;

He was never weak, nor his judgment wavering.

لقد باع في ذات الجهادين نفسه

فما أربح البيعَ العظيم وأفضلا

For the cause of the two struggles he sold his soul;

How profitable that mighty bargain, how excellent!

فعاش على التحريض في ذات ربّهِ

مخافة حد اللّه أن يتعطلا

He lived exhorting others for his Lord's sake,

Fearing that God's prescribed law might fall into disuse.

رأى حرمات اللّه لا من يصونها

قوي ولا عدل يرد المبدلا

He saw God's sanctities with none to protect them—

No strong man, nor a just one to repel the corrupter.

فشمر ذيل العزم تشميرَ غيرة

فأصبح عرش البغي عرشاً مثللا

He tucked up the hem of resolve in ardent zeal,

And rebellion's throne became a throne demolished.

له سيرة الأبرار لا متكبراً

ولا واهناً في العدل أو متعللا

His was the way of the righteous, without arrogance,

Neither weak in justice nor making excuses.

يبيت يناجي اللّه خوفاً ورغبةً

كان عليه للمهابَة أفكلا

He spent the night confiding in God, in fear and longing;

A tremor lay upon him from awe.

إلى أن أراد اللّه اكرام ذاته

بنقل ونعم الدار فيها تنقلا

Until God willed to honor his person

Through a departure—blessed the abode where he came to dwell!

فأصبح في بحبوحة الخلد ناعماً

وطوبى لمن جوزي بها وتقبلا

He came to dwell in bliss at the broad heart of eternity;

Blessed is whoever is rewarded with it and accepted.

كما جد في احيائه الدين جده

وفارق دنياه رضياً مكملا

Just as he strove his utmost to revive the faith,

He left his worldly life well-pleased and made complete.

سقى اللّه قبراً ضمه رَوح رحمةٍ

توالى عليه بارقاً متهللا

May God water the grave that holds him with mercy's soothing breath,

Following upon it unceasingly, flashing and radiant.

بروحي أفديهِ طعيناً ممزقاً

وكان مُفدَى الحور ساعةَ جُدّلا

With my soul I would ransom him, stabbed and torn,

One whom the houris would ransom when he was felled.

يجود بنفس طيَّبَ اللّه ذاتها

إلى يَدربّ العرش تبغي تحولا

He gives up a soul whose essence God made pure,

Seeking passage into the hand of the Lord of the Throne.

تقبلها الرحمن بالروح جاعلاً

لها بين من حازوا الشهادة منزلا

The All-Merciful received it with repose, granting

It a dwelling among those who attained martyrdom.

لقد فاض مظلوماً بطعنة فاجرٍ

له الويل لا زال الشقيَّ المبهلا

Wronged, he breathed his last from a wicked man's stab.

Woe to that man! May he ever remain wretched and accursed.

هنيئاً أمين الله نلتَ شهادة

وأبقيت ذكر الطيبين مبجلا

Blessed are you, God's trustee: you attained martyrdom,

And kept the memory of the virtuous revered.

ولو فوديت نفس فديناك طيبةً

ولكنها الآجال تمضي إلى البلى

Had a soul been ransomable, we would gladly have ransomed you,

But appointed lifespans pass toward decay.

عزاء لأهل الحق إن مصابكمْ

جليل ولكن يلزم الصبر في البلا

Consolation to the people of truth: your calamity

Is grave, yet patience is necessary in affliction.

لنا خلف في الله عنه وسلوة

بأن امام المسلمين له تلا

Through God we have a successor in his stead, and consolation,

In the imam of the Muslims who has followed him.

جزى الله عنا المسلمين جَزآءَهُ

بساعة لم يُلغوا حمى الدين مهملا

May God reward the Muslims on our behalf with His reward,

For, in that hour, they did not leave the faith's sanctuary neglected.

راوا فتنةً صماء جاشَتْ جيوشها

فقاوَمَها عيسى فطاشت كلاولا

They saw a relentless turmoil whose armies surged;

Isa resisted it, and it scattered in an instant.

وثايَرَهُ من عصبة الدين أسرَةٌ

لهم غيرة من يوم عمار تجتلى

A band from the fellowship of faith rose with him;

Their zeal has been manifest since Ammar's day.

قياماً بحق الله فانتخبوا لها

هماماً لكل المكرمات تقيلا

To uphold God's right, they chose for it

A man of valor, weighty in every noble deed.

مجيد عظيم الهم سبط نجادُهُ

إذا أقبلت كبرى العظائم أقبلا

Noble, mighty in resolve, long of sword-belt,

When the greatest trials approached, he came forward.

تقلدها لا قاصراً عن شئونها

ولكنها جَلت فلاقَتْ مجللا

He assumed it, not unequal to its concerns;

Mighty was the charge, and it met a man of majesty.

تردَّ أمينَ الله ثوباً كساكَهُ

الَهُكَ لم يدنس ولا بلغ البلى

Don, God's trustee, a robe bestowed on you

By your God: unsullied, untouched by decay.

