هَل تَرى يَتَهي عَلَيهِ الثَناءُ
سَيِّدٌ يَنتَهي إِلَيهِ السَناءُ
Does praise keep pouring over him,
A master to whom glory accrues,
وَتُؤَدّي لَهُ البَلاغَةَ حَقّاً
وَيوفي أَخبارَهُ الإِنشاءُ
And eloquence does him justice,
And poetry expresses his news?
وَيَجلي القَريضُ صورَةَ مَعنا
هُ وَلَو بِالشِعرِ أَتى الشُعَراءُ
Prose depicts clearly his meanings’ form,
He could with verse outdo poets too.
قَد كَفانا مِن وَصفِهِ أَنَّهُ ال
مَهدِيُّ مُذ قَد تَجَلَّتِ الأَسماءُ
It suffices to describe him that he is
The Mahdi, since names shone bright anew.
نَجلٌ قَطَبَ قَد كانَ في الش
شَرقِ وَالغَربِ سِراجاً بِنورِهِ يُستَضاءُ
A pole whose light in East and West,
Served all to see their way unto.
هُوَ بَحرُ الشَريعَةِ اِبنُ السُنوسي
الَّذي عَنهُ سارَتِ الأَنباءُ
He is the sea of law, the Sanusi’s son
Of whom tidings spread and news flew.
لَم يَدَع في العُلومِ عِلماً وَلَم يَق
تُلهُ وَالعِلمُ قَتَلَهُ إِحياءُ
No science he missed, and none did neglect,
Science did not kill him, nay it gave life anew.
جَمَعَ العِلمَ وَالوِلايَةَ فاءَتَمَّ
بِهِ العالِمونَ وَالأَولِياءُ
He united knowledge and saintlihood, so
The scholars and the saints in him their paragon knew.
اِستَفاضا لَدَيهِ نوراً عَلى نو
رٍ وَكُلٌّ عَلى الوَرى لَألاءُ
From him, light after light shone forth
Each brighter than all lights hitherto.
فيهِ لاقى العِلمَ اللَدُنّي عِلماً
سَهِرَ اللَيلُ أَصلُهُ وَالعَناءُ
In him inner knowledge encountered learning
Toiled for through vigil nights in labors not few.
لا يَرى العِلمَ في سِوى العَمَلِ الصا
لِحِ فَالعِلمُ آلَةً وَوِعاءُ
But true knowledge he saw only in righteous deeds
As science is but means, and container too.
فَلِهَذا تَرى الطَريقَ السَنوسِي
يِ عَلى الفِعلِ قامَ مِنهُ البِناءُ
Thus you see the Sanusi way’s foundation
Is practice, and not mere words devoid of its due.
باتَ فِعلاً هَدى مُريدَ السُنوسِي
يِ وَأَن لَيسَ بِالكَلامِ اِكتِفاءُ
It realized, by deeds, the guidance of Sanusi’s followers,
Since words alone cannot suffice or by themselves construe.
كُلُّهُم عامِلٌ لِذَلِكَ فيهِم
تَتَبارى العُقولُ وَالأَعضاءُ
They all practice accordingly, and among them
Minds and limbs compete in efforts not few.
كَم تَوَلّى بِالكَفِّ سِكَّةً حَرَثَ
حَبرُ عِلمٍ حَفَت بِهِ القُرّاءُ
Many a hand that tilled by labor sowed
Scrolls of wisdom guarded well by students from view.
حَقَّقوا سَنَةَ المُعَلِّمِ لِلخَيرِ
الرَسولِ الَّذي بِهِ الاِقتِداءُ
They realized the way shown by the teacher of goodness
That prophet whom we emulate in all we pursue.
بَثَّ ما بَينَ مَطلَعُ الشَمسِ وَالمَغرِبِ
رُشداً ضاءَت بِهِ الأَرجاءُ
They spread between East and West
Right guidance by which horizons anew shone through.
