ما للسُّيوفِ أما تَثوبُ فَتعطِفُ

وَلِمَنْ قُوىً في غيرِ حقٍّ تَزْحَفُ

Why are the swords silent, not stirring restlessly?

Why creep to those whose right is not just?

جَهجاهُ مالك هِجتهَا مذمومةً

هوجاءَ لولا اللَّهُ ظلّتْ تَعصفُ

The clamor of Malik was condemned

When it roared wildly, had it not been for Allah.

الخزرجُ انطلقوا لنصرِ حليفهِم

ومضى لنصرتك الكُماةُ الدُّلَّفُ

The Khazraj set forth to aid their ally

While the well-armed Kuma came rushing to your aid.

لَسِنانُ إذ تُؤذيهِ منكَ بضربةٍ

أولى وأخلقُ من تحبُّ وتألفُ

When Sinan hurts you with a blow

He is more noble and friendlier than the one you love and befriend

هَفَتِ السُّيوفُ إلى السُّيوفِ وأوشكت

صُمُّ الرماح على الرماحِ تقَصَّفُ

The swords clash against swords and the spears

Are on the verge of colliding with spears.

ومشى النبيُّ يقول يا قومُ اسكنوا

أكذاكَ تضطربُ الجبالُ وترجف

And the Prophet walked saying: "O people, be calm."

Do mountains thus tremble and quake?

تدعون دعوى الجاهليّة جهرةً

فَمن الدُّعاةُ من الهُداةِ الهُتَّف

You loudly cry out the call of ignorance

Who then are the callers and who are the guided ones?

أوَ لستُمُ النفر الذين بنورهم

يجد السَّبيلَ الحائرُ المتعسّف

Are you not the people whose light

Shows the lost and straying the path?

رُدّوا السُّيوفَ إلى جماجمِ معشرٍ

فيهم مَرَدٌّ للسُّيوفِ ومصرف

Return the swords to the heads of a folk

Amongst whom are those who wield and turn away the swords

هدأ الرجالُ وراح ظالمُ نفسِهِ

يَهْذي فَيُمْعِنُ أو يظنُّ فيسرف

The men fell silent and the wronger of himself

Went on raving or thought and transgressed.

لجَّ النفاقُ فقائلٌ لا يستحي

ممّا يقولُ وسامعٌ لا يأنف

Hypocrisy crept in, so one who feels no shame

Says what he says while a listener feels no aversion.

ما بالُ من جمحت به أهواؤُه

أفما يزالُ على الغَوايةِ يعكف

What ails the one whom his passions have confused?

Does he still persist in misguidance?

يُؤذِي رسولَ اللهِ يزعمُ أنّه

في قومِهِ منه أعزُّ وأشرف

Hurting the Messenger of God, he claims

He is the most honorable and noble among his people.

ويقول موعدُنا المدينةُ إذ يُرَى

أيُّ الفريقينِ الأذلُّ الأضعف

And he says: "Our appointment is Medina, where it will be seen

Which of the two hosts is most abject and weak."

فَلنُخرجَنَّ مُحمداً منها غَداً

وليعلمنَّ الأمرَ ساعةَ يأزف

"We will drive Muhammad out of it tomorrow

And the matter will be known at the moment of agony."

سمع ابنُ أرقمَ ما يقول فهاجه

غَضبٌ يضيق به التّقيُّ الأحنف

Ibn Arqam heard what he said and was seized

By a rage that distressed the God-fearing and gentle one.

ومضى يقصّ على النبيِّ حديثَهُ

فيكاد عنه من الكراهةِ يصدف

He went and told the Prophet what he had said

And could barely speak from loathing of him.

قال اتّئد فلقد يُغانُ على الفتى

فيزلُّ منه السَّمعُ أو يتحرّف

He said: "Restrain yourself, for passions will be aroused in the lad

And hearing will slip away from him or be distorted."

فمضى على أسفٍ يلوذُ بعمّهِ

فُيلامُ غيرَ مكذَّبٍ ويُعنَّف

So he left in sorrow, seeking refuge with his uncle,

And was blamed though not called a liar or reprimanded.

قال اقتصد يا عمّ ما أنا بالذي

يُغضي إذا اغتابَ الرسولَ مُجَدِّفُ

He said: "Be moderate, my uncle! I am not one

Who is angered when the Messenger is maligned by the vituperative."

ثَقُلَتْ عليَّ من الغبيِّ مقالةٌ

جَلَلٌ تُهَدُّ بها الجبالُ وتُنْسَفُ

"I am heavily burdened by the fool's talk,

Though it can move mountains and cause them to collapse."