تناولتَه عن عاهٍن بعدَ عاهن

ملوك بني قطحان أول أولا

You received it from holder after holder,

The kings of the sons of Qahtan, one after another.

فلله سربال من النور جاءَ مِنْ

خليل بن شاذان وَصَلتٍ ومن خلا

How wondrous a robe of light that came from

Khalil ibn Shadhan, and al-Salt, and those gone before!

فلا زال سربالاً تزين بوشيهِ

على محور القرآن حِيكَ وهلهلا

May it remain a robe whose embroidery adorns you,

Woven upon the Qur'an's spindle, finely fashioned.

شكرنا رجالاً قلدوك حسامَها

فراسة ايمانٍ وسر تسَلسَلاَ

We thank the men who girded you with its sword,

Through faith's discernment and a secret handed down.

فقد صدقت فيك الفراسة منهمْ

فما وقعَت إلا على الحق والجلا

Indeed, their discernment proved true in you,

For it alighted only upon truth and clarity.

فيا لرجال الله حقاً نَصَرتُمُ

وعزرتمُ هذا الامام المفضلا

O men of God, truly you have given support,

And strengthened this favored imam.

تنورتموه وهو نجمٌ لأفقها

فأصبح هذا الكون بالنور مشعلا

You discerned his light, a star on its horizon,

And this universe became ablaze with light.

لدى ملكوت الله يُتلى ثناؤهُ

وللملأ الأعلى لأمثاله ولا

His praise is recited in God's kingdom,

And the highest assembly bears allegiance to his like.

أمام غدا في جبهة الدهر غُرةً

له قَدَمٌ في الصالحات وفي العُلى

An imam become a bright mark on the brow of time,

With a firm footing in righteous deeds and lofty honors.

هو الباسل الضرغام في حَومة الوغى

وقد عرفت منه الكوارث مَبهَلا

He is the valiant lion in the thick of battle,

And calamities have known him unbowed.

محمد المعروف في الأرض والسما

بصِيتٍ على لسن الملائك أسبلا

Muhammad, renowned on earth and in heaven,

With fame poured forth upon the angels' tongues.

صبور على العلات أما خلاله

فزُهر وأما المال فالويل في الملا

Patient under afflictions; as for his traits,

They are radiant; as for wealth, woe to it among the multitude!

حليم على جهل الجهول مُرَزَّءٌ

يصادي الرزابا ثابتاً متوكلا

Forbearing with the ignorant man's ignorance, sorely afflicted,

He confronts calamities, steadfast and trusting in God.

يُدبر ما لا يوهن الجيش صعبه

ولو لم يجرد فيه رمحاً وفيصلاً

He manages affairs so their difficulty does not weaken the army,

Even without drawing a spear or a cleaving sword.

ويبرم روعات الأمور بحكمةٍ

ويصدر في الأزمات راياً مؤصَّلا

He resolves the terrors of affairs with wisdom,

And delivers well-grounded judgment in crises.

كأنَّ سديد الرأي وحيٌ منزل

وحاشا ولكن قله وهباً مرسلا

As though his sound judgment were revelation sent down—

Far be it! Call it, rather, a gift freely bestowed.

لكم حل منه الرأي صعباً فأصبَحَتْ

مصاعب ذاك الأمر أمراً مسهّلا

How often his judgment resolved a difficulty, so that

That affair's hardships became a matter made easy!

وكم صادمته من لياليهِ نكبة

ففكك أغلالاً وكشف معضلا

How often a calamity from his nights struck him,

And he unfastened shackles and cleared a knotty problem.

حرام عليه أن يبيتَ لحادث

إذا لم يُصَبحّه الجلاءَ معجلا

He forbids himself to pass a night with a calamity

Without bringing it swift relief by dawn.

إليك أمير المؤمنين رسالةً

وحسبي فخراً أن أكن لك مرسلا

To you, Commander of the Faithful, a message;

Sufficient honor for me to be a messenger to you.

تيقن بأن سر الخليلي قد بَدا

على وجهك الميمون بَرقاً تهللا

Be certain that al-Khalili's secret has appeared

On your blessed face, a radiant flash.

تيقن بأن سرّ الخليلي إذ دعا

أتيح له نصر على لوحه انجلى

Be certain that al-Khalili's secret, when he prayed,

Was granted victory that shone upon his tablet.

دعا دعوة يا قدس الله سرَّهُ

أجيب بها حياً ومن بعد ما خلا

He uttered a prayer—may God sanctify his secret!—

Answered through it in life and after his passing.

سموط ثناء جُرّدت من ضميره

فكانت على أعداء ذا الدين مقصلا

Necklaces of praise drawn forth from his heart,

They became a cleaving sword against this faith's enemies.

فيا دعوةً لم يغلق الله بابها

بها ركن عرش الظالمين تزلزلا

O prayer whose gate God has not closed!

Through it the pillar of the tyrants' throne was shaken.

فقضى بها سُودَ الليالي زواهراً

بصوت لعرش الله قطعاً توصلا

Through it he passed the dark nights in radiance,

With a voice that surely reached God's throne.