وَزَوايا في كُلِّ غَورٍ وَنَجدِ
لَيسَ يَسطيعُ حَصرُها الإِحصاءُ
Lodges in each valley and open plain,
None can grasp their count or fully construe.
وَبَدا بِالبِناءِ في الجَبَلِ الأَخضَرِ
حَيثُ البُنيَةَ البَيضاءُ
And building began on the Green Mountain
Where the White Residence anew in view drew.
في ذَرى السَيِّدِ الجَليلِ الصَحابي
سَيِّدي رافِعٌ عَلَيهِ الرِضاءُ
In the radiance of the venerable companion,
My master Rafi’, whom blessings accrue.
حَيثُ قَد لاحَ ذاكَ السَيِّدُ المَه
دِيُّ بَدراً ضاءَت بِهِ الظُلَماءُ
Where that guiding Mahdi shone like a full moon
Penetrating what gloom had hitherto.
أَيُّ فَرعٍ لِأَيِّ أَصلٍ لَعَمري
قَد تَحاكى الآباءُ وَالأَبناءُ
What branch to what root, by my life,
Fathers and sons seem to intertwine and construe.
لا بَلِ الاِبنُ جاءَ أَوفى عُلُوّاً
وَلَئِن فاقَ مِن أَبيهِ العَلاءُ
Nay, but the son surpassed more sublimely
Even if the most exalted fathers hitherto him outdrew.
الهُمامُ المَهدِيُّ وَالسَيِّدُ الصَا
دِعُ بِالحَقِّ وَالسَحابُ الرَواءُ
That aspirer, the Mahdi, and the truthful foregoer
Of right, and rain clouds that abundantly life anew bestrew.
أَزهَرَ الوَجهُ ناصِعُ اللَونِ لَم تَن
جِبَ بِأَبهى مِن شَخصِهِ الزَهراءُ
His face blossomed, his color shone bright
None fairer than him shone however you peruse.
أَكحَلُ الطَرفَ مُستَديرُ المُحَيّا
لاحَ فيهِ الهُدى وَجالَ الحَياءُ
Kohl-lined eyes, soft round cheeks,
In him guidance appeared and modesty anew shone through.
أَبيَضُ الخَدِّ وَالثَناءِ وَفي أَي
مَنِ خَدَّيهِ شامَةً سَمراءُ
White of cheek and renowned, and on his
Two cheeks a mark the color of dusk that mars their hue.
أَرَوعِيٌّ صِلتُ الجَبينَ إِذا قَبِل
تُهُ قُلتُ كَوكَبَ وَضّاءُ
Smooth is his forehead’s breadth when kissed,
As if a bright star, thought I as I him closer view.
رَبعَةُ قَدُّهُ قَوِيٌّ عَريضُ
مَنكِباهُ وَأَذرُعٌ فَتَلاءُ
Sturdy, thick-shouldered, long armed and open handed
Capacious of mouth, pearly teeth in order due.
واسِعُ الثَغرِ باسِمٌ عَنهُ دُرّاً
وَالثَنايا في ثَغرِهِ فَلَجاءُ
Delicate of hand but his delicate hands
Are generous, benevolent, nothing good they eschew.
شَثِنٌ كَفٌّ لَكِن أَيديهِ الشَث
نَةَ بِالجودِ سَبطَةً سَمحاءُ
Hashimite nose, led by scent like hound
Along with such flair, lofty spirit shining through.
هاشِمِيٌّ أَشُمُّ أَنفَ كَذا مَعَ
شَمَمِ الأَنفِ هِمَّةٌ شَمّاءُ
His perfection appears in eyes adorned
With fine brows that grace it however you construe.
يَتَجَلّى كَمالُهُ في عُيونٍ
زَيَّنَتها حَواجِبٌ وَطفاءُ
Eyes that awe and majesty fill, yet still
Lowered gently even while others him closer view.
يَملَأُ العَينَ هَيبَةً وَجَلالاً
وَهوَ مَعَ ذاكَ لَحظَهُ إِغضاءُ
Who saw him says this is the guided one indeed,
For guidance has marks by which we apprehend what is true.
