بحر العلوم فحدث عنه لا تقف — Mufti Fathallah

بَحر العُلومِ فَحَدِّث عَنهُ لا تَقِفِ

وَاِقصِد حِماهُ وَمِنهُ الفَضل فَاِغتَرفِ

An ocean of learning—speak of him; do not stop.

And seek his haven; draw excellence from him.

يَموجُ بِالفَضلِ وَالعِرفانِ متَّصِلاً

مِنهُ التموُجُّ إِطماعاً لِمغترفِ

He surges ceaselessly with excellence and knowledge,

His surging offering hope to whoever would draw from him.

رَوض المَعارِفِ مَن تَزهو مَعارِفُهُ

داني القُطوفِ فمنهُ الدّهرَ فَاِقتَطِفِ

A garden of learning, whose knowledge blooms,

Its fruit within reach—pluck from him for all time.

الجَهبَذ الفَذّ وَالحَبر الشّهير وَمَن

هُوَ الإِمامُ لأَهلِ الفَضلِ وَالشّرفِ

The peerless master, the renowned scholar, and the one

Who is the leader of people of excellence and honor.

الأَوحد الفَرد مَن قَلَّ النّظيرُ لَهُ

وَمَن بِهِ الآنَ حقَّ الفَخرُ لِلخَلفِ

The matchless, the unique, whose equal is rare,

And through whom later generations now justly take pride.

الحافِظ الثّقَة الثّبت الصّدوق فَما

في ذاكَ مِن ريبَةٍ فيهِ وَمختلفِ

The master memorizer, trustworthy, reliable, truthful—there is no

Doubt about him in this, nor any dispute.

البارِع الحَاذِق الفَحل الفَقيه غَدا

بِكَعبَةِ الفِقه يَمِّمْه وَفيهِ طُفِ

The brilliant, skillful master and jurist has become

The Kaaba of jurisprudence—seek him out and circle him.

وَمَن بِهِ مالِكٌ ذا العَصرَ مُفتَخر

وَيَشهَدُ الشافعي في ذاكَ وَالحَنَفي

And one in whom Malik takes pride in this age,

And al-Shafi‘i and al-Hanafi bear witness to that.

العابِد الزّاهِد المَملوء مِن وَرَعٍ

وَالصالح المُتّقي القوّام في الزّلفِ

The devout ascetic, filled with scrupulous piety,

And the righteous, God-fearing man, ever standing in prayer at night.

في وَجهِهِ الطلقِ أَنوارُ الصّلاحِ بَدَت

كَالصّبحِ يَبدو عَلى الآفاقِ غيرِ خَفي

On his cheerful face the lights of righteousness have appeared,

Like dawn showing plainly over the horizons.

الخاشِع المُخلص النسّاك مُجتَهِداً

مَن رامَ مِن رَبِّهِ تَحصيلَ مُزدلفِ

The reverent, sincere, devoted ascetic, striving earnestly,

Who seeks from his Lord the attainment of nearness.

السيّد الأَمجَد الفَخم العلي حَسباً

وَهوَ الأَصيلُ الكريمُ النّفسِ وَالسلفِ

The most glorious lord, august, exalted in ancestral honor,

And he is well-born, noble in soul and ancestry.

وَجَوهَر المَجد وَالعَلياءِ في شَرفٍ

وَمَن لَهُ العزُّ يَبدو أَرفَع الصدفِ

And a noble jewel of glory and high estate,

And one for whom honor appears as the loftiest of pearl-shells.

لَهُ الكَمالُ رِداءً لَم يَصِرْ خَلِقاً

وَلا يَصيرُ فَبِالأَخلاقِ لا تصفِ

Perfection is his robe, which has not grown threadbare,

Nor ever will—so do not describe it as worn-out.

المَغرِبي الّذي فيلالِ بَلدتهِ

وَفَخرها فيهِ لَم يَبرح بِمُنكشفِ

The Moroccan whose hometown is Filal,

And its pride in him has always been manifest.

مُحمّد مَن سَما صيتاً وَمُدَّكراً

بِطيبِ ذِكرٍ بِحُسنِ الحَمدِ متّصفِ

Muhammad, exalted in renown and remembrance,

Of fragrant repute, distinguished by beautiful praise.

بالِغْ بِذِكراهُ في حُسنِ الثّناءِ فَإِنْ

أَكثَرتَ ذِكراهُ لَم تُنسَب إِلى السَّرفِ

Be unstinting in fine praise of him; for if

You mention him often, you will not be accused of excess.

قَد سارَ مِن جِلّق الفَيحاء ثمَّ أَتى

عَكّاءَ بَيت العُلى وَالعزِّ وَالشَّرَفِ

He journeyed from spacious Jilliq, then came

To Acre, home of high estate, might, and honor.

وَنَحوَها سارَ سَيرَ البَدرِ لَيلتهُ

بِأَعدَلِ السّيرِ يَسري غَيرَ مُعتسفِ

And toward it he traveled like the full moon on its night,

Journeying by night on the straightest course, never straying.