يغوث والأكوان تحت جبينه

يغوثن تأميناً إذا ما تبتلا

He cries for help, and the worlds beneath his brow

Cry out 'Amen' whenever he prays devotedly.

ومن لي بأنصار إلى الله وحده

ومن لي بسيف يقطع الهامَ والكلا

'Who will be my helpers unto God alone?

And who will give me a sword that cuts heads and flanks?'

فأصبحت في ذاك الدعاء إجابَةً

وأصبحتَ ذاك السيف ذو كان أملا

You became the answer within that prayer,

And you became that sword once hoped for.

لكان رسول الله دعوة جده

وكنتَ أمينَ الله في ذاك من تلا

God's Messenger was indeed his forefather's prayer,

And you, God's trustee, were the one who followed in this.

تناول عقود الدر من خير ناظمٍ

نعم هو نور مجتنى منك مجتلى

Receive pearl necklaces from the finest stringer;

Yes, it is light gathered from you and made radiant.

لقد طال ما أوعيتَ أذني جواهراً

رجعناه منا كن له متقبلا

Long have you filled my ear with jewels;

We return it from ourselves; be pleased to accept it.

وأوليتني فضلاً لو الشمّ طوّقت

لقد كان منها في الموازين أثقلا

You bestowed on me bounty that, were the lofty mountains girdled with it,

It would outweigh them in the scales.

ومن أسف إني أودع مَربَعاً

أنيقاً بهِ كنتم ربيعاً ومعقلا

In sorrow I bid farewell to a meadow,

Lovely, where you were springtime and a stronghold.

ومالي صبر عنكم باستطاعةٍ

ولكن رأيت الصبر بالحرّ أجملا

I have no power to bear separation from you,

Yet I found patience more becoming to a noble man.

عسى نفحة الرحمن تجمعُ بيننا

فيصبح ما بالقلب خَطباً مسهلا

May a breath from the All-Merciful bring us together,

And make the heart's burden a trouble easily borne.

ولولا فروض الزمتني أداءها

لشيخ عسى لا يستطيع التنقلا

Were it not for duties that bind me to fulfill them

Toward an old man who perhaps can no longer travel,

حليف العصا يمشي الهوينا أصابَهُ

مُصابُ بني الستين وهناً فحوقلا

A companion of the staff, walking slowly, overtaken

By the affliction of men of sixty: weakness has made him feeble.

وصية ربي فيه أرعى حقوقها

ولولاه لم أنصب لنفسي مزحلا

I observe the rights of my Lord's injunction concerning him;

But for him, I would have made no place of departure for myself.

رحلت إليه كي أفوز بقربهِ

فألفيت منهُ المنزل المتخولا

I journeyed to him to gain his nearness,

And found with him a dwelling tended with care.

ولولا خطوب ضعضعت من جناحه

لسابق سير الريح نحوكَ مذملا

But for calamities that weakened his wing,

He would race the wind's course toward you, moving swiftly.

فهل لكم فيه وقد نجمت لَهُ

نواجم دهر بالشدائد والبَلا

Will you take thought for him, now that there have risen against him

The eruptions of time, with hardships and affliction?

ولم يبق في الدنيا له من معول

سواك ونعم الركن أنتَ معوّلا

No support remains for him in this world

Except you—what an excellent pillar of support you are!

فلا تنبذنه بين أسْدٍ عوابسٍ

وبين بلاء حيث ادْبَرَ أقبلا

Do not cast him among scowling lions,

And affliction that advances wherever he turns away.

فلا يبطئن تدبيركم في رجوعه

فلا زلتَ في الاحسان يمناك أطولا

Let your arrangements for his return not be delayed;

May your right hand ever reach furthest in kindness!

وما كان شيخي واهناً في اصطباره

ولا طائشاً في أمره متخذلا

My elder was never weak in his endurance,

Nor rash in his affairs or faltering.

ولكن ريب الدهر صعب مراسه

ترى كل حُرٍّ تحته متزلزلا

But time's vicissitudes are hard to grapple with;

You see every noble man shaken beneath them.

يعاند جَرْىَ الحر حتى يثلَّهُ

ويترك روض النبل والفضل ممحلا

They oppose the noble man's course until they lay him low,

And leave the garden of nobility and virtue barren.

بشينمتك الزهراء لا تنسينهُ

حنانيك عقبى الخير لن تتحولا

By your radiant disposition, do not forget him.

Your mercy, I beg! Goodness' reward will never change.

حنانيك يا سبط الخليلي إنها

ذخيرة خيرٍ قصَّرَتْ دونها الملا

Your mercy, grandson of al-Khalili! It is

A store of goodness beyond the multitude's reach.

أغث عانياً أربح ثواب فكاكه

فلا زلتَ للإسلام حصناً وَمَوئلا

Rescue a captive, and reap the reward of freeing him.

May you ever remain a fortress and refuge for Islam.

أتاح لك الرحمن نصراً مؤيداً

ولا زال خصم الدين خصماً مكبلا

May the All-Merciful grant you reinforced victory,

And may the faith's enemy ever remain an enemy in chains.