أستغفر الله لا دين ولا حسب — Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani

أَستَغفِر اللَه لا دينٌ وَلا حسب

لِخائِنٍ غدرَه الإِخوانُ ما حَسِبوا

I seek God's forgiveness: there is neither faith nor ancestral honor

in a traitor whose treachery his brethren never expected.

خانَ الأَمانَةَ واِستَنَّ الخِيانة واِس

تَثنى الدِيانة جانٍ ثمرهُ العطبُ

He betrayed his trust, made treachery his practice, and

excluded piety—a reaper whose fruit is ruin.

أصيب في عَقلِهِ بالعَين إِذ لمعَت

فَقال قَد ذهب المَحصول وَالذَهبُ

His mind was struck by the 'eye'—gold—when it gleamed,

so he said, 'The proceeds and the gold are gone.'

وَعاجَ يَطلُبُ عَودَ الودِّ مُعتَذِراً

بِزَعمِهِ في بُيوت ركنُها خربُ

He turned back, seeking affection's return, offering excuses,

as he claimed, in verses whose foundation was ruined.

جاءَت تَبختَرُ في ثَوبين حشوُهما

مُنافِقٌ بِخداع القَول مُحتَجِبُ

She came strutting in two garments whose lining

was a hypocrite concealed behind deceitful speech.

لا مَرحَباً بِكِ يا غَرارَةً خَدعَت

بِالنُسك قَلباً سَليماً غَرَّهُ الأَدبِ

No welcome to you, deceiver, who duped

with piety a guileless heart beguiled by courtesy.

وَباعَتِ الدين بِالدُنيا فَما اِكتَسبَت

رِبحاً سِوى الخزيِ بئسَ الربحُ يكتسبُ

She sold religion for this world, yet earned no

profit but disgrace—what wretched profit to earn!

وَما اِكتفت بِقَبيح الذنب تصنعُهُ

حَتّى أَصرَّت عَلَيه حينَ تَرتَكِبُ

She was not content with the ugly sin she committed,

but persisted in it whenever she committed it.

وَإِنَّ أَقبحَ من ذنب ومن خَطأ

إِصرارُ فاعله من بعد ما يَثِبُ

And uglier than a sin or an error

is its doer's persistence after his plunge into it.

تَقول ما ذقت من ريق سوى ضرَبٍ

فَكَيفَ أَوجب ضَربي ذَلِكَ الضربُ

You say, 'The saliva I tasted was nothing but honey;

how, then, did that honey warrant my beating?

لَو ذُقتُ خمراً لَقُلتُ السكرُ موجبه

حَدٌّ بِلا مسكر هَذا هوَ العجبُ

Had I tasted wine, I would say drunkenness warranted it;

a prescribed penalty without an intoxicant—that is the wonder!

وَصرتُ في دَيلَمٍ ملقىً لأجل فَتى

ما كانَ لِلتُركِ يَوماً قَطُّ يَنتَسِبُ

And I was cast away in Daylam because of a youth

who had never once claimed descent from the Turks.'

مَهلاً دَع الإِفكَ فَضَّ اللَهُ فاك لَقَد

بالَغتَ في الفتك حَتّى فاتَكَ الأَرَبُ

Enough! Leave your lies—may God shatter your mouth! You have

gone so far in treachery that your aim escaped you.

إِنَّ الخِيانةَ في الأَموال حرمتُها

أَشَدُّ من شُربِ ما لِلعَقلِ يختلبُ

Indeed, betrayal in matters of money is forbidden

more sternly than drinking what steals the mind.

فهبكَ لَم تشرب الخَمرَ السُلافَ أَما

شَرِبتَ إِثماً جَناهُ اللَهوُ وَالطَرَبُ

Grant that you drank no pure, first-drawn wine; did you not

drink sin reaped by frivolity and revelry?

وَإِنَّ من يكفر النعمى يعزّره

قاضٍ لنيل ثَواب اللَه يَحتَسِبُ

And one who denies a kindness is chastised

by a judge seeking God's reward.

فَإِنَّ حَبسَ الَّذي يَلوي عقوبَتُهُ

لا سيَّما خادِعٌ من شأنه الهربُ

For prison is the punishment of one who delays payment,

especially a deceiver whose habit is flight.

وَإِنَّ متلفَ مالِ الغَير يتلفه

رَبُّ العِباد الَّذي يُخشى وَيُرتهَبُ

And whoever destroys another's wealth will be destroyed

by the Lord of all servants, feared and held in awe.

لَقَد تَعدَّيتَ حدّ المُتلفين لَهُ

فَقَلبُهُ لِدَوام الصَدِّ مُطَّلِبُ

You have surpassed the limits of those who squander it;

so his heart seeks lasting estrangement.

أَلَيسَ يَكفيكَ مِنّي التَركُ قل لي هَل

هَذا صَنيعُ اِمرئٍ لِلتُّركِ يَنتسبُ

Is it not enough that I leave you alone? Tell me, is

this the conduct of a man descended from the Turks?

