قد بلغتك المهاري منتهى الأمل — Mohammed Bin Uthaimin

قَد بَلَّغَتكَ المَهاري مُنتَهى الأَمَلِ

فَما التَقَلقُلُ مِن سَهلٍ إِلى جَبَلٍ

The Mahri camels have brought you to the utmost limit of hope.

Why, then, this restless wandering from plain to mountain?

أَرِح رِكابَكَ فَالأَرزاقُ قَد كُتِبَت

وَلَيسَ يَعدوكَ ما قَد خُطَّ في الأَزَل

Rest your riding camels, for sustenance has already been decreed,

And what was inscribed from eternity will not pass you by.

فَطالَما أَوضَعَت خوصُ الرِكابِ بِنا

في مَهمَهٍ فَذَفٍ أَو مَجهَلٍ غُفُلٍ

For often narrow-eyed riding camels have sped along with us

Through a desolate desert or an unknown, unmarked wilderness:

سَباسِبٌ يَقلِبُ الأَلوانَ صَيخَدُها

وَتارَةً فَوقَ أَلواحٍ بِذي زَجَلِ

Vast plains whose scorching heat transforms colors,

And sometimes upon planks on a roaring sea.

فَالآنَ لَمّا أَقالَ اللَهُ عَثرَتَنا

في دَولَةِ المُرتَضى في القَولِ وَالعَمَلِ

So now that God has lifted us from our stumble,

Under the rule of one esteemed in word and deed,

فَخَفِّضِ أَلهَمَّ وَاِنعَم في ذَرى مَلِكٍ

وَاِعفِ الرَكائِبَ مِن حِلٍّ وَمُرتَحَلِ

Ease your cares and live content in a king's shelter,

And spare the riding camels halting and journeying.

مَلكٌ تَباشَرَتِ الدُنيا بِطَلعَتِهِ

وَاِفتَرَّ ثَغرُ الرِضا عَن مَبسِمِ الجَذَلِ

A king at whose appearance the world rejoiced,

And contentment's mouth parted to reveal joy's smile.

سَما إِلى المَجدِ لَم تُقطَع تَمائِمُهُ

بِصِدقِ عَزمِ فَتىً في رَأيِ مُكتَهِلِ

He rose toward glory before his amulets were cut away,

With a youth's true resolve and a mature man's judgment.

عَبدُ العَزيزِ الذي عادَ الزَمانُ فَتىً

في وَقتِهِ بَعد قَيدِ الشَيبِ وَالقَزَل

Abd al-Aziz, under whom time grew young again,

In his day, after the fetters of gray hair and lameness.

لَم يَطلُبِ المُلكَ إِرثاً بَل سَعى وَسَطا

حَتّى حَواهُ بِعزمِ الفاتِكِ البَطَلِ

He did not seek kingship as an inheritance, but strove and struck,

Until he won it with a fierce warrior-hero's resolve.

لكِن لِآبائِهِ في المُلكِ مَنقَبَةٌ

أَضحَوا بِها غُرَّةً في جَبهَةِ الدُوَلِ

Yet his forefathers possessed a noble distinction in rule,

By which they became a white blaze on the brow of dynasties.

أَشَمُّ أَروَعُ مِن آسادِ مَملَكَةٍ

أَرسَوا قَواعِدَها بِالبيضِ وَالأَسَلِ

Proud and awe-inspiring, one of the lions of a kingdom,

They made its foundations firm with bright swords and spears:

المُنعِمينَ بِلا مَنٍّ وَلا كَدَرٍ

وَالحاكِمينَ بِلا جَورٍ وَلا مَيَلِ

Bestowers of bounty without reminders of favor or ill feeling,

And rulers without injustice or partiality,

وَالعامِرينَ مِنَ التَقوى سَرائِرَهُم

وَالناهِجينَ على الأَهدى مِنَ السُبُلِ

And filling their innermost hearts with piety,

And treading the most rightly guided of paths.

ياِبنَ الأَولى قَرَّضوا الدُنيا بِمَجدِهِمُ

كَما بكَ الآنَ أَضحى الكَونُ في جَذلِ

O son of those who extolled the world through their glory,

Just as through you the universe now rejoices.

هُم فاخَروكم لَدى النُعمانِ فَاِرتَفَعَت

راياتُكُم عِندهُ في ذلكَ الحَفلِ

They vied with you in glory before al-Nu'man, and up rose

Your banners in his presence at that gathering.

فَظَلَّ قَيسٌ يُديرُ الريقَ مِن غُصَصٍ

وَجَرَّ عامِرُ ذَيلَ الغَبنِ وَالخَجَلِ

So Qays kept swallowing saliva through choking grief,

And Amir dragged the train of loss and shame.