وَحَلَّ فيها حُلولَ البَدرِ مَنزلهُ

إِذْ أَمَّها وَهوَ عَنها غير مُنصَرِفِ

And settled there as the full moon settles in its mansion,

Having sought it out, never turning away from it.

وَفضلهُ نورهُ يَعلو جَوانِبَها

فَمِنهُ قَد ضاءَ ما تَحويهِ مِن كنفِ

And the light of his excellence rises over its quarters,

So through him every corner it embraces has shone.

وَحَلَّها وَشَريفُ اللَّحظِ يَلحظُهُ

مِنَ الوَزيرِ أَخي الإِحسانِ وَالتحفِ

And he settled there, watched over by a noble gaze

From the minister, a man of beneficence and gifts:

الأَمجَد الشّهم عَبد اللّه مَن شُغِفَت

بِهِ المَعالي بِعِزٍّ أَبلَغَ الشغفِ

The most glorious, noble-hearted Abd Allah, with whom

The heights of glory are enamored, in splendor, with the deepest passion.

شَمس الوِزارَةِ في بُرجِ السّعودِ بَدَت

فَلا تَزولُ وَلا تُعرَى بمنكسفِ

The sun of the vizierate has appeared in the sign of good fortune,

So it never sets, nor is touched by eclipse.

ضِياؤُها العَدلُ في حلمٍ وَمَرحَمَةٍ

بِهِ تَولَّى ظَلامُ الظُّلمِ وَالجَنفِ

Its radiance is justice, joined with forbearance and mercy;

Through it the darkness of oppression and bias has fled.

مِن عَدلِ دَولتِهِ الأَغنامُ قَد سَرَحَت

تَرعى مَعَ الذِّئبِ لا تَخشى مِنَ التلفِ

Through the justice of his rule, the sheep have gone to pasture,

Grazing beside the wolf, with no fear of death.

أَقسَمتُ بِاللَّهِ هَذا الآن لَيسَ لَهُ

مِثلٌ يُدانيهِ في عَدلٍ لِمُنتَصِفِ

I swear by God: this man now has no

Equal approaching him in justice toward those seeking redress.

يَمين صِدقٍ بِلا مَيْنٍ ولا كذب

وَالبرُّ في قَسمي لا حنث في حلفي

A truthful oath, without falsehood or lies;

And my oath is true; there is no perjury in my swearing.

شَمس الوِزارَةِ هَذا البَدرُ قارَنَها

طوبى لِعَكّا فَهذا غايَةُ الشَّرفِ

This full moon has joined the sun of the vizierate.

Blessed is Acre, for this is the height of honor!

فَالنَّيِّرانِ بِها يا سادَتي اِئتَلفا

لا شَيءَ مِثلَهُما في حُسنِ مؤتلفِ

So the two luminaries have united there, my lords;

Nothing matches the beauty of their union.

يا أَيّها البَحرُ مَن فاضَت معارِفُهُ

طوبى لِمُغتَرفٍ طوبى لِمُرتَشفِ

O ocean, whose knowledge overflows,

Blessed the one who draws, blessed the one who sips!

إِنّي أُهنِّيكَ في هَذا القُدومِ إِلى

عكّاءَ دار العُلى وَالرّوضَةِ الأُنُفِ

Indeed, I congratulate you on this arrival in

Acre, home of high estate and the fresh, untouched meadow.

وَاِسلَم وُقِيتَ الرَّدى مِن كلِّ حادِثَةٍ

وَدمتَ مِمَّن لأَنواعِ الهُمومِ كُفِي

And be safe, shielded from death in every calamity,

And remain among those spared every kind of care.

وَدُمتَ تَرقى المَعالي خَيرَ مَرتَبةٍ

وَتَسكنُ الدّهرَ مِنها أَحسَنَ الغُرَفِ

And may you keep ascending honor's heights to the finest rank,

And dwell forever in their fairest chambers,

بِراحَةِ البالِ لا غَمٌّ وَلا كَدَر

بِصِحَّةِ الجسمِ لا يَعروكُ مِن دنفِ

With peace of mind, no grief and no distress,

With bodily health, untouched by any wasting illness.

تَعيشُ عَيشاً رَغيداً ناعِماً بِصفا

مِن غَيرِ عيٍّ وَلا كدٍّ وَلا كُلفِ

May you live a life of plenty, comfort, and serenity,

Without weariness, toil, or burdens,

ما ماسَ غُصنٌ وَما الورقاءُ قَد صَدَحت

ما الرَّوضُ يَضحك وَالأزهار في تَرَفِ

As long as a branch sways and the gray dove sings,

As long as the garden smiles and flowers luxuriate,

ما الفَتحُ قالَ على حبٍّ وفي طربٍ

بَحر العُلومِ فَحَدِّث عنهُ لا تَقفِ

As long as al-Fath says with love and rapture:

An ocean of learning—speak of him; do not stop.