سلام على الإسلام بعد محمد — Hafez Ibrahim

سَلامٌ عَلى الإِسلامِ بَعدَ مُحَمَّدٍ

سَلامٌ عَلى أَيّامِهِ النَضِراتِ

Farewell to Islam after Muhammad,

farewell to its flourishing days,

عَلى الدينِ وَالدُنيا عَلى العِلمِ وَالحِجا

عَلى البِرِّ وَالتَقوى عَلى الحَسَناتِ

to religion and worldly life, to knowledge and reason,

to righteousness and piety, to good deeds.

لَقَد كُنتُ أَخشى عادِيَ المَوتِ قَبلَهُ

فَأَصبَحتُ أَخشى أَن تَطولَ حَياتي

I had feared death's assault before his passing;

now I fear that my life may last too long.

فَوالَهفي وَالقَبرُ بَيني وَبَينَهُ

عَلى نَظرَةٍ مِن تِلكُمُ النَظَراتِ

Oh, my longing—with the grave between me and him—

for a glance from those very glances!

وَقَفتُ عَلَيهِ حاسِرَ الرَأسِ خاشِعاً

كَأَنّي حِيالَ القَبرِ في عَرَفاتِ

I stood over him, bareheaded and humbled,

as though, facing the grave, I were at Arafat.

لَقَد جَهِلوا قَدرَ الإِمامِ فَأَودَعوا

تَجاليدَهُ في موحِشٍ بِفَلاةِ

They knew not the Imam's worth, and so laid

his body in a desolate place in the wilderness.

وَلَو ضَرَحوا بِالمَسجِدَينِ لَأَنزَلوا

بِخَيرِ بِقاعِ الأَرضِ خَيرَ رُفاتِ

Had they buried him at the two mosques, they would have laid

the finest remains in the finest places on earth.

تَبارَكتَ هَذا الدينُ دينُ مُحَمَّدٍ

أَيُترَكُ في الدُنيا بِغَيرِ حُماةِ

Blessed are You! This religion is Muhammad's religion:

is it to be left in the world without protectors?

تَبارَكتَ هَذا عالِمُ الشَرقِ قَد قَضى

وَلانَت قَناةُ الدينِ لِلغَمَزاتِ

Blessed are You! This scholar of the East has died,

and religion's spear-shaft has yielded to probing thrusts.

زَرَعتَ لَنا زَرعاً فَأَخرَجَ شَطأَهُ

وَبِنتُ وَلَمّا نَجتَنِ الثَمَراتِ

You sowed a crop for us, and it brought forth its shoots,

and I parted, before we had gathered the fruits.

فَواهاً لَهُ أَلّا يُصيبَ مُوَفَّقاً

يُشارِفُهُ وَالأَرضُ غَيرُ مَواتِ

Alas for it, that it should find no one blessed with success

to tend it, though the earth is not barren.

مَدَدنا إِلى الأَعلامِ بَعدَكَ راحَنا

فَرُدَّت إِلى أَعطافِنا صَفِراتِ

After you, we stretched our palms toward the eminent,

but they were returned empty to our sides.

وَجالَت بِنا تَبغي سِواكَ عُيونُنا

فَعُدنَ وَآثَرنَ العَمى شَرِقاتِ

And our eyes led us wandering, seeking someone other than you,

then returned, choked with tears, and preferred blindness.

وَآذَوكَ في ذاتِ الإِلَهِ وَأَنكَروا

مَكانَكَ حَتّى سَوَّدوا الصَفَحاتِ

They harmed you in God's cause, and denied

your standing, until they blackened the pages.

رَأَيتَ الأَذى في جانِبِ اللَهِ لَذَّةً

وَرُحتَ وَلَم تَهمُم لَهُ بِشَكاةِ

You saw suffering in God's cause as a delight,

and departed, never thinking to complain of it.

لَقَد كُنتَ فيهِم كَوكَباً في غَياهِبٍ

وَمَعرِفَةٍ في أَنفُسٍ نَكِراتِ

Among them you were a star in utter darkness,

and knowledge among unknown souls.

أَبَنتَ لَنا التَنزيلَ حُكماً وَحِكمَةً

وَفَرَّقتَ بَينَ النورِ وَالظُلُماتِ

You explained the Revelation to us as law and wisdom,

and distinguished between light and darkness.

