ما شِئتُما يا صاحِبَيَّ فَقُولا

هَيهاتَ لَن تَجِدا لَدَيَّ قَبُولا

Whatever you wish, my friends, go ahead and say

Alas! You will never find acceptance from me

لَو ذُقتُما ما ذُقتُ مِن أَلَمِ الجَوى

لَم تُكثِرا قالاً عَلَيَّ وَقِيلا

Had you tasted what I tasted of the pain of love

You would not have spoken so much against me

قَد قُلتَ لِلقَلبِ اللَحُوحِ وَما نَأَت

دارٌ وَما عَزَمَ الخَليطُ رَحيلا

You told the ardently loving heart, no home

And the motley throng had no intention of leaving

أَصَبابَةً وَأَسىً وَما حَدَجُوا لَهُم

عِيساً وَلا شَدّوا لَهُنَّ حُمُولا

Cooing sadly, and sorrow, though they had not

Prepared provisions for them, or saddled camels

هَذا الغَرامُ فَكَيفَ لَو نادى بِهِم

بَينٌ وَأَصبَحَتِ الدِيارُ طُلولا

Such is this passion! What if it called out for them

The tents became desolate and the abodes empty

فَاِستَبقِ دَمعَكَ وَالحَنين لِساعَةٍ

تَذَرُ الأبيلَ مِن الرِجالِ وَبِيلا

So restrain your tears and pining for a while

That leaves the valiant men confused and perplexed

وَإِنِ اِستَطَعتَ غَداةَ داعِيَةِ النَوى

فَاِجعَل لِدَمعِكَ في الدِيارِ سَبيلا

And if you can, some morning when longing calls

Let your tears in the homelands have free reign

أَنَسيمَ نَجدٍ بِالمُهَتَّكِ سُحرَةً

لِشِفاءِ ذي الكَبدِ العَليلِ عَليلا

Breeze of Najd, in the early dawn, to the lovesick one

For healing the ailing, the chronically ill

اِحمِل إِلى أَرضِ العِراقِ رِسالَةً

عَنّي فَما أَرضى سِواكَ رَسُولا

Carry to the land of Iraq a message from me

For I am pleased with none but you as messenger

وَالبَصرَةَ الفَيحاءَ لا تَتَخَلَّفَن

عَنها وَلا تَتَجاوَزَنها مِيلا

Do not neglect Basra the fragrant, and do not

Pass over it, even slightly, in your journey

وَاِجعَل مُرُورَكَ مِن هُذَيلٍ إِنَّها

أَرضٌ أُحِبُّ جَنابَها المَأهُولا

And ensure your passing is by way of Hudhayl, for it

Is a land I love, whose settled abodes are populated

وَأَفِض عَلَيها أَلفَ أَلفِ تَحِيَّةٍ

بِالمِسكِ تَفتُقُ بُكرَةً وَأَصيلا

Bestow upon it thousands, thousands of greetings

With musk, pure in the morning and evening

وَاِخصُص بِأَكثَرِها الهُمامَ المُرتَجى ال

مَلكَ الأَغَرَّ الماجِدَ المَأمُولا

And single out, for the greatest share, the protector hoped for

The glorious, triumphant, rightly-guided ruler

الأَروَعَ النَدبَ السَرِيِّ العالِمَ الـ

ـحبرَ الجَرِيَّ السَيِّدَ البهلُولا

Most exceptional lineage, the mystical secret, the ocean

Of flowing knowledge, the master, the reveler

الحامِلَ العِبءَ الَّذي لَو رازَهُ

حَضَنٌ لآبَ بِظَهرِهِ مَحزُولا

The bearer of the burden, which if a mountain bore

Its back would bend under the enormous load

مُعفي العُفاةِ مِن السُؤالِ فَقَلَّما

تَلقاهُ يَومَ عَطائِهِ مَسؤُولا

Relieving the destitute from having to ask