وَفي أَوانِ اِغتِرابِ الدينِ كانَ لَكُم

مَشاهِدٌ أَصلَحَت ما كانَ مِن خَلِلِ

And in the time of religion's estrangement, yours were

Battles that repaired whatever had fallen into disorder.

نَصرتُموهُ بِضَربِ صادِقٍ خَذِمٍ

أَنسى مَعارِكَ مِن صِفّينَ وَالجَمَلِ

You championed it with true, cleaving blows

That made the battles of Siffin and the Camel fade from memory.

حُزتُم بهِ الدينَ وَالدُنيا وَصارَ لكُم

فَخراً وَأَجراً إِذا ما جيءَ بِالرُسُلِ

Through it you gained religion and the world, and it became for you

Glory and reward when the messengers are brought forth.

لَو كانَ فَيصَلُ يدري قَبلَ ميتَتهِ

أَنَّكَ من صُلبِهِ اِستَبطا مَدى الأَجَلِ

Had Faisal known before his death

That you were of his loins, he would have found his allotted span slow to pass.

أَطلَعتَ شَمساً عَلى الآفاقِ مُشرِقَةً

لكِنَّها لَم تَزَل في دارَةِ الحَمَلِ

You brought forth a radiant sun over the horizons,

Yet it remains in the circle of Aries.

أَصلَحتَ لِلنّاسِ دُنياهُم وَدينهم

فَأَصبَحوا بكَ في أَمنٍ وَفي خَولِ

You set right for the people their worldly life and their religion,

So through you they dwell in safety and prosperity.

أَرشَدتَ جاهِلَهُم عِلماً وَمُحسِنَهُم

فَضلاً وَمُذنِبِهُم عَفواً عَن الزَلَلِ

You guided their ignorant with knowledge, and their virtuous

With bounty, and their sinners with pardon for their missteps.

عُدلٌ تَظَلُّ بهِ السيدانُ خاوِيَةً

مِنَ الطَوى وَهيَ بَينَ الجَدي وَالحَمَلِ

A just ruler under whom wolves remain empty-bellied

From hunger, though they are among the kid and the lamb.

اِنظُر إِلَيهِ تَجِدهُ في فَضائِلِهِ

مِلءَ المَسامِعِ وَالأَفواهِ وَالمُقلِ

Look at him: you will find him, in his virtues,

Filling ears, mouths, and eyes.

مَكارِمٌ لَم تَكُن تُعزى إِلى أَحَدٍ

مِمَّن مَضى كُنتَ فيها غايَةَ المَثَلِ

Noble qualities never attributed to anyone

Who came before: in them you have been the ultimate example.

سَمعاً بَني الوَقتِ إِنّي غَيرُ مُتَّهَمٍ

في نُصحِكُم لا وَلا أَطوي عَلى دَخَلِ

Listen, sons of this age: I am beyond suspicion

In advising you—no, nor do I harbor deceit.

أَنا الكَفيلُ لِمَن لَم يَدرِ قيمَتَهُ

بِساعَةٍ تَفصِلُ الأَعضا مِنَ القُلَلِ

I guarantee, for whoever does not know his worth,

An hour that severs limbs from heads.

حَذارِ مِن أَسدٍ إِن هيجَ كانَ لَهُ

زَماجِرٌ تَقذِفُ الأَروى مِنَ الجَبَلِ

Beware a lion who, if roused, has

Roars that hurl ibexes from the mountain.

يَموجُ بَحرُ المَنايا عِندَ غَضبَتِهِ

بَينَ الأَظافِرِ أَو أَنيابِهِ العُصُلِ

The sea of deaths surges at his wrath,

Between his claws or his curved fangs.

إِنَّ الغَريمَ الذي ماحَكتُمُ شَرِسٌ

إِذا تَقاضى مُلِحٌّ لَيسَ بِالوَكِلِ

The adversary with whom you wrangle is fierce,

When he demands his due, insistent and not dependent on others.

لا يَصعُبُ الأَمرُ إِلّا رَيثَ يَركَبُهُ

مُصَمِّمُ العَزمِ لا يُصغي إِلى العَذَلِ

A task is difficult only until he tackles it—

One firm in resolve, who gives no ear to reproach.

فَلَيتَ شِعرِيَ هَل لِلنُّصحِ مُستَمِعٌ

أَم كُنتُ أَنفُخُ في نارٍ عَلى وَشَلِ

Would that I knew: is anyone listening to counsel,

Or have I been blowing into fire on trickling water?

مَن لَم يَقِس ما بَقي مِن دَهرِهِ نَظراً

لِما مَضى فَهوَ مِن مُستَعجَمِ الهَمَلِ

Whoever does not measure his remaining days by reflecting

On what has passed is among the dumb, untended beasts.

كَم شَدَّ قَومٌ وَجَدّوا في عَداوَتِهِ

فَأَصبَحوا بَينَ مَوهوقٍ وَمُنخَذِلِ

How many people charged and strove hard in enmity against him,

Then ended up either ensnared or defeated.

