قُلsay لِلفقيهto the jurist علامَwhy تُمسيyou spend the evening حائراًperplexed
قُل لِلفقيه علامَ تُمسي حائراً
فيin الحاءِthe letter ḥāʾ منfrom حلّpermissibility الدخانِtobacco وحرمَتِهand its prohibition
في الحاءِ من حلّ الدخانِ وحرمَتِه
Tell the jurist: why do you spend the evening perplexed
Tell the jurist why he remains confused
Over the letter ḥāʾ in tobacco’s permissibility and prohibition?
About the legality of tobacco and its smoke
ماnot هوit إلّاexcept نفحةa fragrant whiff مَنwhoever شمّهاsmells it
ما هو إلّا نفحة مَن شمّها
أَربىsurpasses علىover المسكِthe musk السحيقfinely ground ونَفحتِهand its fragrance
أَربى على المسكِ السحيق ونَفحتِه
It is only a fragrant whiff; whoever smells it
It is but a scent; he who smells it
Surpasses finely ground musk and its fragrance.
Grows accustomed, like musk's perfume which makes one drunk
لَكنbut دعَوهُthey called it بنفَّةٍas ‘naffa’ (snuff) لتجنّبٍto avoid
لَكن دعَوهُ بنفَّةٍ لتجنّبٍ
منfrom حائكمyour letter ḥāʾ ياO ذاthis الفقيهthe jurist وَشُبهَتِهand its ambiguity
من حائكم يا ذا الفقيه وَشُبهَتِه
But they called it ‘naffa’—snuff—to avoid
But call it a whiff, just to avoid
Your ḥāʾ, O jurist, and its ambiguity.
The jurist who forbids it, and his spurious logic
Sol 6.1