بحمد الله يبدأ كل شاكر — Omar Alyafi

بحمد الله يبدأ كلّ شاكرْ

بنُطق لسان أقلام المحابرْ

With praise of God every grateful soul begins,

Through the speaking tongue of the inkwells' pens.

وبالإرشاد يرشد كلّ عبدٍ

لسيّده تخصّص وهو قادر

Through guidance every servant is rightly led,

Devoted to his Master, who is mighty.

وبعد فخذ هداكَ الله نصحي

وقم واعمل به وعليه ثابر

And now, take my counsel—may God guide you—

Rise, act upon it, and persevere in it.

نصحتك في زمانك لا تصاحب

خليلاً من أكابر أو أصاغر

I counsel you: in your time, do not befriend

An intimate, whether among the great or the lowly.

ترى في وجهه البشرى تبدّت

وبالسرَّا يوافي وهو ماكر

You see gladness appearing on his face,

And he comes with cheer, though he is scheming.

ولا تركن لعهدٍ من وفاه

فإن تلق الموافي فهو غادر

Do not trust a pledge from one who has fulfilled it,

For the faithful one you meet is a betrayer.

نصحتك إن سمعت النصح منّي

على الأصحاب كَبِّرْ لا تكابر

I counsel you, if you heed my advice:

Say 'God is greatest' over friends; do not dispute.

خصوصاً كلّ ذي وجهٍ وجيه

له وجهٌ وليس به نواظر

Especially every man with a distinguished face:

He has a face, but no eyes within it.

شجاعٌ كرّ في الكرّات جمعاً

من الأموال بالدنيا يفاخر

A brave man who charged repeatedly to amass

Wealth, with which he boasts in this world.

فدعه ولا تمل يوماً إليه

وجانبه وإن حاز المفاخر

Leave him; never incline toward him,

And shun him, though he wins honors.

يريك حلاوةً من حسن نطقٍ

وتلك حلاوةٌ شقّت مرائر

He shows you sweetness in his fine speech,

Yet that sweetness has split sacs of gall.

ولا يغررك صدقٌ من صديقٍ

وحاذر أن تبيح له السرائر

Let no sincerity from a friend beguile you,

And beware of revealing your secrets to him.

فليس سواه تلقى الضرّ منه

إذا يوماً لودّك بات هاجر

For it is none but he who brings you harm

If one day he abandons your affection.

ولا يخدعك رفقٌ من رفيقٍ

ولو كرّرت فيه للمخابر

Let no gentleness from a companion deceive you,

Though you have repeatedly put him to the test.

وفي عين الحقيقة لو ترآى

رأيت مجاز نيّته مغاير

And were he to appear in the very eye of truth,

You would see his intention's figurative guise at variance.

وإن يقلب عليك القلب يوماً

تصدّى عالماً لك بالمضارر

If one day he turns his heart against you,

He confronts you, knowing how to harm you.

فهم خوّانُ لا إخوان عهدٍ

فحقّق حالَهم والحال ظاهر

They are betrayers, not brothers in a covenant;

Examine their condition: their condition is plain.

جواسيس العيون بعين ريب

أباليس الأسى في كلّ ضائر

Spying eyes, with an eye of suspicion,

Devils of sorrow in everything that harms.

فعيناه ترى والقلب يرعى

ربيع السوء مملوء المباعر

His two eyes watch, while his heart grazes

A spring pasture of evil, filled with dung-heaps.

فظاهره الأزاهر بالعواطر

وباطنه القذائر بالمفاقر

His exterior is flowers steeped in fragrance,

And his interior is filth in barren wastes.

فلا تغترّ منه بعين صدق

ولاحظه بها إن كنت باصر

Do not be fooled by his eye of sincerity;

Observe him with that eye, if you can see.

يذيعُ السوءَ عنك لدى البرايا

وللنعماء والمعروف كافر

He spreads ill reports of you among people,

Ungrateful for blessings and kindness.

يريك الشهدَ منه عذيبُ نطقٍ

بوجهٍ والقفا لسعُ الزنابر

His sweet speech shows you honey from him

To your face; at your back are wasps' stings.

فجاهد في سبيل الله نفساً

تريد ودادَهم واحذر وحاذر

Strive in God's path against a soul

That craves their affection; take care and beware.

