جَاءَ الرّسولُ كِتابُه بيمينِهِ
واليمنُ في فمهِ وَفْوَق جَبينِهِ
The envoy came, his letter in his right hand,
with good fortune upon his lips and above his brow.
وَافَى إمامَ المُرسلينَ مُبشّراً
بالمؤمنينَ من الملوكِ بدينهِ
He reached the leader of the messengers, bearing glad tidings
of kings who had believed in his faith.
بعثوا إليه رسولهم وكتابَهم
أن ليس مُتَّبَعٌ لهم مِن دونه
They sent to him their envoy and their letter,
declaring that they followed none besides him.
قالوا اعْتَصمنا باليقينِ فَزادنا
دِينُ الهُدى والمرءُ عِندَ يقينِهِ
They said, “We held fast to certainty, and we were increased
by the faith of guidance—for a man stands by his certainty.
ولقد قتلنا المشركينَ نُريدُه
فتحاً يَشُجُّ الشِّركَ في عِرْنِينهِ
We have indeed slain the polytheists, seeking
a victory that cleaves polytheism upon the bridge of its nose.
أقيالُ حِمْيَرَ لانَ جانِبُ عِزِّهم
لِمُسلَّطٍ لِينُ الظُّبَى مِن لِينهِ
The princes of Himyar—the proud flank of their might grew gentle
before a sovereign whose gentleness softened even sword-blades.
سَنَّ السّبيلَ بِسيفهِ وَلِسانِهِ
فتهافتَ الأقوامُ في مَسْنُونِه
He laid down the way with his sword and his tongue,
and peoples rushed headlong into the way he ordained.
لا شيءَ كالحقِّ المُسلَّحِ للفتى
يَشفِيهِ من كَلَبِ الهَوى وجُنونِهِ
Nothing serves a young man like truth armed,
curing him of passion’s rabid hunger and madness.
اللّيثُ في مِحرابِهِ وكتابِهِ
واللّيثُ في أشبالِهِ وعَرِينهِ
A lion in his prayer-niche and beside his Book,
and a lion among his cubs and within his den.”
رَجَع الرسولُ على هُدَىً برسالةٍ
فيها الهُدَى يَمحُو الظّلامَ لِحينهِ
The envoy returned with guidance in a message;
therein guidance dispelled the darkness at once.
فيها قُوى الإسلامِ مُحكَمةُ العُرَى
لِمَن ابْتَغَى الخيراتِ في تَمكينهِ
Therein the bonds of Islam are firmly knit
for whoever seeks goodness beneath its dominion.
فيها شَعائرهُ ومَظهرُ مجدهِ
ونظامُ دَولتِهِ وأُسُّ شُؤونِهِ
Therein are its rites and the manifestation of its glory,
the order of its state and the foundation of its affairs.
أخَذَ الملوكَ بواضحٍ من هَدْيهِ
مُتبلِّجٍ لم يَأْلُ في تَبْيينهِ
He won over kings with the manifest light of his guidance,
radiant, sparing no effort to make it plain.
وَرَمى إليهم بالوصيَّةِ سمحةً
يَقضِي الأمينُ بها زِمامَ أمينِهِ
He sent them a gracious injunction
whereby a trustee fulfills the charge of the one who trusted him:
أن أكْرِموا رُسلِي الذين تَرَوْنَهم
يرجون فضلَ الله عِندَ ديُونهِ
“Honor these envoys of mine whom you see;
they hope for God’s bounty as they discharge what is owed.
أَوصيتُ زرعةَ أن يكونَ لهم يداً
كَيَدِ القرينِ يَشُدُّ أزْرَ قرينِهِ
I charged Zurʿa to lend them his hand,
like a companion’s hand that braces his companion’s back.
ولقد جعلتُ إلى معاذٍ أمرهُمْ
فجعلتُه لِزَعيمهِ وضَمينهِ
I have entrusted their affairs to Muʿadh,
making him their responsible guardian and guarantor.
لا يرجعنَّ إليَّ إلا راضياً
والله عَوْنُ نَصيرِه وَمُعينِهِ
Let him return to me only well pleased;
God grants aid to whoever supports and helps him.”
يا حارثُ اشْكُرْ فَضْلَ رَبِّكَ إنّه
أعطاكَ حَظّاً زَادَ في تَحسينِهِ
O al-Harith, thank your Lord for His grace: He
gave you a portion and increased its beauty.
أوَ لستَ أوّلَ مُسلمٍ من حِمْيَرٍ
وَرَدَ الهُدى وَمَضى بِصَفْوِ مَعينِهِ
Were you not the first Muslim of Himyar,
who came to guidance and departed with the pure water of its spring?
وأقامَ للشركِ المذمَّمِ مَأتماً
يَستعذِبُ الإسلامُ رَجْعَ أنينِهِ
You raised a wake for blameworthy polytheism,
while Islam found sweetness in the echo of its groaning.
