تهلل وجه الشرع وافتر ثغره

وأشرق في برج السعادة بدره

The face of sacred law beamed, and its mouth broke into a smile;

And in the constellation of happiness, its full moon shone.

وتم له الفتح المبين مع الصفا

وجاء بحمد الله للدين نصره

Its manifest victory was fulfilled, attended by serenity,

And, praise be to God, triumph came to the faith.

وأصبح روض العلم يزهو بهاؤه

فماس بعطفيه وأينع زهره

The meadow of learning now glowed in splendor,

Swaying proudly on either side as its flowers ripened.

فقل لمريدي الخير آن أوانكم

وقل لمريدي العلم ذلك عصره

Tell the seekers of goodness: your time has come;

And tell the seekers of knowledge: this is its age.

أتى زمن الإصلاح إذ جاء ربه

إلى مسند الإفتاء فالأمر أمره

The age of reform arrived when its master came

To the seat of fatwa—for now the command is his.

محمد قسطاس الفضائل والنهى

وركن قوام الشرع بل هو صدره

Muhammad, the balance of virtues and sound judgment,

The pillar upholding sacred law—indeed, its foremost chief.

تربى بمهد الفضل فالفضل دأبه

لذا حمده في كل ناد وشكره

Reared in the cradle of merit, merit is his constant way;

Thus in every gathering he is praised and thanked.

له الهمم العلياء في كل مركز

فباهت به كل البرية مصره

His aspirations are lofty in every station,

And Egypt boasts of him before all humankind.

فكم كان في طى الخفا من معارف

فأظهرها كالشمس تسطع فكره

How much knowledge had lain folded away in concealment,

Until his thought revealed it, radiant as the sun.

أمولاي إن المسلمين تيمنوا

وقالوا بك الإسلام يرفع قدره

O my lord, the Muslims have taken you as a blessed omen,

And said: through you, Islam’s standing shall be raised.

وأصبحت الإفتاء تزهو وتزدهى

بشهم همام طار بالفكر ذكره

The office of fatwa has come to glow and exult

Through a noble, resolute man whose intellectual fame has flown afar.

وصارت بحمد الله في حرز مثلها

لأنك حصن الشرع بل أنت فخره

And, praise be to God, it now rests in a protection befitting it,

For you are the fortress of sacred law—indeed, you are its pride.

لك الجد والإصلاح دأب وديدن

وعدل تسامى في المحاكم نشره

Earnest labor and reform are your practice and constant habit,

And yours is a justice whose fame has risen through the courts.

لك النجح خدن والسعادة رائد

وحسن قبول لاح بالسعد فجره

Success is your close companion, and happiness your guide;

Gracious acceptance appeared, with felicity as its dawn.

وفي كل قرن يبعث الله فاضلا

يجدد أمر الدين إن مال سيره

In every century God raises up a virtuous man

To renew the faith’s affairs whenever its course begins to swerve.

وإنك ياذا الحبر فاضل وقتنا

فأصلح فإن الكل قد قل صبره

And you, O learned scholar, are the virtuous man of our time;

So set things right, for everyone’s patience has worn thin.

وقوم بحزم ما تأود وانجنى

وشيد بعزم ما تقوضّ سوره

Straighten with resolve whatever has bent and bowed,

And firmly rebuild whatever walls have fallen.

فإنك مأمول لكل مهمة

وإنك غوث الشرع بل أنت ذخره

For you are the one hoped for in every grave undertaking,

And you are the succor of sacred law—indeed, its treasure.

بك الشرع يسمو في الأنام ويعتلى

بك الدين يقوى ثم يظهر سره

Through you sacred law rises among humankind and ascends;

Through you the faith grows strong, and then its inner truth appears.

إليك التهاني والمديح أزفه

وحسن قبول من جنابك مهره

To you I offer congratulations and praise,

Whose bridal gift is gracious acceptance from your Eminence.

فلا زلت للدين الحنيف معضدا

ولا زال منك العلم يزخر بحره

May you never cease supporting the upright faith,

And may the sea of learning ever overflow from you.

ولا زلت ترقى للعلا والكمال ما

تهلّل وجه الشرع وافترّ ثغره

May you never cease ascending toward sublimity and perfection

So long as the face of sacred law beams and its mouth breaks into a smile.