أقول بعد الحمد — Muhammad Alshawkani

أَقولُ بَعْدَ الْحَمْدِ

للهِ فَوْقَ الْعَدِّ

I say, after praise

to God beyond all counting,

مُسَلِّماً مُصَلِّيا

عَلَى رَئيسِ الأَنْبِيا

offering salutations and blessings

upon the chief of the prophets,

وآلِهِ والصَّحْبِ

عَلَى مُرورِ الْحِقْب

and his family and companions,

through the passing of the ages:

ما إنْ بِذَا السُّؤالِ

يا صَاحِ منْ إشكالِ

In this question there is no

difficulty, my friend.

وإنْ تَخَلْ تَعارُضا

أَخْفَى عَلَيْكَ النَّاهِضَا

And if you imagine a conflict

that has concealed the cogent proof from you,

فخُذ إليْكَ الْقَوْلاَ

تَنَلْ بِذاكَ السُّؤْلا

then take these words;

through them you will attain your wish.

فَقَدْ حَكَيْتُ فِيهِ

كِفَايَةَ النَّبِيهِ

For I have related therein

enough for the discerning.

هَذَا وإِنَّ بَاعي

أَقْصَرُ مِنْ ذِراعِي

This, though my armspan

is shorter than my forearm.

لَوْلاَ جَرَى التَّعْويلُ

مَا كانَ لِي ذَا الْقَوْلُ

Had there been no reliance,

I would not have made this statement.

فَحُجَّةُ النُّفَاةِ

رواية الثقات

The evidence of those who deny it

is the report of trustworthy transmitters.

قَامَتْ لَهُمْ أَدِلَّهْ

ما إنْ بِها مِنْ عِلّه

Proofs have been established for them

with no defect in them.

فاسْمَعْ تَرَ الصَّوابا

وتَكْشِفِ الْحِجابا

So listen: you will see what is right

and lift the veil.

فأَنَسُ بنُ مالِكِ

أَنْبَأَنا بالتّارِكِ

For Anas ibn Malik

informed us of the one who omitted it.

قَالَ بأنَّ الْمُصْطَفَى

وصاحِبَيْهِ حَذَفَا

He said that the Chosen One

and his two companions omitted it,

وَبَدَؤوا بالحَمْدِ

مُبَيِّناً للحَدِّ

and began with 'Praise,'

making the boundary clear.

رَوَاهُ عَنْهُ السِّتَّةُ

وَحَبَّذَاكَ الثُّبَّتُ

The Six transmitted it from him,

and reliable authorities commended it.

ومُسْلِمٌ قَدْ أَوْرَدا

تَرْكَهُمُ مُؤَكَّدا

And Muslim recorded

their omission explicitly.

ومِثْلُه المغَفّلُ

رَوى لَنَا ما نَقَلُوا

Likewise, al-Mughaffal

related to us what they transmitted.

أَخْرَجَ عَنْهُ التِّرمِذيّ

حَدِيثه والنسئي

Al-Tirmidhi transmitted from him

his report, as did al-Nasa'i.

وعَنْ أَبي هُرَيْرَهْ

رِوايَة شَهِيرَه

And from Abu Hurayrah

comes a well-known report,

خَرَّجَها الْمُكَرَّمُ

بَدْرُ الْعُلومِ مُسْلِمُ

transmitted by the honored

full moon of learning, Muslim.

والمثْبتونَ أَسْنَدوا

أَدِلَّةً وشَيَّدوا

Those who affirm it supplied transmission chains

for proofs, and strengthened them

مِنْ طُرُقٍ عَدِيدَه

واضِحَةٍ مُفِيدَهْ

through numerous routes,

clear and instructive.

مِنْها عَنِ الإمامِ

وجَهْبذِ الإسْلام

Among them is a report from the imam

and master scholar of Islam,

أَبي الْحُسَيْنِ والْحَسَنْ

مُحْيي الْفُروضِ والسُّنَنْ

the father of al-Husayn and al-Hasan,

reviver of the obligations and traditions.

