فرح الزمان فضاء بالأنوار

بعد المزاج بظلمة الأكدار

Time rejoiced, then shone with lights,

after mingling with the darkness of sorrows.

وتهللت هاماته فرحاً بما

قد شاهدت بحر علم جار

And its summits beamed with joy at what

they had witnessed: a flowing sea of knowledge.

وكذا الشهور توشحت وتسربلت

بثياب أفراح من الأسفار

Likewise, the months adorned and robed themselves

in garments of joy from journeys.

ثمّ الليالي كلما مرّت لنا

فكأنهن كواكب الجبّار

Then the nights, whenever they passed over us,

seemed like the stars of Orion.

قلنا له يا ذا الزمان فما الذي

لا قيت حتى لحت بالأنوار

We said to it: O you, Time, what is it

you encountered, that you shone with lights?

فأجابنا أوما رأيتم سيّداً

قد شاع في البلدان والأمصار

It answered us: And have you not seen a master

whose fame has spread through lands and cities?

فعُمان قد شرّفت به وبسّره

نالت به فضلاً على الأقطار

Oman has indeed been honored through him and his secret;

through him it gained distinction over other lands.

فأتت إليه الخلق منه ترتوي

من بحره الفيّاض بالأسرار

So creation came to him, drinking its fill from him,

from his sea overflowing with mysteries.

وتزاحمت جلّ الخلائق عنده

فسقاهمو من فيضه المدرار

And most of creation crowded around him,

so he gave them drink from his abundant outpouring.

فهو الذي نال السيادة والعلى

والعز والفخر العظيم السّاري

He is the one who attained mastery and exalted rank,

and might, and great, far-spreading glory.

ذو العلم ثم الحلم والكرم الذي

لا ينتهي عن كلّ ذي أقتار

Possessed of knowledge, then forbearance, and generosity

that never fails anyone in poverty.

لا عيب فيهم غير أنّ دموعهم

تجري على الأعضاء كالأمطار

They have no fault, except that their tears

flow over their limbs like rain.

فجزاهم ربّ العباد بجنّةٍ

تجرى لهم من تحت بالأنهار

So the Lord of His servants rewarded them with a garden

beneath which rivers flow for them.

يا قطبنا المرجو عند عضيلةٍ

غوث لمن في أمره محتار

O our spiritual Pole, looked to in grave difficulty,

a succor to whoever is bewildered in his affairs.

أنت الذي سمّيت باسم محمّدٍ

عمر سُلاسلة صفوة القهّار

You are the one named Muhammad,

ʿUmar—[sulāsila: unclear]—the chosen of the All-Subduer.

حزت السّيادة والكرامة والتقى

والفضل والأمداد بالتذكار

You attained mastery, honor, and piety,

and grace and spiritual aid through remembrance.

والنّور عمّ جميع أرضكم التي

حازت بك البركات بالأسرار

And light pervaded all your land, which

through you gained blessings through mysteries.

وكذا الملائكة الكرام تحفّ من

بالذّكر عجّ ولاذ بالأذكار

Likewise, the noble angels surround whoever

raises his voice in remembrance and seeks refuge in invocations.

بالذّكر تحيي كلّ قلب غافل

يا فوز من للذكر في إجهار

Through remembrance you revive every heedless heart.

What triumph for one who performs remembrance aloud!

أنت الذي أعطاك ربك رفعة

تعلو السّماك ككوكب سيّار

You are the one whom your Lord granted exalted rank,

rising above al-Simāk like a wandering star.

وكذا الكرامات التي شهدت بها

العقلاء والنبلاء بالأبصار

And likewise the miraculous graces that were witnessed

by the wise and the noble with their own eyes.

والحاسدون المبغضون رماهمو

ربّي بسلب السّمع والأبصار

And the envious haters were afflicted

by my Lord with the loss of hearing and sight.

إذا انكروا فضل الإله أضلّهم

إبليس بالتّزيم والأغرار

When they deny God's grace, they are led astray

by Iblis through [al-tazīm: unclear] and deception.

