وَقائِلٍ أَيُّهُما أَنوَرُ

الشَمسُ أَم سَيِّدُنا جَعفَرُ

A questioner asked, which of the two shines brighter

The sun or our master Ja'far?

قُلتُ لَقَد أَكبَرتَ شَمسَ الضُحى

جَهلاً وَما أَنصَفتَ مَن تَذكُرُ

I said, you have truly wronged the morning sun

In ignorance, you were unfair in your mention

هَل بَقِيَت فيكَ مَجوسِيَّةٌ

فَالشَمسُ في مِلَّتِها تُكبَرُ

Does Zoroastrianism still remain in you

That you glorify the sun in its religion?

أَم أَنتَ مِن أَبنائِها عالِمٌ

وَزَلَّةُ العالِمِ لا تُغفَرُ

Or are you from its knowledgeable people

And a scholar's mistake is unforgivable

فَقُل مَعاذَ اللَهِ مِن هَفوَةٍ

قالَ فَهَل يَغلَطُ مُستَخبِرُ

So say, I seek refuge in God from an error

He said, does a questioner make mistakes?

الشَمسُ يَومَ الدَجنِ مَحجوبَةٌ

وَاللَيلُ يُخفيها فَلا تَظهَرُ

The sun on a cloudy day is veiled

And the night hides it, so it does not appear

فَهيَ عَلى الحالَينِ مَملوكَةٌ

لا تَدفَعُ الرِقَّ وَلا تُنكِرُ

It is owned in both states,

It cannot repel its slavery, nor deny

فَكَيفَ قايَستَ بِها غُرَّةً

غَرّاءَ لا تَخفى وَلا تُستَرُ

So how did you compare to it an innocent one

An innocent one, neither hidden nor concealed

في كُلِّ وَقتٍ نورُها ساطِعٌ

وَكُلُّ وَصفٍ دونَها يَقصُرُ

At all times, its light is radiant

And every description falls short of it

فَقالَ هَل أَكمَلَها قَدرُهُ

إِذا بَدا في حُلَّةٍ يَخطُرُ

So he said, did its predestination perfect it

When it appears in an amazing state

كَالرُمحِ مَهزوزاً عَلى أَنَّهُ

لا فارِطُ الطولِ ولا جَحدَرُ

Like a shaking spear as if

Neither too short, nor blunt

أَحسَنُ خَلقِ اللَهِ وَجهاً إِذا

بِدا عَلَيهِ حُلَّةٌ تَزهَرُ

The best of God's creations in face when

An amazing garment appears on it

وَأَخطَبُ الناسِ عَلى مِنبَرٍ

يَختالُ في وَطأَتِهِ المِنبَرُ

And the most eloquent of people on a pulpit

Strutting confidently on the pulpit

وَتَطرَبُ الخَيلُ إِذا ما عَلا

مُتونَها فَالخَيلُ تَستَبشِرُ

And horses prance when

He mounts them, so the horses are delighted

وَتَرجُفُ الأَرضُ بِأَعدائِهِ

إِذا عَلاهُ الدِرعُ وَالمِغفَرُ

And the earth trembles with its enemies

When the coat of mail and shield rise above it

قالَ وَأَينَ البَحرُ مِن جودِهِ

قُلتُ وَلا أَضعافُهُ أَبحُرُ

He said, where is the sea to its generosity?

I said, not even multiples of it are an ocean

البَحرُ مَحصورٌ لَهُ بَرزَخٌ

وَالجودُ في كَفَّيهِ لا يُحصَرُ

The sea has a barrier, but

Generosity in his hands cannot be measured

قالَ وَكَيفَ البَأسُ عِندَ الوَغى

قُلتُ أَتاكَ النَبَأُ الأَكبَرُ

He said, how about might in battle?

I said, did the greatest news come to you?