وَوَفَّقتَ بَينَ الدينِ وَالعِلمِ وَالحِجا

فَأَطلَعتَ نوراً مِن ثَلاثِ جِهاتِ

You reconciled religion, knowledge, and reason,

so you made a light rise from three directions.

وَقَفتَ لِهانوتو وَرينانَ وَقفَةً

أَمَدَّكَ فيها الروحُ بِالنَفَحاتِ

You took a stand against Hanotaux and Renan,

in which the Spirit sustained you with breaths of inspiration.

وَخِفتَ مَقامَ اللَهِ في كُلِّ مَوقِفٍ

فَخافَكَ أَهلُ الشَكِّ وَالنَزَغاتِ

You feared standing before God in every situation,

so the people of doubt and evil promptings feared you.

وَكَم لَكَ في إِغفاءَةِ الفَجرِ يَقظَةٍ

نَفَضتَ عَلَيها لَذَّةَ الهَجَعاتِ

How often you woke amid dawn's brief slumber,

shaking off for that waking the pleasure of sleep.

وَوَلَّيتَ شَطرَ البَيتِ وَجهَكَ خالِياً

تُناجي إِلَهُ البَيتِ في الخَلَواتِ

You turned your face toward the House, alone,

communing with the God of the House in solitude.

وَكَم لَيلَةٍ عانَدتَ في جَوفِها الكَرى

وَنَبَّهتَ فيها صادِقَ العَزَماتِ

And many a night you resisted sleep in its depths,

and awakened within it your earnest resolves.

وَأَرصَدتَ لِلباغي عَلى دينِ أَحمَدٍ

شَباةَ يَراعٍ ساحِرِ النَفَثاتِ

You readied against the assailant of Ahmad's faith

the sharp point of a reed pen with spellbinding breaths.

إِذا مَسَّ خَدَّ الطِرسِ فاضَ جَبينُهُ

بِأَسطارِ نورٍ باهِرِ اللَمَعاتِ

When it touched the parchment's cheek, its brow overflowed

with lines of light, dazzling in their flashes.

كَأَنَّ قَرارَ الكَهرَباءِ بِشِقِّهِ

يُريكَ سَناهُ أَيسَرُ اللَمَساتِ

As though electricity dwelt within its cleft,

the lightest touch revealing its radiance to you.

فَيا سَنَةً مَرَّت بِأَعوادِ نَعشِهِ

لَأَنتِ عَلَينا أَشأَمُ السَنَواتِ

O year that passed with the timbers of his bier,

you are indeed the most ill-omened of years for us.

حَطَمتِ لَنا سَيفاً وَعَطَّلتِ مِنبَراً

وَأَذوَيتِ رَوضاً ناضِرَ الزَهَراتِ

You shattered a sword for us and left a pulpit idle,

and withered a garden of fresh blossoms.

وَأَطفَأتِ نِبراساً وَأَشعَلتِ أَنفُساً

عَلى جَمَراتِ الحُزنِ مُنطَوِياتِ

You extinguished a lamp and set souls ablaze,

folded around the embers of grief.

رَأى في لَياليكِ المُنَجِّمُ ما رَأى

فَأَنذَرَنا بِالوَيلِ وَالعَثَراتِ

In your nights, the astrologer saw what he saw,

and warned us of calamity and misfortunes.

وَنَبَّأَهُ عِلمُ النُجومِ بِحادِثٍ

تَبيتُ لَهُ الأَبراجُ مُضطَرِباتِ

Knowledge of the stars foretold him an event

at which the zodiac signs spend the night in turmoil.

رَمى السَرَطانُ اللَيثَ وَاللَيثُ خادِرٌ

وَرُبَّ ضَعيفٍ نافِذِ الرَمَياتِ

Cancer struck the Lion while the Lion lay in its den,

and many a weakling's shots pierce through.

فَأَودى بِهِ خَتلاً فَمالَ إِلى الثَرى

وَمالَت لَهُ الأَجرامُ مُنحَرِفاتِ

It slew him by stealth, and he sank to the dust,

and the heavenly bodies leaned toward him, veering aside.

وَشاعَت تَعازي الشُهبِ بِاللَمحِ بَينَها

عَنِ النَيِّرِ الهاوي إِلى الفَلَواتِ

Condolences spread among the bright stars in flashes,

for the luminary falling into the wastes.

مَشى نَعشُهُ يَختالُ عُجباً بِرَبِّهِ

وَيَخطِرُ بَينَ اللَمسِ وَالقُبُلاتِ

His bier advanced, strutting proudly with its master,

and swaying amid touches and kisses.