فحاربها إذا لم ترض هذا

وكن بالله سيفَ الحرب شاهر

Fight it if it will not accept this,

And, with God's aid, brandish the sword of war.

إذا ما رمت يوماً فعل أمرٍ

بخيرٍ فاستخر لا لا تشاور

If ever you intend one day to do something

Good, seek God's choice—no, no, do not consult them.

فما لمشورةٍ إلّا نصوحٌ

لوجه الله برٌّ غير فاجر

For consultation calls for none but a sincere adviser,

For God's sake, virtuous, not wicked.

فإنّك إن تشاورهم بخيرٍ

رأيت الخير شرّاً عاد صائر

For if you consult them about something good,

You will see the good turn into evil.

فدهرك ليس فيه من صلاح

فدارِ فسادَه الساري وساير

Your age contains no righteousness;

Deal tactfully with its spreading corruption, and adapt.

على الدين احتفظ واقبض عليه

كقبض الجمر واصبر ثمّ صابر

Keep hold of religion, and grasp it

As you grasp burning coals; endure, then persevere.

تحوّل عن مجالسهم بخوضٍ

إذا خاضوا حديثاً لا تباشر

Turn away from their gatherings of idle talk;

When they plunge into talk, do not join in.

وجانبهم بجنبك واعتزلهم

تكن في راحةٍ وصفاءِ خاطر

Keep yourself apart from them and withdraw,

And you will have ease and peace of mind.

فلا تبصر بمجلسهم رئيساً

سوى نذل تصدّر بالمصادر

In their gathering you will see no leader

But a scoundrel who has claimed the foremost seats.

تقدّمَ في محافلهم ويجري

بلغوٍ في الميامن والمياسر

He takes precedence in their assemblies and runs on

With idle chatter to right and left.

وجاهلُهم رئيسُ الرأي فيهم

وفاضلهم لديهم بات قاصر

Their ignorant man leads their opinions,

While their worthy man is deemed deficient.

فكم من أوّل في المجد أمسى

بمحفل جمعهم في القوم آخر

How many a foremost man in glory has become

Last among the people in their gathering!

وكم حرٍّ لهم أضحى رقيقاً

وكم عبدٍ تمتّع بالحرائر

How many a free man has become their slave,

And how many a slave has enjoyed freeborn women!

وكم فظٍّ تراه غليظ لفظٍ

إذا ما كان كان الليل عاكر

And how many a coarse man you see, harsh of speech:

When he is present, the night turns murky.

ولا تُضمِرْ على ضرٍّ لجارٍ

فربّك عالمٌ ما في الضمائر

Harbor no intention of harming a neighbor,

For your Lord knows what is hidden in hearts.

وإن يقصدك بالضرّاء يوماً

فلم يقدر لأنّ الله حاضر

If one day he intends to harm you,

He cannot, for God is present.

فثق بالله واجعله نصيراً

ووكّله فإنّ الله ناصر

Trust in God, and make Him your helper;

Entrust matters to Him, for God is the helper.

ولا تضجر لأمرٍ فيه عسرٌ

فبعد العسر يسر الأمر صادر

Do not be distressed by a difficult affair,

For after hardship, ease comes forth.

وماء الوجه صنه ولا تُرِقه

لغير الله لو منح الجواهر

Guard your face's water of dignity; do not spill it

For anyone but God, though he bestow jewels.

وحاذر أن تقيمٍ بدار قومٍ

أضاعوا الدين بالدنيا وهاجر

Beware of dwelling among a people

Who squander religion for worldly gain; migrate away.

وضنكُ النفسِ أهونُ من مقامٍ

بذلٍّ في الديار لذي المساخر

Distress of soul is easier than remaining

In humiliation in the dwellings of a mocker.

وموت المرء خيرٌ من حياةٍ

يكون بها ذليل الدين صاغر

A person's death is better than a life

In which his faith is humbled and he is abased.

فهيّا لا تضق بالحال ذرعاً

وقل يا بحر سر بي للجزائر

Come, then: do not lose patience with your plight,

But say, 'O sea, carry me to the islands.'

وإيّاك المزاح ولو بحقٍّ

فذا مفتاحُ تكديرِ الخواطر

Beware of jesting, even truthfully,

For that is the key to unsettling hearts.