حاز الخلافة من أبيه وجدّه

عالي المقام وسيد الأخيار

He received spiritual succession from his father and grandfather,

lofty in station and master of the virtuous.

فهدي الأنام إلى الطريق فأصبحوا

متيممين لحضرة الغفّار

He guided humankind to the path, and they became

bound for the presence of the All-Forgiving.

وهو الذي للدين كان مؤيداً

بدلائل القرآن والآثار

He is the one who upheld the faith

with proofs from the Qur'an and transmitted traditions.

لولاه صار النّاس أهل بدائع

بدلالة الجهّال والأشرار

Without him, people would have become followers of innovations,

under the guidance of the ignorant and the wicked.

فأزال عنهم كلّ زيغ دامغ

وحبا قلوبهم بذكر الباري

So he removed from them every ruinous deviation,

and endowed their hearts with remembrance of the Creator.

فترى مريديه الذين تمسّكوا

بهداه بين الخلق كالأقمار

Thus you see his disciples, who held fast

to his guidance, like moons among creation.

وترى الذين تباعدوا عن قربه

حسداً كأنّهمو كلاب النّار

And you see those who kept far from his nearness

out of envy, as though they were the dogs of Hellfire.

إن عاينوه تملّقوا بمحبَّةٍ

والقلب منهم دائم الأنكار

If they see him, they flatter him with love,

while their hearts remain forever in denial.

يا فوز من بالقرب نال محبّةٍ

من سيّد وأتى لذي الأنوار

How fortunate is one who, through nearness, gains love

from a master and comes to the possessor of lights,

في حضرة الأملاك والأقطاب

والأبدال والأنجاب والأخيار

in the presence of the angels and the spiritual Poles,

the Abdāl, the noble saints, and the virtuous,

وكذلك العرفاء والنقباء

والأوتاد ثم عصابة المختار

and likewise the overseers and the chiefs,

and the Awtād, then the company of the Chosen One.

فهمو الرجال هموا الذين أعزّهم

ربّ الورى عن سائر الأغيار

They are the men; they are those honored

by the Lord of creation above all others.

يا سيّدي إني أتيتك أستقي

من سرّك الفيّاض بالأسرار

O my master, I have come to you to draw drink

from your secret, overflowing with mysteries.

فاعطف لعبد قد أتى مستغرقاً

بجرائم الآثام والأوزار

So show compassion to a servant who has come submerged

in sinful offenses and burdens of guilt.

لا خاب من بجنابكم مستمسك

إذ أنت فرع عصابةٍ أطهار

None who cling to your side are disappointed,

for you are a scion of a company of pure souls.

وصلاة ربّي مع سلام دائماً

للمصطفى خير الورى ذي الغار

And may my Lord's blessings, with everlasting peace,

be upon the Chosen One, best of creation, he of the cave.

وكذلك الأصحاب مع آلٍ له

فهمو نجوم سادة الأبرار

And likewise upon his companions and his family,

for they are stars, masters of the righteous.

وكذا على من في طريقتهم مشى

في دربهم هم سادتي أنصاري

And likewise upon whoever has followed their way

along their path; they are my masters and helpers.

ومحمد قد قالها نجلٌ لمن

سمَّى حمود كاسب الأوزار

And Muhammad has spoken it, a son of one

named Hammud, an earner of burdens of sin.

خود بدت فتبسّمت لما رأت

وجهاً له نور على الأنوار

A fair maiden appeared, then smiled when she saw

a face whose light surpasses other lights.

ما مهرها إلا قبولك سيّدي

فقبولها منكم يقيل عثاري

Her dowry is nothing but your acceptance, my master;

for your acceptance of her pardons my missteps.

ثم السلام لكلّ شخص لائذٍ

بجنابكم للذكر ذي اكثار

Then peace upon every person seeking refuge

in your shelter, much given to remembrance.