أَبى اللَهُ إِلّا أَن يُتِمَّمَ نورَهُ
وَيُطفِىءَ نارَ الفاسِقينَ فَتَخمُدا
God refuses all but to perfect His light,
And to quench the transgressors’ fire until it dies;
وَيَظهَرَ أَهلَ الحَقِّ في كُلِّ مَوطِنٍ
وَيَعدِلَ وَقعَ السَيفِ مَن كانَ أَصيَدا
And to make the people of truth prevail in every land,
And let the sword’s stroke straighten whoever stands stiff-necked;
وَيُنزِلَ ذُلّاً بِالعِراقِ وَأَهلِهِ
لِما نَقَضوا العَهدَ الوَثيقَ المُؤَكَّدا
And to clothe Iraq and its people in humiliation,
For they broke the solemn covenant, firmly confirmed;
وَما أَحدَثوا مِن بِدعَةٍ وَعَظيمَةٍ
مِنَ القَولِ لَم تَصعَدَ إِلى اللَهِ مَصعَدا
And for the innovation and enormity they devised—
Words that found no path of ascent to God;
وَما نَكَثوا مِن بَيعَةٍ بَعدَ بَيعَةٍ
إِذا ضَمِنوها اليَومَ خاسوا بِها غَدا
And because they repudiated pledge after pledge:
If they make one today, tomorrow they betray it;
وَجُبناً حَشاهُ رَبُّهُم في قُلوبِهِم
فَما يَقرَبونَ الناسَ إِلّا تَهَدُّدا
And because their Lord has stuffed cowardice into their hearts,
So that they approach others with nothing but threats.
فَلا صِدقَ في قَولٍ وَلا صَبرَ عِندَهُم
وَلَكِنَّ فَخراً فيهِمُ وَتَزَيُّدا
There is no truth in their speech, nor patience among them,
Only pride, vaunting, and boastful excess.
فَكَيفَ رَأَيتَ اللَهَ فَرَّقَ جَمعَهُم
وَمَزَّقَهُم عُرضَ البِلادَ وَشَرَّدا
Have you not seen how God split their host,
Tore them across the breadth of the land, and scattered them?
فَقَتلاهُمُ قَتلى ضَلالٍ وَفِتنَةٍ
وَحَيُّهُمُ أَمسى ذَليلاً مُطَرَّدا
Their slain are the slain of error and sedition,
And those still living have become abject, hunted exiles.
وَلَمّا زَحَفنا لِاِبنِ يوسُفَ غَدوَةً
وَأَبرَقَ مِنّا العارِضانِ وَأَرعَدا
When one morning we advanced against Ibn Yusuf,
Our two flanks flashed lightning and thundered;
قَطَعنا إِلَيهِ الخَندَقَينِ وَإِنَّما
قَطَعنا وَأَفضَينا إِلى المَوتِ مُرصِدا
We crossed the two trenches toward him—though, in truth,
We crossed toward death, lying in ambush before us.
فَكافَحَنا الحَجّاجُ دونَ صُفوفِنا
كِفاحاً وَلَم يَضرِب لِذَلِكَ مَوعِدا
And when we advanced against al-Hajjaj, our ranks before him,
Face-to-face, in a battle for which no meeting-time had been set,
بِصَفٍّ كَأَنَّ البَرقَ في حَجَراتِهِ
إِذا ما تَجَلّى بَيضُهُ وَتَوَقَّدا
Against a battle line whose divisions seemed filled with lightning
Whenever its white blades flashed forth and blazed.
دَلَفنا إِلَيهِ في صُفوفٍ كَأَنَّها
جِبالُ شَرَورَي لَو تُعانُ فَتَنهَدا
We moved against him in ranks as though they were
The mountains of Sharawra, massing toward him and surging.
فَما لَبِثَ الحَجّاجُ أَن سَلَّ سَيفَهُ
عَلَينا فَوَلّى جَمعُنا وَتَبَدَّدا
Scarcely had al-Hajjaj drawn his sword
Against us before our host turned, scattered, and dispersed.
وَما زاحَفَ الحَجّاجُ إِلّا رَأَيتَهُ
مُعاناً مُلَقّىً لِلفُتوحُ مُعَوَّدا
Whenever al-Hajjaj advances, I see him
Aided, welcomed by victories, and accustomed to conquest.
وَإِنَّ اِبنَ عباسٍ لَفي مُرجَحِنَّةٍ
نُشَبِّهُها قِطعاً مِنَ اللَيلِ أَسوَدا
Ibn Abbas stood within a ponderous mass
That we likened to fragments of the blackest night.
فَما شَرعوا رُمحاً وَلا جَرَّدوا يَداً
أَلا رُبَّما لا قى الجَبانُ فَجَرَّدا
Yet they leveled no spear and bared no hand—
Though often a coward has met battle with naked steel.
وَكَرَّت عَلَينا خَيلُ سُفيانَ كَرَّةً
بِفُرسانِها وَالسَمهَرِيِّ مُقَصَّدا
Then Sufyan’s cavalry wheeled against us in a charge,
Its horsemen and straight Samharian spears aimed directly ahead.