Rarely finding him, on the day of giving, questioned

يُعطي الجَزيلَ مِنَ النَوالِ فَلا يَرى

إِلّا كَعابِرَةٍ عَلَيهِ سَبيلا

Giving abundantly, so he does not see

Save as a passerby on the path, a conduit

وَيَعُمُّ في إِعطائِهِ فَتَخالُهُ

بِجَميعِ أَرزاقِ العِبادِ كَفيلا

His giving includes all people’s livelihoods

As guarantor for the provision of worshipers

لا يُمسِكُ الدِينارَ إِلّا رَيثَما

يَلقى اِبنَ نَيلٍ لَم يُلاقِ مُنيلا

He withholds not a dirham, save for an instant

Until he finds a son of the Nile who’s found no Nile

وَمَتى يَقُم مَعَهُ لِأَمرٍ ساعَةً

مِن يَومِهِ فَلَقَد أَقامَ طَويلا

And when he stands for an hour of his day

The devout worshipper rising nightlong stays lesser

العابِدُ المُحيي قِياماً لَيلَهُ

إِذ ناشِئاتُ اللَيلِ أَقوَمُ قِيلا

The ascetic, faster, not singling out fasting

In January or September or any specific month

وَالزاهِدُ الصَوّامُ غَيرُ مُخَصِّصٍ

بِالصَومِ كانُوناً وَلا أَيلُولا

Ask about him, oh questioner, blind to the sun at dawn

You have utterly failed creation in ignorance

يا سائِلاً عَنهُ أَعَن شَمسِ الضُحى

تَعمى لَقَد فُقتَ الوَرى تَغفيلا

Travel secretly to meet him, and do not seek a guide for others

The dawn needs no guide to elucidate it

سِر تَلقَهُ واِبغِ الدَليلِ لِغَيرِهِ

فَالصُبحُ لا تَبغي عَلَيهِ دَليلا

And if you are bound by innate ignorance

Be silent, roam those paths a little

وَإِنِ اِعتَرَتكَ جَهالَةٌ طَبَعِيَّةٌ

فَاِسكُت وَطُف تِلكَ الدُروبَ قَليلا

And head to the door that has no gatekeeper

Or lantern, but you will find the destitute gathered around it

وَعَلَيكَ بِالبابِ الَّذي لا حاجِباً

تلقى بِسُدَّتِهِ وَلا قِنديلا

And wayfarers and children of the path encamped

And exegetes of what they saw and narrated

لَكِن تَرى الفُقَراءَ مُحدِقَةً بِهِ

زُمَراً وَأَبناءَ السَبيلِ نُزُولا

The authenticated messengers’ path expounded

And the pale-faced, whose gloom has vanished

وَالمُوضِحينَ لِما رَأَوا وَبِما رَوَوا

شَرعَ الرَسولِ مُعَلَّلاً تَعليلا

From yearning, and talking parched their lips

This one seeks villages and that recitations

وَذَوي الوُجُوهِ الصُفرِ شَفَّ جُسُومَها

إِشفاقُها وَكَسا الشِفاهَ ذُبولا

Heard from the chosen one from Gabriel

There, cast down your staff of travel, and you will find earth

هَذا يَرومُ قِرىً وَذاكَ قِراءَةً

سُمِعَت عَن المُختارِ عَن جِبريلا

Soft and shade that does not cease to shelter

And company that will protect you from the noonday sun

فَهُناكَ أَلقِ عَصا المَسيرِ تَجِد ثَرىً

دَمثاً وَظِلّاً لا يَزالُ ظَليلا

When it beats down, from heat, neither veil nor shade

Oh you who are just, none other than my father

وَذُرىً تَقيكَ القُرَّ حينَ هُجُومِهِ

وَالحَرَّ لا وَحماً وَلا مَملُولا

Could I see you, regarding not, or reasonable?

