وفي يوم بدرٍ حينَ بارزَ شيبة
بِعَضبِ حُسامٍ والأسنَّةُ تَلمَعُ
On the day of Badr, when the aged Shaybah
Faced him with a sharp sword, its blades gleaming,
فبادره بالسيف حتى أذاقه
حِمام المنايا والمنيّاتُ تَرْكَعُ
He struck him with the sword until he made him
Taste the death of the dying as the spears bow down.
وصيّره نهباً لذئبٍ وقَشْعَمٍ
عليه من الغِربان سودٌ وأبقَعُ
And made him prey for a wolf and old hyena,
With the black crows hovering over him.
وفي يوم جاءَ المشركونَ بجمعِهم
وعمرو بن عبدٍ في الحديدِ مقنَّعُ
And on the day the polytheists came with their army,
And Amr ibn Abd wearing iron armor,
فجدَّلهفقال له إنّ النبيَّ ورده
على حاجةٍ فارجع وكلٌّ ليَرجعُ
He sent him back, saying the Prophet told him
To return to fulfill a need, so let each one return.
فعادَ ثلاثاً كلّ ذاكَ يَرُّده
فأهوى بتأييدِ إلى الباب يَقْرَعُ
Thrice he returned, each time sent back,
Until divinely aided, he knocked on the door.
فاسمَعهُ القرعَ الوصيُّ لِبابِهِ
فقال له ادخل بعدَما كادَ يرجعُ
The trusted gatekeeper heard his knocking
And said, “Enter”, though he was about to leave.
وقال له يَشكو وقد جئتُ مرّةً
وأخرى وأخرى كلَّ ذلك أَدفعُ
And said he came once, twice and thrice,
Each time turned away. This gladdened the Messenger,
فَسَرَّ رسولَ الله أكلُ وصيِّهِ
وأنفُ الذي لا يَشتهي ذاك يُجدعُ
And displeased those who do not desire that.
They cut off their noses out of spite.
وقال له ما إن يُحبّك صادِق
من الناس إلاّ مؤمنٌ متورِّعُ
And he said, “None will love you truthfully
Except a pious, God-fearing believer.
ويَقلاك إلاّ كافرٌ ومنافقٌ
يفارقُ في الحقّ الأنامَ ويَخَلَعُ
And none will forsake you except a hypocrite,
Who abandons truth and revolts against people.”
فلمّا قضى وحي النبيّ دعا له
ولم يكُ صلّى العصرَ والشمسُ تَنْزِعُ
When the Prophet had conveyed the revelation, he prayed for him,
Before the afternoon prayer, as the sun was setting.
فرُدّت عليهِ الشمسُ بعد غُروبِها
فصار لها في أوّلِ الليلِ مَطلَعُ
The sun returned for him after its setting,
Rising again in the early night.
وأسكنه في مَسجد الطُّهر وحدَه
وزوَّجه واللهُ من شاءَ يَرفَعُ
And He settled him alone in the Mosque of Purity
And married him to whomever He willed to elevate.
مجاوِرُهُ فيه الوصيُّ غيرُه
وأبوابهم في مسجدِ الطُّهرِ شُرَّعُ
His companion in it was the Trustee, none other,
As their doors in the Mosque of Purity were opened.
فقال لهم سُدّوا عن اللهِ صادقاً
فضَنُّوا بها عن سَدِّها وتمنَّعوا
They closed them from God's sincere friend,
Blocking them against his closure, and being obstinate.
فقامَ رجالٌ يذكرونَ قرابةً
وما ثمّ فيما يبتغي القومُ مَطمَعُ
Some men stood up citing kinship,
Though in their desired aims there was no hope.
فعاتبه في ذاك منهم معاتِبٌ
وكان له عمّاً وللعمّ مَوْضِعُ
One of them blamed him, a maternal uncle,
Who had a place with the uncle.
فقالَ له أخرجتَ عمَّكَ كارهاً
وأسكنتَ هذا إن عمّك يَجْزَعُ
He said, “You evicted your uncle against his will,
And settled this one, though your uncle complains.”
فقال له يا عمّ ما أنا بالذي
فعلتُ بكم هذا بل الله فاقنعوا
He said, “O uncle, it was not I who did this to you,
Rather it was God, so be content.”
شِلواً صريعاً لوجهِهِ
رَهيناً بقاعٍ حولَه الضَّبْعُ تَخْمَعُ
They left wretched, slain,
Captive to a land, surrounded by prowling hyenas.
وأهلكهم ربّي ورُدُّوا بِغيظهم
كما أُهلِكَتْ عادُ الطغاةِ وتُبَّعُ
And my Lord destroyed them in their rage
As He destroyed the tyrants of ‘Ad and Thamud in the past.
وفي خاصفِ النّعلِ البيانُ وعبرةٌ
لِمعتَبِرٍ إذ قال والنّعلُ تُرقَعُ
In the sandal strap is a clear lesson
For one who reflects, when he said, as the sandal was patched,
لأصحابه في مجمعٍ إن منكم
وأنفسُكم شوقاً إليه تَطلَّعُ
“Among you is one who interprets it without error,
Who will fight after me, not ceasing to rage and plunder.”
إماماً على تأويلِه غيرُ جائِرٍ
يُقاتل بَعدي لا يَصِلّ ويَهْلَعُ
Abu Bakr said, “I am him.” He said “No.”
Abu Hafs said, “I am him,” so step aside!
فقال أبو بكرٍ أنا هو قالَ لا
فقال أبو حفصٍ أنا هو فاسْفَعُ
He said to them, “No, no! But he is my brother,
And the patcher of my sandal, so recognize the mender.”