وَسُفيانُ يَهدِيها كَأَنَّ لِواءَهُ
مِنَ الطَعنِ سِندٌ باتَ بِالصَبغِ مُجسَدا
Sufyan led it, his standard seeming,
From all the thrusting, like Sindhi cloth steeped overnight in dye.
كُهولٌ وَمُردٌ مِن قُضاعَةَ حَولَهُ
مَساعيرُ أَبطالٌ إِذا النِكسُ عَرَّدا
Around him were mature men and beardless youths of Quda‘a,
Firebrands and heroes whenever a coward turned in flight.
إِذا قالَ شُدّوا شَدَّةً حَملوا مَعاً
فَأَنهَلَ خِرصانَ الرِماحِ وَأَورَدا
When he cried, “Charge together!” they all charged as one,
Then they gave him spearheads for his first drink and led him back to water—
جُنودُ أَميرِ المُؤمِنينَ وَخَيلُهُ
وَسُلطانُهُ أَمسى مُعاناً مُؤَيَّدا
The Commander of the Faithful’s troops and cavalry—
While his authority stood aided and confirmed.
لِيَهنِئ أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ ظُهورُهُ
عَلى أُمَّةٍ كانوا بُغاةً وَحُسَّدا
May his triumph gladden the Commander of the Faithful—
Triumph over a people who were rebels and envious.
نَزَوا يَشتَكونَ البَغيَ مِن أُمرائِهِم
وَكانوا هُمُ أَبغى البُغاةِ وَأَعنَدا
They complained of oppression by their governors,
Though they themselves were the most oppressive and stubborn of all people.
وَجَدنا بَني مَروانَ خَيرَ أَئِمَّةٍ
وَأَفضَلَ هَذيِ الخَلقِ حِلماً وَسُؤدُدا
We found the sons of Marwan the finest leaders,
The best among this people in forbearance and lordly honor;
وَخَيرَ قُريشٍ في قُرَيشٍ أَرومَةٍ
وَأَكرَمَهُم إِلّا النَبِيَّ مُحَمَّدا
The deepest-rooted of Quraysh within Quraysh,
And the noblest among them, save Muhammad.
إِذا ما تَدابَرنا عَواقِبَ أَمرِهِ
وَجدنا أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ مُسَدَّدا
Whenever we carefully considered the outcome of his command,
We found the Commander of the Faithful rightly guided.
سَيَغلِبُ قَوماً غالَبوا اللَهَ مَن كانَ قَلبُهُ
وَإِن كايَدوهُ كانَ أَقوى وَأَكيَدا
A people who contended against God will be defeated by one whose heart
When they scheme against him, proves stronger and firmer in resolve.
كَذاكَ يُضِلُّ اللَهُ مَن كانَ قَلبُهُ
مَريضاً وَمَن والى النِفاقَ وَأَلحَدا
Thus does God lead astray the one whose heart
Is diseased, allied with hypocrisy and unbelief.
فَقَد تَرَكوا الأَهلينَ وَالمالَ خَلفَهُم
وَبيضاً عَلَيهِنَّ الجَلابيبُ خُرَّدا
They have left their families and wealth behind,
And fair young women, cloistered and tender maidens,
يُنادِيَهُم مُستَعبِراتٍ إِلَيهِمُ
وَيُذرينَ دَمعاً في الخُدودِ وَإِثمِدا
Calling after them while tears stream,
Tears and kohl running together down their cheeks.
وَإِلّا تَناوَلهُنَّ مِنكَ بِرَحمَةٍ
يَكُنَّ سَبايا وَالبُعولَةُ أَعبُدا
Unless your mercy reaches those women,
They will become captives, and their husbands slaves.
أَنَكثاً وَعِصياناً وَغَدراً وَذِلَّةً
أَهانَ الإِلَهُ مَن أَهانَ وَأَبعَدا
What broken pledges, disobedience, treachery, and abasement!
God has humbled whom He has humbled and driven them far away.
تَعَطَّف أَميرَ المُؤمِنينَ عَلَيهِمُ
فَقَد تَرَكوا أَمرَ السَفاهَةِ وَالرَدى
Show compassion toward them, Commander of the Faithful:
They have abandoned the paths of folly and ruin.
لَعَلَّهُم أَن يُحدِثوا العامَ تَوبَةً
وَتَعرِفُ نُصحاً مِنهُمُ وَتَوَدُّدا
Perhaps this year they will renew their repentance
And offer, on their part, sincere counsel and affection.
لَقَد شَأَمَ المِصرَينِ فَرخُ مَحَمَّدٍ
بِحَقٍّ وَما لاقى مِنَ الطَيرِ أَسعَدا
Muhammad’s fledgling has indeed brought ill fortune upon the two cities;
Truly, he encountered no bird of happier omen.
كَما شَأَمَ اللَهُ النُجَيرَ وَأَهلَهُ
بِجَدٍّ لَهُ قَد كانَ أَشقى وَأَنكَدا
Just as God made al-Nujayr and its people ill-starred,
Through a fledgling of his who was still more wretched and grim.