وحقِّك إنّه نقصٌ وعيبٌ

وبابٌ للمغادر والمعاذر

By your honor, it is a failing and a fault,

And a door to betrayals and excuses.

وإن تنطق فقل حقّاً وصدقاً

تكن بالدين والإسلام ظافر

If you speak, speak truthfully and honestly,

And you will triumph in religion and Islam.

وإلّا اصمت ودع ما ليس يعني

فأمر الدين في هذين دائر

Otherwise, be silent and leave what does not concern you;

For religion's affair revolves around these two.

وإن نطق السفيه فلا تجبه

ولا تسفَه ودع وصف الفواجر

If a fool speaks, do not answer him,

Do not act foolishly; forsake the character of the wicked.

ولا تغضب لغير الله واترك

هوى الأغراض من نفسٍ وغادر

Do not grow angry for any but God, and leave

The soul's craving for selfish ends—abandon it.

وإن سوررت في خيرٍ وشرٍّ

فلا تفشِ الّذي تخفي السرائر

If secrets are confided to you, in good or ill,

Do not divulge what hearts conceal.

وغب واحضر بربّك في شهودٍ

فربّك باطنٌ فيهم وظاهر

Be absent and present through your Lord, in witnessing,

For your Lord is hidden within them and manifest.

فهم لشؤون أسماءٍ تجلّت

قوابلٌ تنجلي وهم الأشائر

They are, for the workings of Names made manifest,

Receptacles that become clear; they are the signs.

تؤثّر فيهم الأسماء حالاً

لها في أمرهم حكمُ المآثر

The Names affect them in their state,

And govern the notable deeds in their affairs.

فسلّم أمرهم لله تسلم

لديه وكن مقرّاً غير ناكر

Entrust their affair to God, and you will be safe

With Him; acknowledge, do not deny.

وإن مرجت عقودُهمُ فدعهم

ودع ما عاقدوه ولا تناظر

If their covenants become confused, leave them,

Leave what they have covenanted, and do not dispute.

وقل لله فيهم سرّ حكمٍ

وفي عين الحقيقة هم مظاهر

Say, 'God has a secret of judgment within them,'

And in the very eye of truth, they are manifestations.

وإن تبعوا الهوى بالطوع شحّاً

وإعجاباً لرأيٍ في المحاضر

If they willingly follow desire through avarice,

And conceit in their own opinion in assemblies,

فخذ ما قد عرفت له ودع ما

له أنكرت من تلك المناكر

Take what you have acknowledged in it, and leave what

You have condemned in it among those wrongs.

عليك بما لنفسك والتزمه

مع البيت الّذي بالذكر عامر

Attend to what concerns your own soul, and keep to it,

Together with the house made thriving by remembrance.

ونظّف بيت قلبك فهو بيتٌ

به نورٌ لذكر الله باهر

Clean the house of your heart, for it is a house

Where a dazzling light shines from remembrance of God.

وعمّره بتقوى الله تقوى

على حملِ الأمانة والأوامر

Fill it with mindfulness of God, and grow strong

To bear the trust and the commands.

ورِدْ وِردَ الصفا إذ طاب وِرداً

إلى الورّاد وانهل غير صادر

Come to purity's litany, for its draught is sweet

To those who come to drink; drink deeply without departing.

فترك الورد يقطع فيضَ مدٍّ

من البحر الّذي بالفيض زاخر

For abandoning the litany cuts off the tide's outpouring

From the sea overflowing with abundance.

ووحّد واحداً في اسمٍ وذاتٍ

وفعلٍ منه تشتقّ المصادر

Affirm the One as one in Name and Essence,

And Act: from Him all origins are derived.

فبالتوحيد معرفة المثاني

وجمع بحور فرقان زواخر

Through oneness comes knowledge of the oft-repeated verses,

And the gathering of the Furqan's surging seas.

وجالس أهله أهل المعالي

وذكّر في فضائله وذاكر

Sit with its people, the people of high attainments,

Remind others of its virtues, and discuss them.

فليس سعادة الدارين إلّا

بذكر الله فالزمه وثابر

For happiness in both abodes lies only

In remembrance of God; hold fast to it and persevere.

