أَبْلِغْهُمْ مَأْلُكاً عَنْ قَلْبِ مَنْ مَلَكُوا

وَإِنْ جَفَوْهُ وَحَبْلَ الْوَصْلِ قَدْ بَتَكُوا

Convey my yearning to those who have captured my heart,

Convey a message to them from the heart of the one they have possessed,

Even though they've been harsh and severed the bonds of affection.

even if they shun him and have severed the rope of connection,

وَصَيَّرُوا نَكَبَاتِ الدَّهْرِ تَرْشُقُهُ

بِنَبْلِهَا وَنَجِيعَ الصَّبْرِ قَدْ سَفَكُوا

They made the blows of fate assail me

and have caused the calamities of time to shoot at him

With its arrows, spilling all the patience I held.

with their arrows, spilling the lifeblood of his patience,

وَسَلَكُوا فيِ لَظَى الأَحْزَانِ مُهْجَتَهُ

إِذْ طُرُقَ الْغَدْرِ وَالإِخْلاَفِ قَدْ سَلَكُوا

They tread the fierce heat of sorrows,

and made his soul walk through the blazing fire of sorrows,

When the paths of betrayal and disloyalty they did take.

when they walked the paths of betrayal and broken promises.

فَرُبَّمَا حَازَ حَمْداً مُقْتَفٍ لِقَفَا

غَادِرِ شَرٍّ َوَفَى وَاللَّيْلُ مُشْتَبِكُ

Yet one who does wrong may still gain praise,

Yet perhaps one who follows in the footsteps of

If he fulfills his word while night's darkness lies opaque.

a wicked traitor earns praise by proving loyal when the night is darkly tangled,

أَنْ قَدْ تَجَلَّتْ إِلَيْنَا شَمْسُ مَعْرِفَةٍ

لَهَا السَّعَادَةُ بُرْجٌ وَالْهُدَى فَلَكُ

To us has risen a sun of wisdom,

[by declaring] that a sun of knowledge has manifested unto us,

It holds within fortune, and its orbit is guidance.

having happiness as its zodiac sign and guidance as its orbit.

أَطْلَعَهَا الْعِلْمُ إِذْ أَوْدَى كَمَا دَرِمٌ

أَوْدَى وَأَمْرُ الْهُدَى مِنْ أَمْرِهِ لَبِكُ

Knowledge has revealed it, even as draco did fade,

Knowledge caused it to rise when it had almost perished, just as Darim

Fade but the matters of guidance from its affairs do not break.

perished, and the affairs of guidance were deeply confused.

وَالْحُزْنُ أَسْمَعُ مِنْ سِمْعٍ وَأَفْتَكُ مِنْ

عَمْرٍو وَأَحْرَدُ مِنْ ذِمْرٍ بِهِ دَعَكُ

Sorrow hears keener than any hearing and severs lives

And sorrow was sharper in hearing than the desert beast, and more lethal than

Swifter than fate, more scorching than branding irons at its wake.

'Amr, and fiercer than a brave warrior tested by battle.

فَاسْتَأْصَلَتْ شَأْفَةَ الإِشْكَالِ طَلْعَتُهَا

أَلاَ تَرَى حُرْمَةَ الأَوْهَامِ تُنْتَهَكُ

Its rising has uprooted doubt's brushwood,

But its rising uprooted the very core of our confusion;

See, sanctities of illusion it does violate!

do you not see the sanctity of illusions being shattered?

أَفْنَتْ ظَلاَمَ لَيَالِينَا أَشِعَّتُهَا

مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا عَاثَ فيِ أَيَّامِنَا الْحَلَكُ

It has dispelled the darknesses of our nights, its rays have shone

Its rays annihilated the darkness of our nights,

After disorder had wrought chaos on our days, oh what a mistake!

after pitch-blackness had wreaked havoc on our days.

مَنْ كَانَ أَحْجَمَ عَنْهَا وَهْيَ مُغْشِيَةٌ

عَيْنَ الْغَبَا وَهْوَ فيِ الأَوْهَامِ مُرْتَبِكُ

Whoever shunned it while it covered

Whoever held back from it, while it was covering

The eyes of the simpleton lost in his confusions opaque

the eye of stupidity, remained entangled in his illusions.

فَإِنَّنِي بِسَنَاهَا جِدُّ مُكْتَحِلٍ

وَفيِ هَوَاهَا حَيَاةِ الدِّينِ مُنْهَمِكُ

I am for its radiance a kohl'd-eyed lover

As for me, my eyes are deeply lined with the kohl of its radiance,

And for its love immersed in the life of faith at its wake.

and I am deeply engrossed in its love—the very life of religion.