مَن رَآهُ يَقولُ هَذا هُوَ المُه
دى حَقّاً وَلِلهُدى سيماءُ
The most resembling people to the prophet, and whoever
Resembles his father can make no claim untrue.
أَشبَهُ الناسِ بِالنَبِيِّ وَمَن يُش
بِهُ أَباهُ فَلَيسَ مِنهُ اِعتِداءُ
He spread religion in the lands of Sudan entire,
And guidance covered them all anew shining through.
نَشَرَ الدينَ في بَلادِ السَوا
دينَ جَميعاً فَعَّمَها الاهتِداءُ
With his swords Tripolitania in the West
He saved, and red Barqah’s rescue he saw into.
وَبِأَسيافِهِ طَرابُلسَ الغَربَ
أُجيرَت وَبُرقَةَ الحَمراءُ
Soon the Italians will know that among Sudanese
Are men whose swords in wars flash darker than night’s hue.
سَوفَ يَدري الطَليانُ أَنَّ في السُوَي
داءِ رِجالُ حُروبِهِم سَوداءُ
In battle, lions that pounce, but by the swords
Gentle, and against harm, utterly mild of view.
في مَجالِ الطِعانِ أُسدٌ مَحاري
بٌ وَلَكِن عِندَ المَحاريبِ شاءُ
They aid Islam with sword and scripture,
So the two strengths in them strike equal hue.
يَنصُرونَ الإِسلامَ بِالسَيفِ وَالمُص
حَفِ فَالقُوَّتانِ فيهِم سَواءُ
They populate the land God to His servants bequeathed
Those righteous ones who set all aright and construe.
يُعَمِّرونَ الأَرضَ الَّتي أَورَثَ اللَهُ عَبا
داً لَهُ هُمُ الصُلَحاءُ
No desert they left but turned into garden
Singing joyous, however bleak it seemed hitherto.
لَم يَحُلّوا قَفراً مِنَ الأَرضِ إِلّا اِه
تَزَّ مِنهُ حَديقَةً غَنّاءُ
Ask Gharyan, and Jaghbub, and Kufrah,
Their construction and growth does tell and construe!
فَاِسأَلِ القَروَ وَالجَغابيبُ وَالكَف
رَةُ يَنطِقُ عُمرانَها وَالنَماءُ
And ask all the open desert plains how they lived
Well in days of Sanusi, though bereft hitherto.
وَاِسأَلِ الواحَ كُلَّها كَيفَ عاشَت
بِالسَنوسِيِّ تِلكُمُ الصَحراءُ
None dread the French like the Sanusi do
And in fearing him, they show no folly or their minds askew!
لَيسَ يَخشى الإِفرَنجَ مِثلَ السَنوسِي
يِ وَما هُم في خَوفِهِم أَغبِياءُ
They knew his worth and the extent of his aspirations
So witness to his superiority even enemies accrue.
عَرَفوا قَدرَهُ وَبَعدَ مَراميهِ
فَأَشهادُ فَضلِهِ الأَعداءُ
How many a state that opposed him quakes in fear
A conceited power, though once dominance it thought its due!
كَم غَدَت مَن سَطاهُ تَرجِفُ راعِباً
دَولَةً مِلءَ أَنفِها الكِبرِياءُ
He reinforced Islam, erect and proper
After factions deprecated it from virtue hitherto
رَدَّ أَزرَ الإِسلامَ صُلباً سَوِيّاً
بَعدَ أَن كانَ سَفَّهُ الأَنحاءُ
And restored Islam vigorous as it was
In days of ancestors and forerunners, as in times anew.
وَأَعادَ الإِسلامَ غَضاً كَما كانَ عَلَي
هِ الأَسلافَ وَالقُدَماءُ
None like him stood for guiding creation.
This truth bears no contention whatsoever worldviews construe!
لَم يَقُم مِثلَهُ لِإِرشادِ خَلقِ
ذَلِكَ الحَقُّ لَيسَ فيهِ مَراءُ