قامَ وَأَهلُ الأَرضِ في رَجفَةٍ

يَخبِطُ فيها المُقبِلَ المُدبِرُ

He took a stand and the people of earth shook

In it, the advancing and retreating stumble

في فِتنَةٍ عَمياءَ لا نارُها

تَخبو وَلا موقِدُها يَفتُرُ

In a blinding tribulation, its fire does not

Die down, nor its kindling diminish

وَالدينُ قَد أَشفى وَأَنصارُهُ

أَيدي سَبا مَوعِدُها المَحشَرُ

And the religion was revived and its supporters

Are the hands of morning, their promise is the Day of Gathering

كُلُّ حَنيفٍ مِنهُمُ مُسلِمٍ

لِلكُفرِ فيهِ مَنظَرٌ مُنكَرُ

Every monotheist among them is a Muslim

To unbelief among them, their sight is condemning

إِمّا قَتيلٌ أَو أَسيرٌ فَلا

يُرثى لِمَن يُقتَلُ أَو يُؤسَرُ

Either killed or captive, so no one is

Mourned for the one killed or captured

فَأَمَّرَ اللَهُ إِمامَ الهُدى

وَاللَهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ يُنصَرُ

So God appointed the Imam of guidance

And God, whoever He supports, is supported

وَفَوَّضَ الأَمرَ إلى رَبِّهِ

مُستَنصِراً إِذ لَيسَ مُستَنصَرُ

And He delegated command to his Lord

Seeking victory, since there is none granting victory but Him

وَنَبَذَ الشورى إِلى أَهلِها

لَم يَثنِهِ خَشيَةُ ما حَذّروا

And he rejected consultation to its people

Undeterred by fear of what they warned

وَقالَ وَالأَلسُنُ مَقبوضَةٌ

لِيُبلِغِ الغائِبَ مَن يَحضُرُ

And said, the tongues are muted

So the absent may be informed by the present

أَنّي تَوَكَّلتُ عَلى اللَهِ لا

أُشرِكُ بِاللَهِ وَلا أَكفُرُ

That I put my trust in God, not

Associating any partners with God or disbelieving

لا أَدَّعي القُدرَةَ مِن دونِهِ

بِاللَهِ حَولي وَبِهِ أَقدِرُ

I do not claim any power apart from Him

With God is my strategy and with Him I scheme

أَشكُرُهُ إِن كُنتُ في نِعمَةٍ

مِنهُ وَإِن أَذنَبتُ أَستَغفِرُ

I thank Him if I am in blessing from Him

And if I sin, I seek forgiveness

فَلَيسَ تَوفيقيَ إِلّا بِهِ

يَعلَمُ ما أُخفي وَما أُظهِرُ

For my success is only through Him

He knows what I conceal and what I make public

فَهوَ الَّذي قَلَّدني أَمرَهُ

إِن أَنا لَم أَشكُر فَمَن يَشكُرُ

For He is the One Who entrusted me with His affair

If I do not thank, who would thank?

وَاللَهُ لا يُعبَدُ سِرّاً وَلا

مِثلي عَلى تَقصيرِهِ يُعذَرُ

And God is not worshipped secretly, nor is

One like me excused for his shortcomings

وَجَرَّدَ الحَقَّ فَأَشجى بِهِ

مَن كانَ عَن أَحكامِهِ يَنفِرُ

And he unsheathed the truth, so it pained

Whoever was averse to His rulings

وَاِنفَضَّتِ الأَعداءُ مِن حَولِهِ

كَحُمُرٍ أَنفَرَها قَسوَرُ

And the enemies scattered around him

Like donkeys startled by a lion

وَصاحَ إِبليسُ بِأَصحابِهِ

حَلَّ بِنا ما لَم نَزَل نَحذَرُ

And Iblis cried out to his comrades

"A disaster unlike any we feared has befallen us!

مالي وَلِلغُرِّ بَني هاشِمٍ

في كُلِّ دَهرٍ مِنهُمُ مُنذِرُ

What is the matter with me and the cubs of the Bani Hashim?

In every era, there is one of them warning me

أَكُلَّما قُلتُ خَبا كَوكَبٌ

مِنهُم بِدا لي كَوكَبٌ يَزهَرُ

Whenever I say an evil star has faded

A radiant star appears to me from them

لَم يُلهِهِ عَنّي الشَبابُ الَّذي

يُلهي وَلا الدُنيا الَّتي تُعمَرُ

Youth did not distract him from me, which

Distracts, nor the life of this world adorned

وَاللَهِ لَو أَمهَلَنا ساعَةً

ما هَلَّلَ الناسُ وَلا كَبَّروا

By God, if He gave us respite an hour

People would not chant God is Great nor utter

أَلَيسَ قَد كانوا أَجابوا إِلى

أَن أَظهَروا الشِركَ كَما أَضمَروا

Would they not have responded to

Manifesting the polytheism they harbored

وَأَظهَروا أَنَّهُمُ قُدَّرٌ

قُدرَةَ مَن يَقضى وَمَن يَقدِرُ

And show that they are predestined

With the destiny of the One Who decides and predestines

وَشَتَموا القَومَ الَّذينَ اِرتَضى

بِهِم رَسولُ اللَهِ وَاِستَكبروا

And they insulted the people whom

The Messenger of God was pleased with and acted arrogantly

فَرَدَّهُم طَوعاً وَكَرهاً إِلى

أَن عَرَفوا الحَقَّ الَّذي أَنكَروا

So he willingly and unwillingly returned them

Until they recognized the truth they had denied

وَوافَقوا مِن بَعدِ ما فارَقوا

وَأَقبَلوا مِن بَعدِ ما أَدبَروا

And they agreed after they had parted

And turned to Him after they had turned away

يا أَعظَمَ الناسِ عَلى مُسلِمٍ

حَقّاً وَيا أَشرَفَ مَن يَفخَرُ

O greatest of people in obligation to a Muslim

In truth, and O noblest of those who boast

الرِدَّةُ الأولى ثَنى أَهلَها

حَزمُ أَبي بَكرٍ وَلَم يَكفُروا

The first apostasy, Abu Bakr subdued its people

With resolution, and they did not disbelieve

وَهذِهِ أَنتَ تَلافَيتَها

فَعادَ ما قَد كادَ لا يُذكَرُ

And you preempted it

So what had almost vanished returned

فَاِسلَم لَنا يا خَيرَ مُستَخلَفٍ

مِن مَعشَرٍ ما مِثلُهُم مَعشَرُ

So submit to us, O best successor

Of a people unlike whom there are no people

وَاِسمَع إِلى غَرّاءَ سُنِّيَّةٍ

يَسطَعُ مِنها المِسكُ وَالعَنبَرُ

And listen to sincere, sound advice

From which musk and ambergris diffuse

مَوقِعُها مِن كُلِّ ذي بِدعَةٍ

مَوقِعُ وَسمِ النارِ أَو أَكثَرُ

Its impact on every innovator

Is like the impact of fire or more