أبْشِرْ بخيرٍ غيرِ مقطوعِ الجنَى
مِن ربّكَ الأعلى ولا مَمْنونِهِ
Rejoice in a good whose harvest will never be cut off,
from your Lord Most High, neither withheld nor begrudged.
هَذا السّبيلُ فأينَ يذهبُ من أبى
أوَ ليس نُور اللهِ قد كشفَ الدُّجَى
This is the path—where can one who rejects it go?
Has not God’s light already dispelled the darkness?
ليس الذي رَكِبَ الغَوايةَ فَالْتوى
كَمَن استقامَ ولا الضَّلالةُ كالهُدَى
One who mounts error and twists aside
is not like one who walks straight, nor is error like guidance.
أحسنتَ فروةُ إنّ دِينَ مُحمدٍ
لَهُوَ الذي يَشفِي القُلوبَ مِنَ العَمَى
Well done, Farwa! The faith of Muhammad
is indeed what heals hearts of blindness.
هذا رسولُكُ جَاءَهُ بِهَديّةٍ
فيها لنفسِك كلُّ ما تَهَبُ المُنَى
This envoy of yours came to him bearing a gift
containing for your soul all that hopes might bestow.
أنت السّعيدُ بها ولو أتْبعَتها
كُلَّ الذي لك لم تَزِدْ إلا غِنَى
Through it you are blessed; and had you followed it with
all that was yours, you would only have grown richer.
ماذا يغيظُ الرُّومَ من مُسْتَبْصِرٍ
صَرَفَ العِنانَ عن الغوايةِ وارْعَوَى
What is it that enrages the Romans about a man of insight
who turned the reins away from error and came to his senses?
سجنوه حين رَأوْهُ يُطلِقُ نفسَهُ
في المعشرِ الطُلَقاءِ من سِجنِ الهَوى
They imprisoned him when they saw him setting his soul free
among the liberated—free from passion’s prison.
وتكنَّفوهُ لِيفتنُوه فزادَ في
إيمانِهِ ما جَرّعوهُ من الأذَى
They closed around him to tempt him; yet it only increased
his faith—all the hurt they forced him to swallow.
لو يعقِلُ الملكُ الغَبيُّ لمَا رأى
رَأْيَ الأُلى ضلّوا السّبيلَ ولا غَوَى
Had the foolish king understood, he would not have embraced
the view of those before him who lost the path and strayed.
قال اعْتَزِلْ دِينَ الذينَ هُمُ العِدَى
إن كنتَ تُؤثِرُ أن تُرَدَّ على رِضَى
He said, “Forsake the religion of those who are our enemies,
if you wish to be restored to favor.
لك عند قومِكَ ما تحبُّ وتَشتهِي
في ذلكَ الحَرمِ المُمنَّعِ والحِمَى
Among your own people you shall have all you love and desire,
within that inviolate sanctuary and protection:
المجدُ والشرفُ الرفيعُ وما ترى
من نعمةٍ خضراءَ دانيةِ الجَنى
glory, exalted honor, and what you see
of verdant plenty, its fruit hanging near.”
قال اقْتصِدْ ما أنْتَ أنْتَ ولا أنا
أنا قد مضى من أمرِنا ما قد مَضى
He said, “Be measured: you are not yourself, nor am I.
As for me, what has passed in our affair has passed.
إنّي اصطفيتُ مُحمداً وهو الذي
أوصى به عيسَى فَنِعمَ المُصطفى
I have chosen Muhammad—and he is the one
whom Jesus commended; how excellent the Chosen One!
وأراكَ تَعلمُ غيرَ أنّكَ مُولَعٌ
بالمُلكِ تكرهُ أن يكونَ له مدَى
I see that you know, but you are infatuated
with kingship and hate that it should have an end.”
قال اقتلوهُ فراحَ يَلقى ربَّهُ
فَرِحاً بما حَفِظَ الأمانةَ وَاتَّقَى
He said, “Kill him.” So Farwa went to meet his Lord,
joyful that he had kept the trust and remained God-fearing.
صَلبوهُ من حَنَقٍ عليه فويحهم
أفَلَمْ يكنْ في قتلِ فروةَ ما كَفَى
They crucified him out of rancor against him—woe to them!
Was there not enough in killing Farwa?
نِعْمَ الشهيدُ وبِئْسَ ما صَنعوا به
وسيعلمون لِمَنْ يكونُ المُنتهى
Excellent the martyr; vile was what they did to him.
And they shall know to whom the final outcome belongs.
تِلكَ العقيدةُ حكمُها وسبيلُها
إمّا سبيلُ المؤمنينَ أوِ الرَّدى
Such is the creed—its judgment and its way:
either the path of the believers, or ruin.