وَبِعُرَى عِصْمَةِ الإِسْلاَمِ سَيِّدِنَا

مَحْضِ السَّنَا الْحَسَنِ الْيُوسِيِّ أَمْتَسِكُ

By the honored bond of the Prophet's protection

And to the handholds of the protection of Islam, our Master,

The fairest of bonds, the Joseph-like tie I do take.

the pure light, Al-Hasan Al-Yusi, I firmly cling.

ذَاكَ الإِمَامُ الذِي أَمْسَى يُعَالِجُ مَنْ

أَوْدَتْ بِهِ الْعِلَّتَانِ الْجَهْلُ وَالْعَفَكُ

That Imam who labors to heal those

That is the Imam who spends his evenings curing those

Whom the two illnesses, ignorance and wantonness, did break.

who have been ruined by the twin diseases of ignorance and foolishness.

فِي رَوْضَةٍ وَغَدِيرٍمِنْ بَشَاشَتِهِ

يُقْتَنَصُ النَّائِرَانِ الْبِشْرُ وَالْضَّحِكُ

In a garden and pool of his affability

In a garden and a pool drawn from his cheerful countenance,

Heart's-ease and smiles can be hunted, no need for a lake.

the two glowing lights of joy and laughter are easily captured.

وَبِسُطُوعِ سَناً مِنْ صُبْحِ غُرَّتِهِ

يَنْقَشِعُ الْمُظْلِمَانِ الْحِقْدُ وَالْحَسَكُ

By the rising of a radiance from the morn of his joy

And by the brilliant gleam from the morning of his face,

Rancor and bitterness, both murky obscurities, break.

the two darknesses of malice and resentment are dispersed.

حَبْرٌ سَبَحْنَا بِبَحْرٍ مِنْ مَعَارِفِهِ

كَمَا بِبَحْرٍ خِضَمٍّ سَبَحَ السَّمَكُ

We have swum, thanks to his knowledge, in an ocean of seas,

A great scholar in whose ocean of knowledge we swam,

As fish swim in the midst of a swelling and tossing lake.

just as fish swim in a vast, boundless sea.

بَحْرٌ طَمَى مِنْ مَعَانٍ مَوْجُهُ نُكَتٌ

أَصْدَافُهُ رَشَدٌ دُرَرُهَا نُسُكُ

A sea whose waves surge with meaning, its shells are wisdom,

A sea overflowing with meanings, its waves are subtle insights,

Its pearls, devotions - Would that my hands could partake!

its seashells are guidance, and its pearls are pure piety.

تَطْفُو عَلَى بِرَكٍ مِنْ فَيْضِهِ عَذُبَتْ

لِجَائِعٍ وَصَدٍ مِنَ الْمُنَى بُرَكُ

Upon pools from his overflow, barrels once empty

They float upon pools of his overflowing bounty, made sweet

Now brim for the thirsty and those from whom blessings did break.

for the hungry, bringing blessings of fulfilled desires to the thirsty.

إِذَا دَعَا الْفَهْمَ بَعْضُ فِكْرَتِهِ

جَاءَتْ لِدَعْوَتِهِ الأَسْرَارُ تَبْتَرِكُ

When understanding calls out one of his insights,

If a fragment of his thought summons understanding,

Secrets answer its summons and rapidly come, wide awake.

secrets come rushing to answer his call, seeking his blessing.

هَبَّتْ بِرَوْضِ الْبُخَارِي صَباً لَطُفَتْ

مِنْ فِكْرِهِ وَهْوَ بِالتَّأْيِيدِ مُحْتَبِكُ

The meadows of Bukhari were stirred by zephyrs of his thought

An east wind blew through the garden of Al-Bukhari, made gentle

While he was empowered and aided - all fetters did break.

by his intellect, woven tightly with divine support.

فَأَبْرَزَتْ مِنْ شَذَا أَسْرارِهِ أَرَجاً

كَأَنَّ مَنْ شَمَّهُ بِذَوْقِهِ مَلَكُ

From the scent of his hidden mysteries then wafted a fragrance

It brought forth a fragrance from the perfume of his secrets,

As if the scent's enjoyer has become an angel in his wake!

as if the one who tasted its scent had become an angel.

