عز قرب الدار إلا في الكرا

فاعذرني قلبيإذا ما انفطر

The home is not dear, except when it is near,

So forgive me, my heart, if it breaks,

لا تلومنيإذا جرت لظى

حرقي في ماء عيني لنهرا

Do not blame me if my pain overflows,

And my tears flow like a river.

فالذي قد راعني اليأس به

يقتضي أكثر مما قد جرى

What has afflicted me with despair,

Requires more than what has happened.

فات في الأولى دنوي منهم

ودنا إلى الأخرى السرى

In the beginning, they came near,

Then they became distant like the hidden secret.

مرض وافقه في طغى

كبر ضايق مني العمرا

Sickness coincided with the intensity,

Old age constricted my lifespan,

واشتياق واسي لم يبقيا

من بقايا الجسم إلا الأثرا

Yearning and intense love left

Nothing of my body except a trace.

فاذكرا لي خبر الحي عسى

يخلف السمع على النظرا

So tell me news of the living one, perhaps

Hearing can take the place of seeing,

ثم قصا لي أحاديث الحمى

وبرغمي أن أراها خبرا

Then relate to me stories of fever,

And against my will, make them just tales.

ثم سلعا والمصلى سقيا

أدمع العشاق إن لم تمطرا

Then in the evening, ask the worshippers for rain,

To water the lover’s tears, lest they run dry.

وقبا جاد قبا صوب حيا

يلبس الأرجاء منها حبرا

And kiss the generous hand, and turn your mouth

Towards the cheeks, to dress them in ink.

وصفا لي طيب ليل مرلي

ثم لم أحسبه إلا سحرا

Describe to me the fragrance of a soft night,

Then I will not think it is but witchery.

أفق لست أرة فيه السها

وهو أخفى الشهيب الأقمرا

I awake but do not see the wakefulness in it,

Although it hides the brightest planet.

مع أناس كنت أهوى معهم

كلما لذا الكرى لي السهرا

With people I used to stay up with,

Whenever the wine cup was passed around at night.

ولسمعي من أحاديثهم

مثلما أضحى له الطرف يرى

My hearing would take in their conversations,

Just as my eyes used to see in the morning.

وأذكر الروضة يملا ذكرها

سائر الآفاق نشراً عطرا

And I remember the meadow, whose memory,

Fills the horizons with fragrant breeze,

روضة ضمت جناحاها سنا

قبر من أيدي الهدى والمنبرا

A meadow that gathered under its wings,

A grave, of the Guided One and the Minbar.

بقعة شرفها الله وقد

حل في ترتبها خير الورى

An honorable place, blessed by God,

The best of creation settled in its courtyards,

أحمد الهادي إلى الله وقد

جهل الخلق الهدى والنذرا

Ahmad the Guide to God, though

The people ignored the guidance and warning.

زان عبد الله لابل هاشما

بل قريشاً كلها بل مضرا

The glory of the Hashemites, rather,

The glory of all Quraish, rather, the glory of Mudar.

فلذا أن ذكروا الفخر به

لم يكق غير همو أن يفخرا

Thus, when they take pride in him,

It is not enough for them to just feel proud.

جاءه الوحي جبريل وقد

ألف الوحدة في غار حرا

The revelation came to him, and Jibreel

Had become accustomed to solitude in Hira.

فدعا فرداً إلى الله ولم

يخش في دعوته من كفرا

So he called people individually to God, and did not

Fear any disbelief in his call.

وأتاهم بكتاب محكم

أعجز الجن وأعيا البشرا

And he brought them a clear scripture,

That perplexed the Jinn and confounded man.

وهموا عن معجزات بهرت

بعد ما قد حققوها تظرا

They devised miracles that dazzled them,

Even after clearly witnessing them.

وحوي السبق رجال أصبحوا

للألى جاء واحجولا غررا

He was granted companions who became

Lions for the religion that came later.

لا يبالون وقد حازوا الهدى

قل جمع للعدا أو كثرا

They do not care, having attained guidance,

Whether the enemies gather little or more.

ثم لما آذن الله لهم

فيهم ساروا كآساد الشرا

Then when God allowed them,

They marched like prowling lions.

بايعوا الله على أنفسهم

في جهاد الكفر واللهاشترى

They pledged to God against themselves

To struggle against disbelief, and God purchased them.

وكساهم حلل النصر التي

نبذت تلك الأعادي بالعرى

And clothed them in robes of victory,

That stripped the enemies bare.

وحباهم أرضهم من بعدما

اسكنوا أعداءهم بطن الثرى

And granted them their land after

Their enemies were laid in the grave.

كم رأوا بالنصر يوماً أبيضاً

ذاق فيه الكفر موتاً أحمرا

How many days of white victory they saw,

In which disbelief tasted a red death!

ورسول الله فيهم كلما

أحمر باس كان منه الوزرا

With the Messenger of God among them, whenever

The times got hard, the burden lightened.

قد عودا يوم بدر لأمرئ

فغدا في الحال غضباً أبترا

The day of Badr disciplined Amr,

So he woke up the next day, severed.

وكذا في غير بدر قعدت

قضب تفري الطلي والقعرا

As it did on days other than Badr, it humbled

Many hardened tribes and settled abodes.

من جريد لا حديد طبعت

منه أيدي القوم يوماً زمرا

With twigs, not iron, they marked

Lines, which the people fled from in droves.

بل يراها الله أعجازاً فلم

يرم شئيئاً حدها الأبرا

Rather God sees them as miracles, so

Nothing could match their sharpness.

صاحب الإسراء في ليلته

يقظة كان السرى لافي الكرى

The companion on the Night Journey, while awake,

Not asleep, ascended to the Divine Throne.