فقال لهم لا لا ولكنّه أخي
وخاصفُ نَعلي فاعرِفوهُ المُرَقِّعُ
In the bird Umm Ayman brought, a lesson
For those pleased and content with the truth.
وفي طائرٍ جاءت به أم أيمنٍ
بيانٌ لمن بالحقِّ يَرضى ويَقْنَعُ
He said, “My God, give to Your servant what You love,
And God's love is highest and most noble.”
فقال إلهي آتِ عبدَك بالذي
تُحبّ وحبُّ اللهِ أعلى وأَرفَعُ
So that he may eat this with me and attain it.
So Ali came, though some tried to prevent him.
ليأكلَ من هذا معي وينالَه
فجاءَ عليٌّ من يَصُدُّ ويَمنَعُ
And on the Day of the Garden there was a lesson
In the words of the Messenger, as his eyes teared up,
وقد كان في يوم الحدائقِ عبرةٌ
وقولِ رسولِ الله والعينُ تَدمِعُ
He said, “For what do you cry?” He said, “From
The resentments of people, the worst of which I fear
فقال عليّ ممّ تَبكي فقال مِن
ضغائنَ قومٍ شَرُّهم أتوقّعُ
Will manifest against you after my death.
What should be done, when God guides in that?”
علكَ وقد يُبدونها بعد مِيتتي
فماذا هُديتَ اللهُ في ذاك يُصنَعُ
And on the day the Prophet Muhammad privately conversed with him,
Confiding to him what he willed, disclosing secrets,
وفي يومِ ناجاه النبيُّ محمدٌ
يُسِّر إليه ما يُريد ويُطْلِعُ
They said, “He prolonged his private talk with his cousin,
His confidential conversation is betrayal and leads to ruin.”
فقال أطال اليوم نَجوى ابن عمّه
مناجاتُه بغيٌّ وللبغيِ مَصرع
He said to them, “This morning I did not draw him close,
Rather God conferred with him.” But they did not refrain.
فقال لهم لست الغداة انتجيته
بل الله ناجاه فلم يتورعوا
He saw a stray coin, ceaselessly
Gesturing with it in his palm, calling out loudly,
فأبصر ديناراً طَريحاً فلم يزل
مُشيراً به كَفاً يُنادي ويُسمِعُ
As night's darkness overwhelmed,
And market folk prepared to disperse
فمال به والليلُ يَغشى سوادُه
وقد همَّ أَهل السُّوقِ أن يتصدَّعوا
To a kind-handed, blessed seller
From whom good was anticipated and good is pursued.
إلى بيِّعٍ سَمحِ اليدينِ مباركٍ
توسّم فيه الخيرَ والخيرُ يُتْبَعُ
He said, “Buy some food with this.” So he sold it to him.
“The coin is yours” he said, “and all love in its entirety.”
فقال له بِعني طعاماً فباعَهُ
فقال لك الدينارُ والحَبُّ أجمَعُ
That coin's gold was not heated
Nor was that food from what was grown in the land.
فلا ذلك الدينارُ أُحميَ تِبره
ولا الحَب ممّا كان في الأرضِ يُزرَعُ
Gabriel made a pact with him, and the guest was Ahmad.
Thus goodness and righteousness attained their utmost.
فبايعه جبريلُ والضيفُ أحمدٌ
فثمَّ تناهى الخير والبرّ أجمع
And on the eve when the people of Najran came
To him, performing the Hajj to al-Masih, and acted insolently,
وفي أهلِ نجرانٍ عشيَة أقبلوا
إليه وحَجُّوا بالمسيحِ فأبدَعوا
Rejecting his words as disbelief
After hearing what he said about him, how amazing!
وردُّوا عليه القولَ كُفراً
وقد سمِعوا ما قال فيه وأروعوا
He said, “Come, let us invoke our sons together,
And your sons, then our women.” So they gathered.
فقال تعالوا نَدعُ أبناءَنا معاً
وابناءَكم ثُمّ النساءَ فأجمَعوا
“And ourselves and your own selves together,
To bring us, in lineage, together.”
وأنفسَنا ندعو وأنفسَكم معاً
ليجمعَنا فيه من الأصلَ مَجْمَعُ
They said, “Yes.” “Then gather your monks on the morrow,
Though there is among the people spite and haste.”
فقالوا نعم فاجمع نُباهِلْكَ بُكرةً
وللقومِ فيه شِرّة وتسرُّعُ
They came, as did al-Mustafa and the son of his uncle,
And Fatima and the two grandsons, to implore
فجاؤوا وجاء المصطفى وابنُ عمّه
وفاطمُ والسِبطانِ كي يَتضرّعوا
God at the set time between them.
When they saw them, they recoiled and trembled.
إلى اللهِ في الوقتِ الذي كان بينهم
فلمّا رَأَوْهم أحجموا وتَضعضعوا
He said to him, “Slow down, O Buraydah! Do not
Insult Ali, or in spite of me you will be pursued.”
فقال له مه يا بُريدةُ لا تَقل
فإن برغمي في عليِّ تَتَبُّعُ
“Grant me favor, O Buraydah! He has never ceased
To be with truth and me completely imbued.”
فمنِّي عليَّ يا بُريدةُ لم يَزل
وإنّي كذا منه على الحقِّ نُطْبَعُ
“After me, your master is Ali, be certain,
And expect his confrontations after this confrontation to ensue.”
وليُّكُم بَعدي علي فايقنوا
وقائِعَهُ بعد الوقيعةِ تُسرِعُ
With hasty repentance he failed. Indeed,
He insulted Ali maliciously and was decked in armor.
بتوبته مستعجلاً خابَ إنّه
بِسبِّ علي في لَظىً يَتَدرَّعُ