أَنَالَنَا مِنْهُ وَالأَنْذَالُ لاَهِيَةٌ

مَا لَمْ يَنَلْ سُوقَةٌ قَطُّ وَلاَ مَلِكُ

From him we gained what no leading saint or prophet attained

He granted us a share of it, while the vile ones were distracted,

Tho' they be guided or kingly - such bounty we did take.

giving us what neither commoner nor king has ever attained.

فَنَحْمَدُ اللهَ حَمْداً نَسْتَزِيدُ بِهِ

فَهْماً بِهِ حُجُبُ الْعِرْفَانِ تَنْهَتِكُ

So we thank God with thanks that grant us more insight

So we praise Allah with a praise through which we seek an increase

By it veils of gnosis are lifted, more knowledge we awake.

in understanding, by which the veils of gnosis are torn away.

يَا سَارِياً مِنْ نَسِيمِ الرَّوْضِ غِبَّ حَياً

بَيْنَ الرُّبَى مِنْ جَنَانِ النَّوْرِ يَعْتَنِكُ

O you whose soul is a breeze from the meadows, stir to life

O night breeze traveling from the meadow after the rain,

A neglected ruin 'mid Paradise' gardens, rejuvenate!

tending between the hills from gardens of glowing blossoms,

عُجْ آثِراً مَا بِقَبْرٍ قَدْ حَوَى رِمَماً

مُقَدَّسَاتٍ بِهَا لِلْفَضْلِ مُعْتَرَكُ

Visit Bukhari's tomb, for it contains forever

turn aside, favoring a grave that holds sacred bones,

The incense of glory kindled devotion did make.

holy remains around which virtues vie for prominence.

فَطَالَمَا عُجْتَ نَفَّاحَ الذُّيُولِ عَلَى

جَنْبَيْكَ مِنْ لُبْسِ أَذْرَاعِ الشَّذَا سَهَكُ

Give him the tidings, after purest salutations redolent

For how often have you turned aside, with fragrant trailing skirts,

With perfumes crowding the lane of musk so opaque,

carrying on your sides the intense scent of perfumed garments.

وَسُفْ ضَرِيحَ الْبُخَارِي فَإِنَّ بِهِ

بُخُورَ خُلْدٍ بِفِهْرِ الْحَمْدِ مُنْهَمِكُ

That if he is told - as is his due - it would waft as a cloud

And breathe in the tomb of Al-Bukhari, for within it

Joy to his soul and gladden the tomb that his corpse did forsake.

is the incense of eternity, diligently crushed with the mortar of praise.

أَنْبِئْهُ بَعْدَ سَلاَمٍ نَافِحٍ عَبِقٍ

تَأَرَّجَ مِنْ طِيبِ مَا ضُمِّنَهُ السِّكَكُ

Say: "We have read your 'School Bringing-together' upon

Inform him, after offering a fragrant, aromatic greeting

What your dictation poured on us oceans to make,

that perfumes the streets with the sweetness it contains:

فَالظَّنُّ أَنَّهُ إِنْ يُنْبَأْ وَحُقَّ لَهُ

سَمَا السُّرُورُ بِهِ لِلرَّوْحِ يَبْتَرِكُ

Seas replenished from oceans - their interwoven depths! -

for it is certain that if he is informed—and rightly so—

From the immaculate Imams of decisive speech and weight.

joy will elevate him, bringing blessings to his soul.

أَنَّا قَرَأْنَا مَسِيكَ الدِّينِ جَامِعَهُ

عَلَى الذِي فِي عُلاَهُ حَارَتِ الْمُسَكُ

They protected the faith, courageous and wise,

[Tell him] that we have read his 'Jami', the musk of religion,

From caprice, and in the arena of sublime things set their stake.

under the guidance of one whose heights baffle even the strongest minds.

زَيْنُ الْحُلَى حَسَنٌ وَمَنْوَمَنْ حَسَنٌ

عَلاَّمَةٌ مُرْشِدٌ بِهِ الْهُدَى سَدِكُ

The pleasure of God passed over them in the night

The ornament of adornments, Hasan, and who, oh who could compare to Hasan!

To bless their tombs when they met their predestined fate.

An erudite scholar, a guide to whom true guidance closely clings.

قِرَاءَةٌ كُلُّ تَحْقِيقٍ بِهَا كَلِفٌ

وَكُلُّ مُسْتَبْدَعٍ فَهْيَ لَهُ شَرَكُ

God bless those who gained what they left behind

A reading with which every thorough verification is deeply enamored,

And forged anew what they hammered, and interwove what they did make.

and for every innovative thought, it acts as a captivating snare.

