شُموسٌ مِنَ التَحقيقِ في طالِعِ السَعدِ

تَجَلَّت فَأَجلَت ظُلمَةَ الهَزلِ وَالجَدِّ

Suns of truthfulness rose in the ascendant of good fortune,

Suns of verification rising in a fortunate ascendant,

Dispelling the darkness of jest and seriousness.

They manifested, dispelling the darkness of frivolity and earnest confusion.

قَواطِعُ مِن آيِ الكِتابِ كَأَنَّها

بِأَعناقِ أَهلِ الزَيغِ مُرهَفَةُ الحَدِّ

Decisive verses from the Book as if they are

Decisive proofs from the Book's verses, appearing as though

With the necks of the people of deviation, swords that behead.

Upon the necks of the deviant, they are swords with honed edges.

إِذا ما تَلاها مُنصِفٌ وَمُحَقِّقٌ

يَقولُ هيَ الحَقُّ المُبينُ بِلا جَحدِ

When an impartial and just person recites them,

When recited by one who is just and seeks the truth,

He says they are the clear truth without denial.

He declares: "This is the manifest truth, undeniable."

وَيَصدُفُ عَنها مُبطِلٌ مُتَعَسِّفٌ

يُقَلِّدُ آراءَ الرِجالِ بِلا نَقدِ

And a biased invalidator turns away from them,

But the arbitrary falsifier turns away from them,

Imitating the opinions of men without critique.

Blindly imitating men's opinions without critical thought.

يَجُرُّ أَقاويلَ الرَسولِ وَفِعلَهُ

إِلى رَأيهِ الغاوي وَمَذهَبهِ المُردي

He attributes the sayings of the Messenger and his actions

He drags the sayings of the Messenger and his deeds,

To his misguided opinion and destructive doctrine.

Twisting them to fit his misguided opinion and ruinous sect.

كَفاناهُمُ مَن لَم يَزل مُتَجَرِّداً

لِنَصرِ الهُدى وَالدينِ أَكرِم به مَهدي

Enough for them is he who never ceased to be devoted

We were sufficed against them by one who remains ever-devoted,

To supporting guidance and religion, the most generous Mahdi.

To the victory of guidance and faith—how noble a guide is he!

سُلَمانُ مَن سارَت فَضائِلُ مَجدِهِ

مَسيرَ مَهبِّ الريحِ في الغَورِ وَالنَجدِ

Salman, whose virtues of glory

Sulayman, whose glorious virtues have traveled forth,

Traveled the path of the wind in the valley and plain.

Like the sweeping wind across the lowlands and the highlands.

وَما قالَهُ الصَقّارُ آيةُ جَهلهِ

وَعُنوانُ بُطلانِ العَقيدَةِ والقَصدِ

What the falconer said is a sign of his ignorance

And what Al-Saqqar has said is a token of his ignorance,

And a marker of the falsehood of belief and purpose.

And the very title of a corrupt creed and intent.

وَلَو كانَ ذا عَقلٍ لأَصبحَ سائِلاً

أُولي العِلمِ وَالتَحقيقِ مِن كلِّ مُستَهدي

Had he been reasonable, he would have become a questioner

Had he possessed intellect, he would have sought to ask

Of the people of knowledge and investigation from every seeker of guidance.

The people of knowledge and verification, like any seeker of guidance.

فَقالَ بِعِلمٍ إِذ تَفَوَّهَ قائِلاً

وَإِلّا رَأى الإِمساكَ خَيراً فَلَم يُبدِ

So he spoke with knowledge when he uttered

Then he would have spoken with knowledge when he opened his mouth,

Otherwise he saw silence is better, so he did not speak.

Or deemed silence the better course, revealing nothing.

لَعَمرُكَ ما التَقوى بِلُبسِ عِمامَةٍ

وَلا تَركِها فَاِسلُك سَبيلَ أُولي الرُشدِ

By your life, piety is not by wearing a turban

By your life! Piety is not found in the wearing of a turban,

Nor is leaving it, so take the path of the rightly guided.

Nor in abandoning it—so follow the path of those with insight.

وَلكِن بِجَوفِ المَرءِ وَاللَهِ مُضغَةٌ

عَلَيها مَدارُ الحَلِّ في الدينِ وَالعَقدِ

Rather, it is an issue inside a person, and by God a concern

But within a person's chest, by God, lies a morsel of flesh;

On which the permissibility in religion and doctrine revolves.

Upon it pivots the entirety of faith, its loosing and its binding.