واللّهِ لو ألقَى صَواعِقَها أبي

لحملتُها وذهبتُ لا أتخفَّف

"By God, if my father called down his thunderbolts

I would bear them and go, not lightening my load."

رُوِيَ الحديثُ وَغِيظَ من مكروهه

عُمَرٌ فَغِيظَ المشرفيُّ المُرهَفُ

The story was reported, and 'Umar was enraged

By its hatefulness, as was the noble and perceptive one.

أغرى بقائِلهِ مخوفَ غرارِهِ

ما كان يَعلمُ من أذاه ويعرف

He incited the speaker of it to fear his rashness

Not knowing he had hurt him or realizing it.

سأل الرسولَ الإذنَ فيه لعلَّه

يَشفيه من دمِه بما يترشَّف

He asked the Messenger's leave to act against him, hoping

To heal him of his blood, ennobled by what he shed.

فأبى وقال أليس من أصحابنا

دعه فتلك أشدُّ ما أتخوَّفُ

But he refused, saying: "Is he not one of our Companions?

Leave him be! That is what I fear most."

وأتى ابنُه فدعا أبي أنا خصمه

فدعوه لي إنّي به لَمُكلَّف

And his son came and summoned Abū to be his adversary,

So summon him for me as I am charged with him.

مُرْنِي رسولَ اللَّهِ أكْفِكَ أمرَه

فلقد عَهدتُكَ راحماً تتلطّف

Allow me, Messenger of God, to control his affair,

For I know you as merciful and gentle.

إنّي أحِبُّ أبي وأعرف حقَّه

ولأنتَ بي وبه أبرُّ وأرأف

I love my father and know his due,

And you are more compassionate and kinder to me and him.

سيفي أحقُّ بهِ فإن يك غيره

عَظُمَ الأسى فيه وهالَ الموقف

My sword has more right to him, but if another preempts me

The agony in it will be great and the situation dire.

إنّي لأخشى أن أرى دَمَ مُؤمنٍ

بيدي لأجلِ أبي يُراقُ وينزف

I fear that I would see the blood of a believer spilled

By my hand, on my father's account, poured out and flowing.

قال النبيُّ ارفِقْ بشيخكَ وارْعَهُ

إنّ العُقوقَ من البنينَ لَمَتْلَفُ

The Prophet said: "Deal gently with your elder and protect him,

For undutifulness in children is pernicious."

القاذفُ الجبّارُ زُلزِلَ قلبُه

بالرُّعبِ يُلقَى والمخافةِ تُقذفُ

The arrogant slanderer's heart was shaken

With fear cast at him, and terror thrown.

ضَاقتْ مذاهبُه فأقبل ضارعاً

وأخو الهوانِ الضَّارعُ المستعطف

His paths grew narrow, so he came in surrender,

And the lowly suppliant is the brother of disgrace.

جَحَدَ الحديثَ وراح يَحلفُ ما جرى

صَدَقَ المُنَبِّئُ وافترى من يحلف

He denied the story and swore it did not happen;

The truthful informer spoke truthfully and the swearer lied.

إنّ ابن أرقمَ لم تكن لتخونه

أُذُنٌ تَعِي وتصونُ ما تتلقّفُ

Ibn Arqam's ears would not betray him

And guard what they pick up like an inscription

يبقى بها نقشُ الكلامِ كأنّما

نُقِشَتْ على الصّخرِ الأصَمِّ الأحرف

Carved into deaf rock, with letters

That when the tongue turns to dictating them

صُوَرٌ إذا وَلِيَ اللِّسَانُ أداءَها

فالزُّورُ من أعدائها والزخرف

Falsehood is from their enemies, as is idle fancy.

I did not aim in describing Zayd's merit that he

ما رُمْتُ وصفاً حَسْبُ زيدٍ أنّه

بفرائِدِ الوحْيِ المنظَّم يُوصف

Can be described with the scattered pearls of revelation.

God sent it down as a compelling proof.

اللَّهُ أنزله بياناً صادعاً

كبَتَ الألى قلبوا الأمورَ وزيَّفوا

They ruined affairs and altered them.

It uncovered hypocrisy in a chapter

كشفَ الغطاءَ عن النِّفاقِ بسورةٍ

نزلتْ وكان غطاؤُه لا يُكشَف

That was revealed when its covering could not be removed.

A crime, when it hides fearing a censor,

جُرْمٌ إذا استخفى مَخافةَ ذاكرٍ

نادى الزمانُ به وضَجَّ المصحف

The age proclaims it, and the Preserved Scripture declaims.