فَلا يَغُرَّ أُناساً عَفوُهُ فَهُمُ

إِن أَحدَثوا يَسقِهِم صاباً مِنَ العَسَلِ

Let no people be deceived by his pardon, for they,

If they stir trouble, will be made to drink bitter sap instead of honey.

ما كُلَّ يَومٍ يُقالُ المَرءُ عَثرَتُهُ

لَو قالَ لا ناقَتي فيها وَلا جَملي

Not every day is a man forgiven his stumble,

Even if he says, 'Neither my she-camel nor my he-camel is in it.'

خُذ ما أَتَتكَ بهِ عَفواً سَجِيَّتهُ

وَلا تَقُل لِلذي يَأباهُ ذلكَ لي

Take what his disposition freely brings you,

And do not say of what he refuses, 'That is mine.'

يا واحِداً في بَني الدُنيا بِلا شَبَهٍ

في عَصرِهِ وَلا في الأَعصُرِ الأُوَلِ

O unique one among the world's sons, without an equal

In his age or in the ages of old.

إِنّي وَإِن أَطالَ مَدحي فيكَ مُقتَصِرٌ

وَأَينَ مَن في الثَرى يَرقى إلى زُحلِ

Though my praise of you grows lengthy, I still fall short,

And how can one on the earth ascend to Saturn?

وَإِن كَسَوتُكَ مِن حُسنِ الثَنا حُلَلاً

فَأَنتَ مِن قَبلِها أَبهى مِنَ الحُلَلِ

And if I clothe you in robes of beautiful praise,

Even before them, you were more splendid than the robes.

وَإِنَّما الشِعرُ يَرتاحُ الكِرامُ لهُ

يَهُزُّهُم كَاِهتِزازِ الشارِبِ الثَمِلِ

Poetry is but something in which the noble delight;

It sways them like the swaying of a drunken drinker.

وَالمَرءُ حَيٌّ إِذا بَقيَت مَآثِرُهُ

تُتلى بِحُسنِ الثَنايا بِالمَنطِقِ الجَزِلِ

And a man lives on if his glorious deeds remain,

Recited through lovely front teeth in stately speech.

وَأَنتَ كَالغَيثِ يَعلو كُلَّ رابِيَةٍ

وَيَستَقِرُّ لِنَفعِ الناسِ في السَهل

And you are like rain that reaches every hilltop,

And settles in the plain to benefit the people.

خُذها إِلَيكَ كَنَظمِ الدُرِّ فَصَّلَهُ

شَذرٌ مِنَ التِبرِ لَم يُسبَك عَلى زَغَلِ

Receive it like a string of pearls, interspersed with

Beads of raw gold, cast free of adulteration.

غَرّاءُ تَفزَعُ أَسماعُ الرُواةِ لَها

بِمَنطِقٍ صينَ عَن عِيٍّ وَعن خَطَلُ

A radiant ode that startles the ears of its reciters,

In speech kept free of faltering and nonsense.

إِن تَرضَها فَهوَ مَهرٌ لا كِفاءَ لهُ

وَمن طِباعِكَ إِغضاءٌ عَنِ الخَلَلِ

If you approve it, your approval is a bridal gift beyond compare;

And overlooking faults is among your traits.

وَاللَهُ يُعطيكَ مِن أَعمارِنا مَدَداً

في ظِلِّ عَيشٍ أَنيقٍ دائِمٍ خَضلِ

May God grant you added years from our lifetimes,

In the shade of a beautiful life, lasting and lush.

تَدومُ لِلدّينِ وَالدُنيا تَحوطُهُما

بِعاجِلِ النَصرِ في عِزٍّ وَفي مَهل

May you endure for religion and the world, guarding both

With swift victory, in honor and ease,

مُمَتَّعاً بِبَنيكَ الغُرِّ مُبتَهِجاً

بِالآلِ وَالخالِ وَالإِخوانِ وَالخَوَلِ

Enjoying your illustrious sons, rejoicing

In family, maternal uncle, brothers, and servants.

فَلَيسَ إِلّا كُم شَيءٌ نُسَرُّ بهِ

أَنتَ الغَنيمةُ من حافٍ وَمُنتَعلِ

For there is nothing but you in which we take joy;

You are the prize among the barefoot and the shod.

ثُمَّ الصَلاةُ على الهادي الذي نُسِخَت

بِشَرعِهِ شِرعَةُ الأديانِ وَالنِحَلِ

Then blessings upon the Guide, through whom was abrogated

By his law, the code of religions and creeds—

مُحمدٍ خيرِ مَن يَمشي على قَدَمٍ

وَالآلِ وَالصَحبِ في الأَبكارِ وَالأُصَلِ

Muhammad, the best of those who walk on foot,

And upon his family and companions, in the early mornings and late afternoons.