أَصَفاءٌ وَهَل يَدومُ صَفاءُ
وَهَناءٌ وَلَيسَ يَبقى هناءُ
Purity of heart? And does purity last?
And happiness? Happiness does not endure.
وَسُرورٌ وَلِلهُمومِ وُجدنا
أَيّ يَومٍ نُسَرُّ لَسنا نُساءُ
And joy? We were made to face sorrows.
On what day do we rejoice without being grieved?
وَبَقاءٌ وَلِلفَناءِ خُلِقنا
كَيفَ نَبقى وَيَعتَرينا الفناءُ
And lasting life? We were created for passing away.
How can we remain when death overtakes us?
وَخُلودٌ وَلِلمَماتِ وُلِدنا
وَبِناءٌ وَلِلخَرابِ البِناءُ
And immortality? We were born to die.
And building? Buildings are destined for ruin.
وَحَياةٌ وَلا بَقاءَ لِفانٍ
أَلِغَيرِ القَديمِ حُقّ البقاءُ
And life? Nothing perishable can endure.
Does lasting existence belong to any but the Eternal?
ما اِغتِرارُ الوَرى بِدارِ غرورٍ
وَهيَ دارٌ فيها الرّدى وَالبَلاءُ
Why are people beguiled by an abode of illusion
When it is an abode of death and affliction?
وَالرّزايا فينا بِها تَتَوالى
لَهف قَلبي ما لِلرزايا اِنتِهاءُ
And calamities follow one another among us there.
Alas, my heart! Calamities have no end.
حَسبُنا اللّهُ إِنّنا قَد رُزِئنا
بِشِهابٍ لَهُ الكَمالُ سَماءُ
God is sufficient for us; we have suffered a loss:
A radiant star whose sky was perfection.
نُورهُ العِلمُ وَالمَعارِفُ يَزهو
مَلأ الكَون مِن هُداهُ الضّياءُ
His light was learning, and knowledge shone through him;
The radiance of his guidance filled the world.
شَمسُ عِلمٍ قَد أَشرَقَت بِاِزدِهاء
وَلِشَمسِ العُلومِ يَسمو اِزدِهاءُ
A sun of learning rose in splendor,
And splendor soars with this sun of the sciences.
وَإِمام بِهِ لِكُلِّ إِمام
جَلّ قَد كانَ قُدوة وَاِقتِداءُ
And an imam through whom every imam
Of high standing found a model to follow.
عالِمٌ نِحريرٌ وَشَهمٌ شَهير
قَدَّمتْهُ لِفَضله العلماءُ
A masterly scholar and a renowned noble man:
The scholars put him forward for his merit.
بَحرُ عِلمٍ يَموجُ في كلِّ فنٍّ
وَبِكُلٍّ لَهُ اِعتِنا وَاِعتِلاءُ
A sea of learning, surging in every discipline;
He cared for each and rose high in each.
عَلَمٌ مُفردٌ فَلَيس يُضاهى
وَلَهُ الآنَ قَلَّتِ النّظراءُ
A singular luminary, without equal;
Few peers to him remain today.
أَحمدُ البزري الفردُ كَوكَبُ صَيدا
مَن بِهِ فيها قَد سَما الإفتاءُ
Ahmad al-Bizri, the singular star of Sidon,
Through whom the issuing of legal opinions there rose in stature.
مَنْ عَلَيهِ العُلومُ وَالنّاسُ أَثنَت
وَعَلَيهِ قَد طابَ مِنها الثّناءُ
One whom the sciences and the people praised,
And whose praise from them was pleasing.
قَد دَعاهُ إِلَههُ لِلقاهُ
وَجِنان بِها الهَنا وَالرضاءُ
His God called him to meet Him
And to gardens filled with happiness and contentment.
فَسَرى سُرعَةً وَلَبّى مُجيباً
وَلَدَيهِ لِلَّه طابَ اللّقاءُ
So he journeyed swiftly and answered the call;
In God's presence, the meeting was sweet.
رَوَّحَ اللّهُ روحَه وَضَريحاً
حَلَّهُ فَهوَ رَوضةٌ فَيحاءُ
May God bring repose to his soul and to the tomb
He entered, making it a spacious garden
مِن رِياضِ الجِنانِ فيها حَباهُ
وَلَها بِالنّعيمِ مِنهُ اِمتِلاءُ
Among the gardens of Paradise, where He bestowed gifts on him
And filled it with bliss.
وَهَمى فَوقَه يعمُّ ثَراهُ
وَسَقاهُ مِنَ الرّضاء الحياءُ
May rain pour over him and cover his earth,
And may the clouds water him with gracious favor.
حينَ أَودى كِدنا نَطيرُ عُيوناً
تُمطِرُ الدّمعَ إِذ عَلانا البكاءُ
When he died, we nearly flew apart, our eyes
Raining tears as we were overcome by weeping.
وَعَلَيهِ كِدنا نَذوبُ قُلوباً
مَزَّقَتها لِحُزنِها البأساءُ
And for him our hearts nearly melted,
Torn apart by the pain of grief.
أَفرَغَ اللّهُ وَسطها الصّبر حتّى
تَحمل الآنَ رزءه الأحشاءُ
God poured patience into them until
Our innermost selves could bear the loss of him.
وَحَباها الشّعورَ دونَ ذهولٍ
أَنْ لَهُ دامَ في الأَنامِ الثناءُ
And He granted them the awareness, without bewilderment,
That his praise endures among humankind.
فَهوَ حَيّ فَلم يَمُت حَيثُ فينا
عاشَ ذِكراً لَهُ الزّمانَ بقاءُ
So he lives and has not died, since among us
He lives in remembrance, which endures through time.
حَيثُما وَهوَ الشّمس خَلَّف فينا
وَلَدَيهِ ربَّتهما العلياءُ
For, like the sun, he left among us
His two sons, whom high aspiration raised:
فَرقدا العِلمِ في سَماءِ كَمالٍ
فيهِما المَجدُ قَد زَها وَالعَلاءُ
Two guiding stars of learning in a sky of perfection;
In them glory and eminence shine.
رَبِّ فَاِفتَح عَليهما خَيرَ فَتحٍ
فيهِ يَعلو فهماهما وَالذّكاءُ
Lord, grant them both the best opening,
Through which their understanding and intelligence may grow.
وَاِجعَلِ الحقَّ عادَة لَهُما كَي
يَبعد الزيغُ عَنهما والخطاءُ
And make truth their habit, so that
Deviation and error stay far from them.
وَأَطِلْ بِالتّوفيقِ ربّيَ عمراً
لَهُما ما تَغَنّتِ الورقاءُ
And, my Lord, prolong their lives with success
As long as the dove sings,
ما بَدا كَوكَبٌ وَما لاحَ بَرقٌ
ما بِرَوضٍ هزَّ الغصونَ الهواءُ
As long as a star appears and lightning flashes,
As long as the wind stirs branches in a garden,
ما اِبنُ فَتحِ اللَّهِ اِرتَجى حُسنَ خَتم
نالَهُ فيمَن قَبلَهُ السُّعداءُ
As long as the son of Fath Allah hopes for a good end
Like the one attained by the blessed before him.
Sol 6