فِي مُدَّةِ أَشْهُرٍ ثَلاَثَةٍ رَجَبٌ

أَوَّلُهَا كُلُّهَا فِي الْفَضْلِ يَشْتَرِكُ

You, insightful son of Mas'ud, the radiance of guidance,

Over a period of three months, the first of which is Rajab,

Through your insight success' coinage is struck newly opaque.

all of them sharing equally in virtue and excellence.

وَالْعَامُ أَلْفُ تَقَضَّتْ بَعْدَهُ مِائَةٌ

مِنْ هِجْرَةِ الْمُنْتَفِي مِنْ بَعْثِهِ الدَّرَكُ

When the palm of your knowledge unfolds, night's heavy curtain

And the year was a thousand, followed by a hundred that passed,

Of realization falls away, dawn begins to break."

since the migration of the one whose mission banished all downfall.

وَقَدْ وَرَدْنَا بِمَا أَمْلَى عَلَيْهِ لَنَا

بَحْراً أُمِدَّ بِأَبْحُرٍ لَهَا حُبُكُ

Clasp to your breast what thought has wrought for you here,

We have arrived, through what he dictated to us,

Thought that in ardent love's transports all fetters did break,

at an ocean supplied by other oceans with beautifully woven waves.

حَدَّثَنَا بِهِ عَنْ غُرٍّ جَحَاجِحَةٍ

مِنْ كُلِّ مَنْ ذِهْنُهُ الأَوْهَامَ يَحْتَنِكُ

From you I gained the solutions and learned the phrasings,

He narrated it to us from illustrious, noble masters,

So do not blame me if they should fail to fully awake!

each of whose minds fully conquers and subdues all illusions.

أَئِمَّةٍ قَالَ مَا أَمَلَوْا وَمَا كَتَبُوا

الْقَوْلُ قَوْلُ حَذَامِمَا بِهِ أَفَكُ

God keep you, that we might remain through your remaining,

Imams who, whatever they dictated and whatever they wrote,

O you whom no goal ever limits once you undertake!

their words are like the truthful words of Hadham, containing no falsehood.

حَمَوْا حِمَى الدِّينِ بَيْدَ أَنَّهُمْ جَبُنُوا

عَنِ الْهَوَى وَبِمَيْدَانِ الْعُلاَ نَهُكُوا

They protected the sanctuary of religion, yet they shrank away

from lowly desires, and exhausted themselves in the battlefield of glory.

سَحَّتْ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ الرِّضْوَانِ غَادِيَةٌ

لِوَقْعِهَا فِي ثَرَى أَجْدَاثِهِمْ عَرَكُ

May a morning cloud of divine pleasure pour down upon them,

its heavy raindrops intensely soaking the soil of their tombs.

وَبَارَكَ اللهُ فِيمَنْ حَازَ مَا تَرَكُوا

فَصَاغَ مَا سَبَكُوا وَحَاكَ مَا حَبَكُوا

And may Allah bless the one who inherited what they left behind,

who fashioned what they smelted and wove what they spun,

عَيْنَ الْعُلاَ يَا ابْنَ مَسْعُودِ الذِي طَفِقَتْ

بِهَدْيِهِ فِضَّةُ التَّوْفِيقِ تَنْسَبِكُ

the very essence of eminence, O Ibn Mas'ud, by whose guidance

the pure silver of divine success is continuously cast.

وَمَنْ إِذَا انْبَسَطَتْ كَفُّ مَعَارِفِهِ

أَمْسَى بِهَا سُنْبُلُ التَّحْقِيقِ يَنْفَرِكُ

And the one whose open palm of knowledge, when extended,

causes the wheat-ears of true realization to be easily harvested.

صَافِحْ بِصَفْحِكَ مَا قَدْ صَاغَهُ لَكُمُ

فِكْرٌ بِمُؤْتَفِكَاتِ الْوَجْدِ مُؤْتَفِكُ

Pardon with your forgiveness what has been crafted for you

by a mind overturned by the turbulent winds of passionate love.

مِنْكَ اسْتَفَدْتُ حُلاَهَا وَصِيَاغَتَهَا

فَمَا عَلَيَّ إِذَنْ إِنْ لَمْ تَرُقْ دَرَكُ

From you I gained its jewels and its very formulation,

so no blame falls upon me if my work fails to please.

أَبْقَاكَ رَبِّي فَنَبْقَى بِبَقَائِكَ يَا

مَنْ لاَ يُرَامُ لِمَا قَدْ حَازَهُ دَرَكُ

May my Lord preserve you, so that we may endure through your existence, O

you whose vast achievements can never be fully grasped.