ودعا الأشجار فانقادت له

تخرق الأرض وتجتاب الثرى

He called on the trees, so they bent to him,

Splitting the earth, cleaving the soil.

ثم لما قال عودي رجعت

سرعة طائعة ما أمرا

Then when he said “Return,” they went back

Swiftly obeying, as he had commanded.

ورأى ذلك من عاينه

فنفى الخبر وأبقى الخبرا

And this was seen by the one who witnessed it,

So he denied the event, but spread the news.

ودعاه ساحراً يا ويحه

من شقي أفسحر ما يرى

And he called him a sorcerer – woe to him!

What a wretched disbeliever in what he sees!

يا لها من شقوة تقضي بأن

يجحد المبصر ما قد أبصرا

What misfortune to insist on denying

What the witnessing eye has seen!

وكذا قد أنطق الله له

بسلام في الطريق الحجرا

Likewise, God made the boulder

Greet him on the road, but it hardened the hearts of some,

فصل الصخر قلوباً منهم

أبت الرشد عناداً أو مرا

Who refused righteousness out of stubbornness or illness.

And each of them had witnessed

ولقد شاهد كلا منهم

حين شق الله ثم القمرا

When God split the moon asunder.

And at Hunain, when disbelief came upon them,

وحنين إذ أتى الكفر بها

زمراً تتبع منهم زمرا

Horde after horde pursuing horde,

Each lion unsheathed his might –

كل ليث أنشب البأس له

ناب فتك في الورى أو ظفرا

A sharp fang unleashed fury in the land.

But the people abandoned them, except

فتولى الناس عنهم ما عدا

نفراً قاموا لديه حذرا

A band who stood by him cautiously.

He pelted the troops with a handful

ورمى الكل بجمع من حصي

وتراب فتولى مدبرا

Of pebbles and sand, so they retreated.

It filled the eyes of their warriors, who all

ملأ الأعين منهم فاشتهى

كلهم خوف عماه العورا

Feared what blinded and disfigured them.

They lost sight of the battle, so none

وعموا عن موقف الحرب فلا

أحد يبصر إلا ما ورا

Could see, save what was behind.

They deserted their children, and none survived

وتخلوا عن ذراريهم ولم

ينج إلا من أتى معتذرا

Except those who came with excuses,

Believers who willingly left their unbelief,

مؤمناً فارق طوعاً كفره

إذ رأى معجزة قد بهرا

When they saw a miracle that dazzled them.

All this, tradition relates,

كل هذا شهد النقل به

فأقرؤا أخباره والسورا

So study its narrations and chapters.

He planted palms for Saman, but before

غرس النخل لسمان فما

مر ذاك العام حتى أثمرا

That year ended, they had fruited.

So God ransomed him, while he was

ففداه الله في الحال وقد

كان في رق العدا مستأثرا

Still an infant in the enemies’ captivity.

Likewise, he returned an eye that had fallen out,

وكذا قد رد عيناً سقطت

فزكت عيناً وطابت أثرا

So the eye became good and the wound healed.

It became better than both his eyes,

وغدت أحسن عينيهإذا

نظرت منه وزادت نظرا

When it looked from him, and increased his sight.

Pebbles glorified in his palm,

والحصى سبح في راحته

وجرى الماء بها منهمرا

And water flowed from it gushing.

And regarding the moaning pillar – lessons abound

وحنين الجذع فيه عظة

لامرئ أزمع عنه سفرا

For one who seeks to journey from it.

Where is the one who abandoned it in patience,

أين لفي الصبر من فارقه

وجماد لم يجد مصطبرا

While the inanimate could not endure separation?

Would a man not wail if he were scorched

ما حنين المرء لو أحرقه

بعد جزع جن أمراً منكرا

After panicking at a dreadful event?

My soul yearns – does the night of distance have

لهف نفسي هل لليل البعد من

منتهى أبلغ فيه السحرا

An extent at which the dawn breaks?

For separation has lasted long for me,

فلقد طال مطال الهجر بي

وافتضى ورد حياتي الصدرا

And demanded the rending of my bosom.

And if I die before attaining union,

ولئن مت ولم أبلغ مني

كنت من قبل لها منتظرا

I had been waiting for it previously.

I had intended to be blessed by attaining it,

فلقد قدرت أن أحظى به

وأبى الله سوى ما قدرا

But God willed other than what I had intended.

Perhaps at the Gathering, desire will lead me

وعسى في الحشر أن يوردني

ظمأ الشوق إليه الكوثرا

To the Fountain, thirsty for reunion.

I have clung to love of Ahmad,

قد تمسكت بحبي أحمدا

وهو للممسك من أقوى العرا

And he is the strongest handhold.

Perhaps God will pardon

فلعل الله أن يعفو عن

مذنب قد جاءه مستغفرا

A sinner who came repentant.

Even if my sins are many,

أن يكن ذنبي كثيراً فلقد

رمت عفواً عن ذنوبي أكبرا

He has promised pardon for greater sins.

I profess the Tawhid of my Lord, and he who

متجري توحيد ربي والذي

ماله توحيده لن يخسرا

Does not profess His Tawhid will surely fail.

And I believe that my Prophet

واعتقادي في نبي أنه

في غد شافع ما قد قصرا

Will intercede tomorrow for my shortcomings.

So may the prayers of God continue

فصلاة الله ما هبت صبا

تنحني ذاك الجناب الأطهرا

As long as the youth bow at the Honored Tomb,

And may God’s greetings flow towards him,

وسلام الله يسري نحوه

فيحيل الترب مسكاً إذ فرا

Turning the soil to musk when they pass over it.

And may the greetings continue as long

وتحيات توالي كلما

هزت الريح قضيباً نضرا

As the wind rustles any fresh branch.