The glories of past kings refuse transgression

يا عادِلاً بِأَبي شُجاعٍ غَيرَهُ

أُتُراكَ لا نَظراً وَلا مَعقُولا

While he transgressed, trailing the skirts of his mantle

Were it not for him, it and those in it would have perished

تَأبى مَكارِمُ باتِكينَ بِأَن تَرى

أَحَداً لَهُ في ذا الزَمانِ عَديلا

And destruction run through it, dragging its train

It was darkness before him, but he restored it

جَرَتِ المُلوكُ فَلم تَشُقَّ غُبارَهُ

وَجَرى فَشَقَّ غُبارَها مَشكولا

An Egypt pleasing you, dwelling or visiting

With the bustling markets and the wall that

لَو لَم يَكُن بِالبَصرَةِ اِنقَلَبَت بِمَن

فيها وَجَرَّ بِها الخَرابُ ذُيولا

Kept enemies from tilting towards it, bent

And the linkage between schools and mosques

كانَت سَواداً قَبلَهُ فَأَعادها

مِصراً تَرُوقُكَ مُمسِئاً وَمَقيلا

Noble, its people privileged above all

He revived therein, for Shafi’i, Malik

بِالمُبرِمِ الأَسواقَ وَالسُورِ الَّذي

مَنَعَ الأَعادي أَن تَميلَ مَمِيلا

And Abu Hanifa, scripts and chapters

And the congregational mosque surpassing all others

وَالرّبطِ بَينَ مَدارِسٍ وَمَشاهِدٍ

شَرُفَت وَفُضِّلَ أَهلُها تَفضيلا

In beauty and breadth of construction and height

Were it not for the coincidence of its burning in his era

أَحيَا بِها لِلشافِعِيِّ وَمالِكٍ

وَأَبي حَنيفَةَ أَحرُفاً وَفُصُولا

Its features would have endured, not suspended

How many porticos he added to it, but its containment

وَبِجامِعٍ نَدَّ الجَوامِعِ كُلَّها

حُسناً وَعَرضاً في البِناءِ وَطُولا

Added to its ornament more ornamentation

Within it he built for the Muslims a pond

لَولا اِتِّفاقُ حَريقِهِ في عَصرِهِ

لَعَفا وَعُطِّلَ رَسمُهُ تَعطيلا

That diminished the Khawarnaq Ponds to the eyes

Many eras passed, with their winds

كَم مِن رُواقٍ زادَ فيهِ وَحُصرُهُ

زادَت إِلى تَرفيلِهِ تَرفيلا

Blowing plunder, but he rescued its remnants, ruined

His deeds sincere for God, never finding

وَبَنى بِهِ لِلمُسلِمينَ مُقَرمَداً

تَرَكَ الخَوَرنَقَ في العُيونِ ضَئيلا

Any trace of ostentation or likeness of hypocrisy

If the nations had one like him ruling

وَلَقد مَضَت حُقبٌ بِها وسُراتُها

نَهبٌ فَأَنقَذَ شِلوَها المَأكُولا

God would not have sent a messenger

You are ransomed by the sun of the faith, a people you do not

أَفعالُهُ لِلّهِ خالِصَةٌ فَما

تَلقى لِمُعتَقدِ الرِياءِ مَثيلا

See having any link to a connected virtue

From every one in chains, refused generosity

لَو كانَ في الأُمَمِ الخَوالي مِثلهُ

مَلكٌ لَما بَعَثَ الإِلَهُ رَسُولا

Exceeding the Jews in tyranny and wrongdoing

He appears like an ancient ‘Ad tribe to him in ugliness

يفديكَ شَمسَ الدّينِ قَومٌ لا تَرى

حَبلاً لَهم بِفَضيلَةٍ مَوصُولا

Or Qurayza or Nadir as progeny

Scum, but when injustices are attributed

مِن كُلِّ مَغلُولِ اليَدَينِ عَنِ النَدى

فاقَ اليَهُودَ لآمَةً وَغُلولا

One day to him, you see him reject them

He fears not God on high, nor sees any

يَبدُو بعُثنُونٍ لَهُ قُبحاً لَهُ

لِقُرَيظَةٍ أَو لِلنَضيرِ سَليلا

Good deed to his foe as goodly

He gathered debris and drew a despicable sword

زُمَّيلَةٌ فَإِذا المَظالِمُ أُسنِدَت

يَوماً إِلَيهِ رَأَيتَهُ إِزميلا

Slandering honor and loosing his own bonds

If a cow were carried to him

لا يَتَّقي اللَهَ العَلِيَّ وَلا يَرى

لِشَقائِهِ الفِعلَ الجَميلَ جَميلا

He would squander the money entrusted

Were it not for you I would not mention this

جَمَعَ الحُطامَ وَسَلَّ سَيفاً دُونَهُ

لَؤماً وَسَبَّلَ عِرضَهُ تَسبيلا

But I fear cows they count extraneous

So submit, Abu Shuja’, to the Most High

لَو أَنَّهُ حُمِلَت إِلَيهِ بَقَّةٌ

لأَضاعَ مِن مالِ الأمانَةِ فِيلا

And glory however much the doves cooed

Give and refuse as you desire, and you will not be seen

لَولاكَ ما وَرَّيتُ لَكِن أَتَّقي

بَقَراً يَعُدُّونَ الصَحيحَ فُضولا

Except as mighty and ennobled

In the shade of the best caliph of Hashim

فَاِسلَم وَدُم يابا شُجاعٍ لِلعُلى

وَالمَجدِ ما دَعَتِ الحَمامُ هَديلا

Inheritor of the Book, inspired with revelation

And have bliss in this splendid month, a bliss

تُعطي وَتَمنَعُ ما تَشاءُ وَلا تُرى

إِلّا مُذيلاً عِزَّةً وَمُنيلا

Remaining, transporting you to purpose and cessation

And showing you your senseless, hostile envier

في ظِلِّ خَيرِ خَلِيفَةٍ مِن هاشِمٍ

وَرِثَ الكِتابَ وَأُلهِمَ التَنزيلا

As a vile fool among the people, disgraced

وَاِسعَد بِذا الشَهرِ الأَصَبِّ سَعادَةً

تَبقى وَتُبلِغُكَ المُنى وَالسُولا

وَتُريكَ حاسِدَكَ المُسَفِّهَ نَفسَهُ

حَرِضاً قَليلاً في الأَنامِ ذَليلا