وعَنْ أَبي هُرَيْرَهْ

رِوَايَةٌ مُنِيرَهْ

And from Abu Hurayrah

comes an illuminating report.

أَخْرَجَها النَّسائِي

عَنْهُ حَدِيثاً بلها خفاء

Al-Nasa'i transmitted it

from him—a report without obscurity [reading uncertain].

والدَّارَ قُطْني أَخْرَجَا

عَنْهُ أَبْلَجاَ

And al-Daraqutni transmitted

from him a plainly clear report.

وابنُ خُرَيْمَةٍ رَوى

عَنْهُ كَهَذَيْنِ سِوا

And Ibn Khuraymah related

from him the same as these two.

والْحَبْرِ عَبْدِ اللهِ

النّاسكِ الأَوّاهِ

And the scholar Abd Allah,

the devout, the sighing supplicant,

رَوَى لَنا روَايَهْ

أَثْبَتَ فِيها الآيَهْ

related to us a report

in which he affirmed the verse.

وتِلْكِ عِنْدَ التِّرْمِذيّ

مُسْنَدَةٌ إلى النَّبِيّ

And that report is with al-Tirmidhi,

ascribed through a transmission chain to the Prophet.

والفاضِلُ الْحَبْرُ الأَبَرّ

فَخْرُ الْعُلُومِ ابنُ عُمَرْ

And the virtuous, most righteous scholar,

the pride of learning, Ibn Umar,

قَالَ بأنَّ الْمُصْطَفى

وصاحِبَيْهِ الْخُلفَا

said that the Chosen One

and his two companions, the caliphs,

قَدْ واظَبُوا عَلَيْها

ونَدَبُوا إلَيْها

persisted in its observance

and encouraged it.

والدَّارَ قُطْني أَسْنَدَا

ونَدَبُوا إلَيْها

And al-Daraqutni supplied a transmission chain,

and encouraged it.

والدَّارَ قُطْني أَسْنَدَا

عَنْهُ الذي قَدْ أَوْرَدا

And al-Daraqutni supplied a transmission chain

from him for what he had recorded.

ومِثْلُهُ عَنْ مَيْسَرَهْ

رِوايَةٌ مُشْتَهِرهْ

And likewise, from Maysarah,

comes a widely known report.

الْبَيْهَقي رَواهَا

والْوَاحِدي أَنْهاها

Al-Bayhaqi transmitted it,

and al-Wahidi conveyed it.

وجَاءَ عَنْ بُرَيْدَهْ

رِوايَةٌ مُفِيدَهْ

And from Buraydah came

an instructive report;

في الدَّارَ قُطْني ثَبَتَتْ

والطَّبرانِيّ صَدَرَتْ

it was attested in al-Daraqutni,

and appeared in al-Tabarani.

وَرَوَتْ أُمُّ سَلَمَهْ

ثُبُوتَها وعِكْرِمَهْ

And Umm Salamah related

its affirmation, as did Ikrimah.

وَجَاءَ عَنْ أُبَيِّ

قَوْلٌ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ

And from Ubayy came

a saying from the Prophet.

وهَذِهِ الأَخْبارُ

صَحَّحَها الأَطْهَارُ

And these reports

were authenticated by the pure:

سَفَايِنُ النّجاةِ

وأَنْجُم الْهُداةِ

ships of salvation

and stars of the guides.

والرَّاجِحُ الإثْباتُ

كما رَوَى الأَثْباتُ

The stronger view is affirmation,

as the reliable authorities reported:

كَسائِرِ الآياتِ

في الأَصْلِ والصِّفاتِ

like the other verses,

in its basis and attributes,

في جَهْرِها والسِّرِّ

وحَذْفِها والذّكْرِ

in its audible and silent recitation,

and in its omission and recitation.