فَكُن واقِفاً عِندَ المَحارِمِ زاجِراً

عَنِ البَغيِ نَفساً تَستَبيكَ لما يُردي

So be someone who stands at prohibitions, preventing

So halt at the sacred limits, restraining

A soul that weeps for what destroys it.

A soul prone to transgression that lures you toward ruin.

وُخُذ يُمنةً وَاٍسلُك الأُولى مَضَوا

مِنَ الرُسلِ وَالآلِ الكِرامِ أُولي المَجدِ

And take the right path and walk the first

Take the right-hand path and follow those who have passed on:

Of the messengers and the honorable progeny, the people of glory.

The Messengers and their noble Family, possessors of glory.

وَإياكَ وَالإِقدامَ بِالقَولِ حاكِماً

بحلٍّ وَتَحريمٍ بِلا حُجَّةٍ تُجدي

And beware embarking on speech as a judge

And beware of rushing forward with speech, passing judgment

Of permissibility and prohibition without effective proof.

On what is lawful or forbidden without a valid proof,

فَتُصبِحَ في بيدِ الضَلالَةِ هائِماً

وَتُصدَفَ يَومَ الحَشرِ عَن جَنَّةِ الخُلدِ

For you will become wandering in the land of misguidance

Lest you find yourself wandering in the deserts of error,

And on the Day of Gathering, you will be turned away from the eternal Paradise.

And on the Day of Gathering, be turned away from the Garden of Eternity.

وَنَهيُكَ أَن تُقرا رَسائِلُ عالِمٍ

لَدَيكُم فَخِذلانٌ لكُم واضِحٌ مُردي

And my advice to you is not to read letters from a scholar

And your forbidding the reading of a scholar's epistles—

Among you, for it is clear abandonment that brings destruction.

Among you, this is a clear betrayal and a destructive act.

أَلَيسَ بها آياتُ حقٍّ قَواطِعاً

تَدلُّ عَلى الأَمرِ المُرادِ منَ العَبدِ

Are there not in it verses of truth that are decisive

Do they not contain decisive verses of truth,

That indicate the intended matter from the servant?

Indicating what is required of the servant?

وَأَقوالُ خيرِ المُرسَلينَ وَصحبِهِ

وَأَهلِ النُهى وَالعِلمِ مِن كلِّ مُستَهدي

And sayings of the best of messengers and his companions,

And the sayings of the Best of Messengers and his Companions,

And people of advice and knowledge from every seeker of guidance?

And the people of intellect and knowledge, and every seeker of light?

فَمن كانَ يَوماً نابِذاً مثلَ هذهِ

يَقولُ بِأَقوالِ المَلاحِدَةِ اللُدِّ

So whoever was once rejecting the likes of this,

So whoever casts aside such things,

Saying the sayings of the Godless people,

And speaks with the arguments of stubborn heretics,

فَما بَعدَها إِلّا الضَلالَةُ وَالعمى

وَما بَعدَها إِلّا العُلومُ التي تُردي

Then there is nothing after it but misguidance and blindness,

Has nothing left but error and blindness,

And nothing after it but knowledge that brings destruction.

And nothing left but knowledge that leads to ruin.

وَدُونكَ مِنّي إِن قَبِلتَ نَصيحَةً

وَما كلُّ مَنصوحٍ يُوَفَّقُ لِلرُشدِ

And you have sincere advice from me, if you accept advice,

So take this from me, if you are willing to accept advice—

And not every advisor is granted success and guidance.

Though not every advised soul is granted the grace of rectitude:

تَمَسَّك بما في مُحكَمِ النَصِّ ظاهِراً

وَبالسُنَّةِ الغَرّا عَن الصادِقِ المُهدي

Hold on to what is apparent in the decisive text

Hold fast to the clear meaning of the decisive Text,

And the radiant Sunnah from the honest guide.

And to the radiant Sunnah from the Truthful Guide.

وَطالِع تَصانيفَ الإِمامِ مُحمَّدٍ

وَأَبنائِهِ أَهلِ الدِرايَةِ وَالنَقدِ

And read the books of Imam Muhammad

And study the works of Imam Muhammad,

And his knowledgeable and critical sons.

And his descendants, men of insight and critical distinction.

فَإِنَّ بها ما يُطفىءُ الغُلَّةَ التي

بِها من أُوارِ الجَهلِ وَقدٌ عَلى وَقدِ

For in them is what will extinguish the darkness

For in them lies what quenches the burning thirst,

With which, from the lights of ignorance, fire is kindled upon fire.