وَقلتَ بانَ لهم غَدري وَما عرفوا

عُذري وَلَو عرفوا عذري لما عتبوا

You said, 'My treachery was plain to them, but they did not know

my excuse; had they known my excuse, they would not have blamed me.'

يا ليت شعريَ ما عُذرُ اِمرئٍ جحَدَ الن

نُعمى وَقابلَها مِن ضدِّ ما يَجبُ

Would that I knew: what excuse has a man who denied the

kindness, repaying it with the opposite of what was due?

أَيَزعم القدر المَكتوب أَوقعه

فالضَرب وَالحبس أَيضاً فيهِ مُكتَتبُ

Does he claim that written destiny made him fall?

Then beating and imprisonment are also written in it.

وَاللَه لا عُذرَ إِلّا الغَدرُ صَحَّفَهُ

قَلبٌ عَن الحقّ للأَطماع مُنقَلِبُ

By God, there is no 'excuse,' only 'treachery,' misread by

a heart turned away from truth toward greed.

وَقلتَ إِنَّ الَّذي أَهواهُ لا شرسٌ

وَلا حَقودٌ ولا فَظٌّ وَلا صخِبُ

You said, 'The one I love is neither harsh

nor vindictive, nor coarse, nor clamorous.'

فَهَبهُ كان كَما بالغتَ فيهِ أَما

تَرضى بعفوٍ وَإِن لَم يسكُن الغضبُ

Grant he is as you so lavishly describe him; will you not

be content with pardon, even if his anger has not subsided?

وَهبهُ كان فَلم حلَّلتَ ما اِجترحَت

يَداك مِن ماله تَسطو وَتنتهبُ

Grant he is so: why did you deem lawful the wrongs

your hands committed against his wealth, raiding and plundering?

لم حُلتَ بَينَ الَّذي يَهواه مُعتَدياً

وَبينَ مَحبوبه هَذا هوَ العجبُ

Why did you wrongfully come between its lover

and his beloved? That is the wonder.

زعمتَني أَريَحيّاً لَيسَ فيَّ مِرىً

لأَنَّني لصميم العُرب أَنتَسبُ

You called me open-handed, with no doubt about me,

because I descend from the pure stock of the Arabs.

لَو كُنتُ من مازِن لَم تَستبح ذهبي

يا اِبنَ اللَقيطة لَكِن قَومُنا ذَهَبوا

Had I been of Mazin, you would not have seized my gold,

you son of a foundling woman—but our people are gone.

لَو أَنَّ مالي ركازٌ لَم يحلّ لِذي ال

حاجات منه سِوى الخمسُ الَّذي يَجبُ

Even had my wealth been buried treasure, none would be lawful for the

needy except the fifth that is due.

جعلتَهُ مالَ حربيٍّ ظفِرتَ بِه

قَهراً فَصارَ حَلالاً عندك السلَبُ

You made it the wealth of a wartime foe, which you had seized

by force, so the plunder became lawful in your eyes.

وَاللَه ما هوَ إِلّا مالُ ذي رهَب

مِن رَبِّهِ وَلَه في جودِهِ رغَبُ

By God, it is only the wealth of one who fears

his Lord and longs for His generosity.

عاملتَهُ بِبَسيط الغدر منسرِحاً

فَحزنُهُ وافِر وَالصَبرُ مُقتضَبُ

You dealt with him in sweeping treachery, unrestrained;

his grief is abundant, his patience cut short.

فَسَوفَ تعلمُ حَقّاً أَيَّ مُنقَلبٍ

يَومَ القِيامة يا ذا الظلمِ تنقلبُ

You will surely know to what final abode

you will return on Resurrection Day, you wrongdoer.

وقلتَ قَد صرتُ مَتروكاً بِلا نَشَبٍ

لأَنَّني لَيسَ لي إِلّاكُمُ نشبُ

You said, 'I have been left without possessions,

for I have no wealth but you.

وَصارَ مِن بَعدِ حُبّي في الحَشا لهب

فَلَيتَ شِعري مَتى تَدنو وَتَقتَرِبُ

And after my love, a flame arose within my breast;

would that I knew when you will draw near and come close.'

من المسعِّرُ نارَ الغدر غيرُك يا

هَذا فَدَع قَلبكَ الغدّار يلتهبُ

Who but you stoked the fire of treachery, you

there? Then let your treacherous heart blaze.

وَلَيسَ يَنفَعُ تَقريبُ الجُسوم إِذا

كانَ الوِدادُ بستر الغيظ يَنحَجِبُ

Bringing bodies close is of no use when

affection is concealed behind a veil of rage.

إِذا الأَذى خالَطَ الودَّ القَديم فَلا

تَطمَع بِجمعها فَالوُدُّ ينقلبُ

When harm mingles with old affection, do not

hope to reunite it, for affection turns away.

فَكَيفَ تَطلبُ مِنّي بَعدَها نشباً

هَيهاتَ ما بَينَنا في خِلَّةٍ نسبُ

How, then, can you seek wealth from me after that?

Far from it! There is no bond of friendship between us.