تَكادُ الدُموعُ الجارِياتُ تُقِلُّهُ

وَتَدفَعُهُ الأَنفاسُ مُستَعِراتِ

The flowing tears almost bore it aloft,

and blazing breaths propelled it.

بَكى الشَرقُ فَاِرتَجَّت لَهُ الأَرضُ رَجَّةً

وَضاقَت عُيونُ الكَونِ بِالعَبَراتِ

The East wept, and the earth shuddered for him,

and the eyes of the universe could not contain their tears.

فَفي الهِندِ مَحزونٌ وَفي الصينِ جازِعٌ

وَفي مِصرَ باكٍ دائِمُ الحَسَراتِ

In India one grieves, and in China one is distraught,

and in Egypt one weeps in ceaseless sorrow.

وَفي الشَأمِ مَفجوعٌ وَفي الفُرسِ نادِبٌ

وَفي تونُسٍ ما شِئتَ مِن زَفَراتِ

In the Levant one is bereaved, and among the Persians one laments,

and in Tunis there are as many sighs as you could wish.

بَكى عالَمُ الإِسلامِ عالِمَ عَصرِهِ

سِراجَ الدَياجي هادِمَ الشُبُهاتِ

The world of Islam wept for the scholar of its age,

the lamp of dark nights, the destroyer of doubts,

مَلاذَ عَيايِلٍ ثِمالِ أَرامِلٍ

غِياثَ ذَوي عُدمٍ إِمامَ هُداةِ

the refuge of dependents, the support of widows,

the succor of the destitute, the imam of guides.

فَلا تَنصِبوا لِلناسِ تِمثالَ عَبدِهِ

وَإِن كانَ ذِكرى حِكمَةٍ وَثَباتِ

So do not erect a statue of Abduh for the people,

even if it is a memorial of wisdom and steadfastness.

فَإِنّي لَأَخشى أَن يَضِلّوا فَيُؤمِنوا

إِلى نورِ هَذا الوَجهِ بِالسَجَداتِ

For I truly fear they may go astray and put their faith

in the radiance of this face through prostrations.

فَيا وَيحَ لِلشورى إِذا جَدَّ جِدُّها

وَطاشَت بِها الآراءُ مُشتَجِراتِ

Alas for consultation when its business grows grave,

and opinions run wild within it, clashing!

وَيا وَيحَ لِلفُتيا إِذا قيلَ مَن لَها

وَيا وَيحَ لِلخَيراتِ وَالصَدَقاتِ

And alas for religious rulings when they ask, 'Who can give them?'

And alas for good works and almsgiving!

بَكَينا عَلى فَردٍ وَإِنَّ بُكاءَنا

عَلى أَنفُسٍ لِلَّهِ مُنقَطِعاتِ

We wept for one man, and truly our weeping

is for souls wholly devoted to God.

تَعَهَّدَها فَضلُ الإِمامِ وَحاطَها

بِإِحسانِهِ وَالدَهرُ غَيرُ مُواتي

The Imam's bounty tended them and sheltered them

with his kindness, while the times were unkind.

فَيا مَنزِلاً في عَينِ شَمسٍ أَظَلَّني

وَأَرغَمَ حُسّادي وَغَمَّ عُداتي

O house in Ayn Shams that sheltered me,

and humbled my enviers and vexed my foes,

دَعائِمُهُ التَقوى وَآساسُهُ الهُدى

وَفيهِ الأَيادي مَوضِعُ اللَبِناتِ

its pillars are piety and its foundations guidance,

and in it, acts of kindness stand in place of bricks.

عَلَيكَ سَلامُ اللَهِ ما لَكَ موحِشاً

عَبوسَ المَغاني مُقفِرَ العَرَصاتِ

God's peace be upon you! Why are you desolate,

grim in your dwellings, deserted in your courtyards?

لَقَد كُنتَ مَقصودَ الجَوانِبِ آهِلاً

تَطوفُ بِكَ الآمالُ مُبتَهِلاتِ

Once you were sought on every side, thronged with people,

with hopes circling you in supplication:

مَثابَةَ أَرزاقٍ وَمَهبِطَ حِكمَةٍ

وَمَطلَعَ أَنوارٍ وَكَنزَ عِظاتِ

a resort for sustenance and a place where wisdom descended,

a place where lights rose, and a treasury of admonitions.