Which is fueled by the blazing fires of ignorance, layer upon layer.

هُمُ قُدوَةٌ في ذا الزَمانِ وَحُجَّةٌ

وَميزانُ عدلٍ لا يَميلُ عنِ القَصدِ

They are role models in this time and proof,

They are the exemplars in this age, and a proof,

And the scale of justice that does not deviate from moderation.

And a scale of justice that never deviates from the right course.

وَقُل لابنِ قَهدانٍ رُوَيدَكَ إِنَّما

تَسيرُ عَلى نَهجٍ من الجَهلِ مُمتَدِ

And say to the son of Qahdan: Restrain yourself, for you are only

And say to Ibn Qahdan: "Slow down! For truly,"

Traveling a path of ignorance that keeps extending.

"You are marching down an endless path of ignorance."

سَينَدمِ مِمّا قالَ يومَ مَعادِنا

إِذا اِنكَشَفَ المَستورُ في مَوقِفِ الحَشدِ

He will regret what he said on the day we meet

He will regret what he said on the Day of our Return,

When the hidden becomes exposed at the place of gathering.

When hidden things are laid bare in the Great Assembly.

وَما كانَ ذا عِلمٍ وَحِلمٍ وَلا حِجىً

وَلكنَّهُ بِالإِفكِ يَلحُمُ أَو يُسدي

He had no knowledge, forbearance, or proof,

He possessed neither knowledge, nor forbearance, nor wisdom;

But he dishes up lies or sets them as snares.

But rather, he weaves and warps his fabric with falsehoods.

فَلا تَكتَرِث مِن عُصبَةٍ قَد تَوازَروا

عَلى عَيبِ أَهلِ الفَضلِ وَالمَدحِ لِلضِّدِّ

So do not pay attention to a gang who have collaborated

So pay no heed to a gang that has conspired together

To find fault with people of virtue and praise opponents.

To fault the virtuous and praise the adversary.

وَمالوا مَعَ النَفسِ المُضِلَّةِ وَالهَوى

لِنَيل حُظوظٍ مِن ثَناءٍ وَمِن رِفدِ

They leaned towards the misleading soul and passions

They have inclined toward the misleading self and base desire,

To attain shares of praise and income.

To gain their share of worldly praise and gifts,

وَكَيما يَقولُ الجاهِلونَ بِحالِهِم

بِهِم وَلَهُم فَرقٌ وَذا القَصدُ لا يُجدي

Just as the ignorant speak of them in their state,

So that those ignorant of their true state might say:

Between them there is separation, and this purpose is futile.

"They have distinction and merit"—but this aim is futile.

فَسَل رَبَّكَ التَثبيتَ وَاِسأَلهُ عِصمَةً

تَقيكَ الرَدى حَتّى تُوَسَّدَ في اللَحدِ

So ask your Lord for steadfastness and ask Him for protection

So ask your Lord for steadfastness, and ask Him for protection

That will save you from evil until you are laid in the grave.

To guard you from ruin until you are laid to rest in the grave.

وَلَولا الذي قَد قالَهُ الحَبرُ قَبلَنا

لكِلنا لهُ بِالصاعِ كَيلاً بِلا عَدِّ

Had the scholar before us not said what he said,

And were it not for what the scholar said before us,

We would have repaid him in kind without limit.

We would have measured out retribution to him in overflowing scoops.

وَدونَكَها مِنّي عُجالَةَ راكِبٍ

تُراوِحُ ما بَينَ الذَميلِ إِلى الوَخدِ

And this is a hastily written letter

So take this poem from me, the hasty work of a rider,

That shifts between pacing and galloping.

Alternating between a trot and a brisk pace.

وَصَلِّ إِلهي ما هَمي الوَدقُ أَو شَدا

عَلى الأَيكِ نَوّاحُ العَشِيّاتِ وَالبَردِ

O my God, whoever's worry or joy it is,

And send blessings, my God, as long as rain pours or birds sing

The owls of nights and cold lament.

Upon the branches, chanting in the evenings and the dawns,

عَلى المُصطَفى الهادي الأَمينِ وَآلهِ

وَأَصحابهِ أَهلِ الحَفيظَةِ والجِدِّ

Upon the Guided Trustworthy Messenger and his progeny,

Upon the Chosen One, the Trustworthy Guide, and his Family,

The people of memorization and seriousness.

And his Companions, men of loyalty and resolve.