والنَّقْصُ والزِّيادَهْ

مُخَالِفَانِ الْعَادَهْ

And subtraction and addition

both contravene customary practice.

ومُدَّعي الْخِلافِ

مَيْلاً عَنِ الإنْصافِ

Whoever claims the contrary,

turning away from fairness,

نَحُجُّهُ بالرَّسْمِ

فَهْوَ دَليلٌ عِلْمي

we refute him with the written text,

for it is a proof yielding certain knowledge.

هَذا حَكَاهُ الْعَضُدُ

وقَوْلُهُ مُجَوَّدُ

Al-Adud related this,

and his statement is well formulated.

وكُتُبُ الأَئِمهْ

بِمِثْلِ ذا مُلِمَّهْ

The books of the imams

deal with such matters.

عَلَى الثُّبُوتِ أَجْمَعوا

وبالرُّسومِ قَطَعُوا

They agreed unanimously on its affirmation

and judged decisively by the written texts.

وأَوْضَحُوا الْمُحَجَّهْ

وَذَاكَ أَيُّ حُجَّهْ

They made the path clear—

and what a proof that is!

حَتّى حَكَى في الْغَايَهْ

تَوَاتُرَ الرِّوايَهْ

He even reported in al-Ghayah

the report's mass transmission.

والمثْبتُونَ أَوْلَى

وَرَاجِعِ الأصُولاَ

Those who affirm it have the stronger claim;

and consult the foundational principles.

وَفيهِمُ مُرَجِّحُ

لِقَوْلِهِمْ مُصَحِّحُ

And among them is a ground of preference,

one validating their view:

فَضْلُهُمُ الْمُشْتَهِرُ

عَلَى الذين أَنْكَروا

their well-known superiority

over those who denied it.

ومِثْلُ هَذَا الْوَصْفِ

مُقَدَّمق في الصَّفِّ

And such a quality

earns precedence in the prayer row,

لِقَوْلِ ذَاكَ الْمَوْلَى

أُولوُ النُّهَى أَوْ لاَ

because of that master's saying:

'Those of understanding first' [text reads 'or not'; reading uncertain].

وأَنَسٌ صغِيرُ

وَصفَه الأَخيرُ

And Anas was young;

the latter described him so.

وعِنْدَ هَذَا يَعْلَمُوا

رَجُوحَ ما قَدْ نَقَلوا

And at this point they will know

the greater weight of what they transmitted.

ورَجَّةُ التَّكْبِيرَهْ

قَرِينَةٌ مُنِيرَهْ

And the din of the takbir

is an illuminating indication

عَلَى اخْتِفاءِ الْجَهَرِ

عَلَى ذَوِي التَّأَخُّرِ

that the audible recitation was hidden

from those farther back.

وتَنَصُرُ الثُّبوتا

إن شِئْتُمُ الثُّبوتا

Affirmation is also supported—

if you seek affirmation—

مَواقِفُ الْقُرَّاءِ

عَلَيْهِ في الْبِداءِ

by the positions of the reciters

on it at the beginning,

في مَفْتَحِ الْكِتابِ

فانْظُرْ إلى الصَّوابِ

in the Opening of the Book;

so consider what is right.

قَالَ بِذاكَ السَّبْعهْ

كَما حَكَاهُ التَّبَعَهْ

The Seven held that view,

as their followers reported.

وابنُ كَثيرِ الْقَارِيّ

ومِثْلُهُ الْكِسائيّ

And Ibn Kathir the reciter,

and likewise al-Kisa'i,

فالمَدَني قالُونُ

وعاصِمُ الأَمينُ

then the Medinan Qalun,

and trustworthy Asim,

قَدْ عَمَّموا بِلا مِرا

مُتابِعِينَ الأَكْثَرا

made it general, without dispute,

following the majority.

وصَلِّ ذا الإِفْضالِ

عَلَى النَّبِي والآلِ

And grant blessings, O Possessor of Bounty,

upon the Prophet and his family.