بَيني وَبَينَ وِدادي فيكَ فاصِلَةٌ

فَما له وتدٌ يُبنى وَلا سَبَبُ

Between me and my affection for you lies a breach;

no peg is erected for it, nor any cord.

وقلتَ قَد غَرَّني من صُبحِ غُرَّتِهِ

وَقَد عدمت الهُدى مذ عاد يحتجبُ

You said, 'The dawn of his radiant brow beguiled me,

and I have lost guidance since he veiled himself again.'

أَنتَ الغرورُ الَّذي بالدّين غَرَّ فَتىً

لَولاهُ ما كنت في دُنياه تَنتشِبُ

You are the deceiver who used religion to beguile a youth;

but for that, you would never have gained a foothold in his world.

نَعَم وَإِنَّ اِمرَءاً يَجزي عَلى حسَنٍ

سُوءاً فَلا عَجَبٌ أَن ظَلَّ يَكتَئِبُ

Yes, a man who repays a good deed

with evil—it is no wonder he remains dejected.

وَحينَ يُلدَغُ مِن جُحر فَتىً فَطِنٌ

يَوماً فَلَيسَ إِلَيهِ قَطُّ يَقتَرِبُ

And when a discerning youth is bitten from a hole

one day, he never approaches it again.

وَقُلتَ جِئتُ إِلى أَنوار غُرَّتِهِ

أَبغي الهدى فتبدّى الغيُّ وَالغلَبُ

You said, 'I came to the lights of his radiant brow,

seeking guidance, but error and coercion appeared.'

كذبتَ لا غيَّ عِندي بَل حَوى رشدا

مُتابِعي وتجلّت دونه الحجُبُ

You lie! There is no error with me; rather, guidance was gained

by my follower, and the veils before him were lifted.

أَقول هَذا اِنتِصاراً لا مفاخرَةً

وَاللَه حسبيَ لا مالٌ وَلا حسبُ

I say this in self-defense, not to boast;

God is enough for me—not wealth or ancestral honor.

وَقلتَ لاموكَ في دَعوى محبّة من

عراك مِن كلّ معنىً حازه النصبُ

You said, 'They blamed you for claiming to love one

who stripped you of every advantage that toil had won.'

مَحَلَّ لَومِك لِم لَم تنه نفسَك عَن

خِيانَةٍ لِلَّذي تَرجو وَتَرتَقِبُ

Rather than blaming, why did you not restrain yourself from

betraying the one in whom you place your hopes and expectations?

تَعصي وَتُظهِر حبّاً بالمحال أَلَم

تَستَحي يا شَيخُ ماذا البَهتُ وَالكذبُ

You disobey yet profess love—impossible! Have you no

shame, shaykh? What is this slander and lying?

إِنَّ الوَفاءَ لِمَن شرط المحبِّ فمن

يَخُن يَهُن وَتَبِن في حبّه الرِيَبُ

Loyalty is surely a lover's condition; whoever

betrays is disgraced, and doubts about his love become plain.

وَالحُبُّ مِن شَرطِهِ طوعُ المُحبِّ لمن

يَهوى وَلَو لامه النصّاح أَو عتبوا

Love requires that the lover obey the one

he loves, even if advisers blame or reproach him.

وقلتَ أَوَّلُهُ مطلٌ وَأَوسطه

عَدلٌ وَآخره وَصلٌ وَمقترَبُ

You said, 'Its beginning is delay, its middle

fairness, and its end union and closeness.'

هَذا يَكون لتَجريبٍ فَمَن عَرَفوا

منه الصَفا وَالوَفا أَدنَوه واِقتربوا

That is a test: whoever they find

sincere and loyal, they bring near and approach.

ومن بِغشٍّ يَعِش يَقصوه مُكتَئِباً

فَشأنُهُ أَنَّهُ يَبكي وَينتَحِبُ

Whoever lives by deceit they banish, leaving him dejected;

his lot is to weep and wail.

ثُمَّ اِنتهيتَ إِلى المَدح الَّذي شهِدَت

أَغزالُهُ أَنَّهُ لِلذَمّ مُنقِلبُ

Then you ended with praise whose

love-verses testified that it turns to blame.

فَقُلتُ ما فيهِ مِن وَصلٍ فَمُنقَطِعٌ

وكلّ ما فيهِ مِن وُدٍّ فَمُضطَرِبُ

So I said: whatever union it contains is severed,

and whatever affection it contains is unsettled.

فَلا أَعُوجُ عَلى ما فيهِ مِن عِوَجٍ

بِالرَدِّ فالدُرُّ حَقّاً فيهِ مخشَلبُ

I shall not turn to the crookedness within it

with a reply: its pearls are truly glass beads.

لَكِن تأمّلتُ ما يَحوي اِقتباسُك مِن

عِلمِ الحَديثِ الَّذي تَبدو بِهِ النُخَبُ

But I considered what your borrowing contains of

the science of hadith, through which the finest stand revealed.

فَلَم أَجِد لك فيهِ مِن موافَقَةٍ

فَقُلتُ وافقَ رأيي واِنتَهى الطَلَبُ

I found nothing in it that agreed with you,

so I said, 'It accords with my judgment; the search is over.'