ولا تنظر لأهل الحجب ممّن

غدا بالجهل مطموس البصائر

Do not look to the people of veils, whose

Insight has become effaced by ignorance.

فذا في غفلةٍ وحجاب رينٍ

بقلبٍ دونه ضربت ستائر

Such a one is in heedlessness, under a veil of rust,

With a heart before which curtains have been drawn.

وكلّ متاجرٍ في غير هذا

رباحُ نُمُوِّ متجرِه خسائر

Every trader in anything other than this

Finds the profits of his business's growth are losses.

وإن ربحت تجارته وزادت

بدنياه عواقبه المخاسر

Though his trade be profitable and increase

In his worldly life, his final outcomes are losses.

فيا سحقاً لعبدٍ بل ومحقاً

له إن لم يكن لله ذاكر

Away with such a servant—indeed, destruction

Upon him, if he does not remember God!

وقد خسرت تجارته إذا لم

يكن برضاء مولاه يتاجر

His trade has surely failed if he does not

Trade for his Master's pleasure.

أخي بالعروة الوثقى تمسّك

من التقوى لتربح في المتاجر

My brother, hold fast to the firmest handhold

Of mindfulness of God, that you may profit in trade.

وخلّ سبيل مختلٍّ تخلّى

عن السبب المنجّي فهو خاسر

Leave the path of a disordered man who has abandoned

The means of deliverance, for he is a loser.

فما الدنيا بباقيةٍ ولكن

بها الأعمال زادٌ للمسافر

This world does not endure, but

Deeds within it are provisions for the traveler.

وإن تعمل بها خيراً وشرّاً

فمنسوخٌ تسطّر في دفاتر

Whatever good and evil you do within it

Is copied down, inscribed in registers.

ستنشر للحساب بيوم نشرٍ

لدى حَكَمٍ بعدلٍ غير جائر

They will be unfolded for reckoning on the day of unfolding,

Before a judge who is just, not unjust.

ولا يخفى على الجبّار شيءٌ

بأرضٍ أو سماءٍ وهو قاهر

Nothing is hidden from the Compeller,

On earth or in heaven; He is all-subduing.

هو الملك العظيم القهر فاعرف

لأحكامٍ بها ناهٍ وآمر

He is the King, mighty in His subjugation; acknowledge

The decrees by which He forbids and commands.

ولا تبغ الفساد فكلّ باغٍ

عليه أدار مولانا الدوائر

Do not seek corruption, for every transgressor

Has our Master turned calamity's circles upon him.

وكن بالخوف راجي العفو فضلاً

وغفراناً فإنّ الله غافر

In fear, hope for pardon as a grace,

And forgiveness, for God is forgiving.

حليمٌ ليس يعجل في عقابٍ

وقد يعفو ويصفح وهو قادر

Forbearing, He is not hasty in punishment,

And He may pardon and overlook, though He has power.

فسله الستر والتوفيق سرّاً

فمولانا كريم العفو ساتر

Ask Him in secret for concealment and guidance to success,

For our Master is generous in pardon, a concealer.

وسر سبلَ النجاة من المراضي

وكن في نهج ما يرضيه سائر

Follow the paths of salvation through what pleases Him,

And walk the way of what satisfies Him.

وسل منه الهداية في طريقٍ

بها يهدي له من كان حائر

Ask Him for guidance along a path

By which He guides to Himself those who are bewildered.

وقم سحراً وناجِ الله واغنم

مراحمه ومنك الطرفُ ساهر

Rise before dawn, commune with God, and gain

His mercies, while your eye stays wakeful.

نصحتك فاستمع نصحي إذا ما

من الدارين قد رمت المفاخر

I have counseled you; hear my counsel, if

You have sought the honors of both abodes.

فهذا عقد سلكٍ في سلوكٍ

تنظَّمَ بالنصيحة كالجواهر

This is a threaded necklace on the spiritual path,

Strung with counsel like jewels.

وأيدي الفكر تلقطه سحيراً

من البحر الّذي بالفيض وافر

The hands of thought gather it before dawn

From the sea abundant in its outpouring.

بحمد الله مبتدئاً لهذا

غدا نظماً بمسك الختم عاطر

Beginning this with praise of God,

It has become verse, fragrant with the musk of its seal.