نبئتُ أن أَباناً كانَ عن أنسٍ

يَروي حديثاً عجيباً مُعجباً عَجبا

I was told that a man called Aban

Was narrating a wondrous and amazing tale

في طائرٍ جاء مشويّاً به بَشَرٌ

يوماً وكان رسولُ الله مُحْتَجِبا

About a bird that Bashar had brought roasted

One day, while Allah's Messenger was secluded

أدناه منه فلمّا أن رآه دَعا

ربّاً قريباً لأهلِ الخيرِ مُنْتَجِبا

He brought it near him, but when he saw it, he prayed

To a Lord close to the virtuous and hidden

أَدْخِل إليَّ أَحبَّ الخَلقِ كلهمِ

طرّاً إليكَ فأعطاهُ الذي طلبا

"Admit to me the most beloved of all people,

Who strives toward You, so grant him what he sought"

فاغترّ بالباب مُغترّاً فقالَ لهم

من ذا وكان وراءَ الباب مُرتَقِبا

So he knocked at the door, knocking in wonder, and said to them

"Who is this?" while behind the door he was waiting

من ذا فقال عليٌّ قال إن له

شأناً له اهتمَّ منه اليومَ فاحتَجَبا

"Who is this?" So Ali said "He has a matter

That has concerned him today, so he secluded himself"

فقال لا تحجِبَنْ منّي أبا حَسن

يَوماً وأبصرَ في أَسرارِه الغَضَبا

So he said "Do not seclude yourself from me, O Abul Hasan

One day he saw him sulking in secret

من رَدّهُ المرّةًَ الأولى وقال له

لُجْ وأحمدِ اللهَ واقبلْ كلَّ ما وَهَبا

He who had turned him away the first time, and told him

"Enter and praise Allah and accept all He has granted"

أهلاً وسهلاً بِخُلصاني وذي ثقتي

ومن له الحبّ من ربِّ السّما وجبا

Welcome, welcome to my intimate and trusted one

And the one for whom the Lord of the heavens has affection

وقال ثمَّ رسولُ اللهِ يا أنسُ

ماذا أصابَ بك التخليطُ مكتَسَبا

Then Allah's Messenger said "O Anas

What confusion has addled you to make this up?"

ماذا دعاكَ إلى أن صارَ خالِصتي

وخيرُ قومي لديك اليومَ مُحْتَجِبا

"What led you to make my intimate and best of my people

Secluded from me today?"

فقال يا خيرَ خلقِ اللهِ كلّهمِ

أردتُ حين دعوتُ اللهِ مطَّلِبا

So he said "O best of all Allah's creation

When I prayed to Allah seeking something

بأن يكونَ من الأنصارِ ذاك لكي

يكونَ ذاك لنا في قومِنا حَسبا

I wanted it to be from the Helpers, so that

It would give us status among our people"

فقد دعا ربَّه المحجوبُ في أنسٍ

بأن يَحُلَّ به سُقم حَوى كَرَبا

So the secluded one prayed to his Lord in intimacy

To afflict him with an illness that brought hardship

فناله السوءُ حتى كان يَرفَعُهُ

في وجههِ الدهرَ حتى مات مُنْتَقِبا

So harm befell him until he was raised up

By fate until he died, waiting

إِنا وجدنا له فيما نخبِّرهُ

بعروةِ العرش مَوصولاً بها سببا

"We found for him, in what we inform him

A connection to the Throne's handhold, a cause

حبلاً متيناً بكفَّيه له طرفٌ

شدَّ العِراجُ إليه العَقدَ والكَرَبا

A strong rope whose end he grasped

Misfortune pulled the knot and hardship taut

من يَعتصم بالقُوى من حبلِه فلهُ

أن لا يكونَ غداً في حالِ من عَطبا

Whoever holds firm to the rope of his covenant

Will not be tomorrow in a state of ruin

قومٌ غلوا في عليٍّ لا أباً لهمُ

وجَشَّموا أنفساً في حُبّه تَعبا

A people went too far in their love of Ali

Having no father, and branding themselves for him in toil

قالوا هو اللهُ جلَّ اللهُ خالقُنا

من أن يكون ابنَ أمِّ أو يكونَ أبا

They said "He is God, Glory be to God our Creator

That he could be the son of a mother or have a father"

فمن أدار أمور الخلقِ بينَهمُ

إذ كان في المهدِ أو في البطنِ مُحتجِبا

So who steered the affairs of creation between them

When he was an infant or secluded in the womb?"