Sol 5.6

  1. To the Ghawth, ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Jilani.

    We flew on wings of longing,

  2. And came to the dust of his thresholds, seeking to attain

    Safety, our hopes, and gracious favor.

  3. For he is the son of Muhammad’s daughter, the best of humankind,

    And a descendant of Haydara, exalted in rank:

  4. The gray falcon, a link in a chain of radiance,

    Of pure stock—a lote-tree whose root is the Sovereign;

  5. A scion of a House before whose degrees of worth

    And sublimity the sun and moon fall short.

  6. The Ghawth—the sun in the sky of his dominion shone forth

    In the East, then coursed through all creation.

  7. An imam of guidance, around the Kaaba of whose guidance

    The non-Arab and Arab shaykhs circumambulated.

  8. His saintly miracles are wonders whose secret

    Will stand revealed until time’s final turn.

  9. How many a breath of grace and loving care is his,

    Loosing the tether of the frightened and anguished!

  10. Sovereign of the company of spiritual men, possessor of the—

    —lofty standing, and knight of the field;

  11. The master, the support, the august one in whom hope is placed,

    To repel grave calamities and the vicissitudes of time.

  12. My master Muhyi al-Din, God’s falcon, the Po—

    —le of the age and heir to his forefather, ʿAdnan.

  13. Around him the millstone of the Path turned among humankind,

    As did the millstone of loftiness, bounty, and mystical knowledge.

  14. A landmark across the East’s broad expanse, a phoenix of the West;

    A sea of spiritual truths, clear in proof;

  15. Rescuer of whoever calls upon him on a day of calamity,

    And deliverer of whoever appeals to him in every age;

  16. Shaykh of the shaykhs who know their Lord,

    And imam of the people of ecstasy and submission;

  17. Most exalted of the masters of reverence, foremost among the com—

    —panions of humility, and master of the notables;

  18. Commander of the righteous host, and possessor of the—

    —sturdy, divinely fashioned frame;

  19. Head of the assembly of spiritual men in the presence of the mys—

    —teries—nay, its radiant lamp;

  20. The consummate, peerless, fiercely protective master, the li—

    —on, gallant and intrepid, a godly knower;

  21. A Pole peerless in manifestation and providential care,

    Among the righteous he has no equal.

  22. His spiritual stations rose high through a pure lineage,

    And a noble house whose pillars tower.

  23. From the mantle a breath of grace and a spiritual bond enfolded him,

    Prophetic and Hasanid in designation.

  24. Upon him, from the lofty station of Ali al-Murtada,

    Rests the secret of sainthood, dazzling in brilliance.

  25. He is my refuge amid calamities and my haven,

    And my sanctuary with the One, the Judge.

  26. In him I take refuge, and shelter in his shade

    From the guile of a bewildering, treacherous age.

  27. This falcon suffices me: through the success of his wing

    My hand rises, and he loosens the knot of my bondage.

  28. May his spacious shrine forever remain an abode of ac—

    —ceptance, where mercies and divine favor descend,

  29. As long as remembrance of him delights a love-enthralled heart,

    Restless, seared by love of its homelands,

  30. Or as long as a palm is outstretched in fair and trusting hope.

    To the Ghawth, ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Jilani.

Sol 5.6