مُحمّدُ يا ابنَ مَسلمةٍ سَلامُ

وَحمْدٌ من شعائرِه الدَّوامُ

Muhammad, O son of Maslama, peace

And praise from his enduring rituals

إلى القُرَطاءِ لا كانوا رِجالاً

هُمُ البرحاءُ والدَّاءُ العُقَامُ

To the Qurata, if only they were men

They are the mean ones and the lingering disease

رِجالُ السُّوءِ لا حَقٌّ يؤدَّى

لخالِقهم ولا دِينٌ يُقامُ

The evil men in whom no right is fulfilled

For their Creator or religion upheld

تَنبَّهتِ القواضِبُ والعَوالي

بأيدِي الفاتِحينَ وهُمْ نِيامُ

The pots were upset, and the high places

By the hands of the conquerors while they slept

بَنِي بَكْرٍ ألمّا تُبصِروها

يَشُبُّ ضرامَها البطلُ الهُمامُ

O Bani Bakr, don’t you see

This serious young hero kindling its embers

ألا إن السريَّةَ فَاحْذَرُوها

لَيرهَبُ بَأسَها الجيشُ اللُّهامُ

Beware of the platoon so it doesn’t ambush you

Its might would terrify a brave army

هُمُ الأبطالُ عِدَّتهمُ قليلٌ

ومَشهدُهم كَثيرٌ لا يُرامُ

They are the heroes, few are their weapons

Yet their battlefield cannot be confronted

تقدَّمَ عابِدٌ ومَشى إليهم

عِبادُ اللَّهِ وَاسْتَعَر الصّدامُ

A devout man stepped forward and walked to them

The worshippers of God, and battle erupted

فَتِلكَ جَماجِمُ القَتْلَى وَهذي

فلولُ القومِ ليس لها نِظامُ

So these are the skulls of the dead and these

Are the remnants of the people, without order

وخُلِّيتِ النّساءُ فلا ذِمارٌ

لِبَكْرِيٍّ يُصانُ ولا ذِمامُ

The women were abandoned with no guardian

For a Bakri to be protected or watched over

وليسَ لِعرضِ مَغلوبٍ وقاءٌ

ولكنَّ الألى غَلبوا كِرامُ

The honor of the defeated has no immunity

But the superior ones were generous

أعِفَّاءُ النُّفوسِ ذَوِي حِفاظٍ

عليهم كلُّ فاحشةٍ حَرامُ

Chaste souls, custodians

Every abomination to them is forbidden

هُوَ الإسلامُ إحسانٌ وَبِرٌّ

وأخْذٌ بالمُروءةِ وَاعْتِصامُ

It is Islam, kindness and righteousness

And taking the moral path and standing firm

تَخَلَّوْا عن حَلائِلهم فَرُدَّت

عليهم تِلكُمُ المِنَنُ الجِسامُ

They gave up their wives who were returned to them

Those huge favors

بَني بكرٍ غَدَا الوادي خَلاءً

فأين الشّاءُ والكُومُ العِظامُ

O Bani Bakr, the valley lies empty

So where are the sheep and the great piles?

وأين ثُمامةُ بنُ أثالِ هَلّا

حَمَتْهُ حَنِيفَةٌ ممّا يُسامُ

And where is Thumamah ibn Uthal - if only

Hanifah had protected him from harm

يُسامُ الهُونَ ما جزِعتْ عليهِ

ولا بَكتِ اليمامةُ إذ يُضامُ

Harm to the defeated - she did not panic over it

Nor did the doves cry when it was violated

أما بَصُرتْ بسيِّدها ذليلاً

عَبوسَ الوجهِ يَعْلُوه القَتامُ

Did she not see her master humiliated

Gloomy-faced, darkness overcoming him?

أصابَ مِنَ الرّسولِ حِمىً مَنيعاً

وكَهْفاً فيه للهِمَمِ ازْدِحامُ

He attained from the Messenger an impenetrable sanctuary

A cave in which restless souls gather

أصابَ قِرىً يُحدِّثُ عن جَوادٍ

يُصيبُ الرِيَّ من يَدِهِ الغَمامُ

He attained villages relating the generosity

Of a cloud from which rain pours forth

أصابَ كرامةً وأفادَ خيراً

فلا مَثْوَىً يُذَمُّ ولا مُقامُ

He attained dignity and benefited goodness

No blameworthy dwelling or abode

تَعهَّدَهُ كَرِيمٌ أرْيَحِيٌّ

لهُ في كلِّ آونةٍ لِمامُ

A generous protector took care of him

For him at every moment there is leadership

ثُمامةُ كيفَ أنتَ وأيُّ نُعْمَى

ظَفِرْتَ بها فأعْوَزَها التَّمامُ

Thumamah, how are you, and what blessing

Did you attain that missed perfection?

أما مُكِّنتُ مِنكَ وكنتَ خَصماً

تَفاقَمَ شَرُّه وطَغى العُرامُ

If I had power over you and you were a rival

Whose evil grew and the blind raged?

طَحَا بِكَ مِن مُسَيْلَمةٍ خَبالٌ

فلا رَسَنٌ يُرَدُّ ولا زِمامُ

Deceivers from Musailamah made you stumble

With no firm footing or restraint to hold you back

يَقولُ لئن أردت اليومَ قتلي

فلا شكوىَ لديَّ ولا مَلامُ

He says if you want to kill me today

I have no complaint or blame

وإن يكُ مِنكَ مغفرةٌ وعَفْوٌ

شكرتُكَ والقَوِيُّ له احْتِكَامُ

And if there is forgiveness and pardon from you

I will thank you, and the strong one is the judge

هَداهُ إلى سَبيلِ اللهِ هادٍ

له بِمَخائلِ الخيرِ اتِّسامُ

A guide guided him to the path of God

With the refuges of good he is marked

ثُمامَةُ لا تَخَفْ ما عِشْتَ شَرّاً

تَجلَّى النُّورُ وانْقَشَعَ الظّلامُ

Thumamah do not fear evil while you live

The light has shone and darkness vanished

إلى البيتِ العتيقِ فَسِرْ رَشيداً

ولا يَحْزُنْكَ عَتْبٌ أو خِصامُ

Go rightly to the Ancient House

And do not grieve over rebuke or dispute

تأجّجَ في صُدورِ القومِ غَيظٌ

له في كلّ جانحةٍ ضِرامُ

Rage flared up in the hearts of the people

For them in every wing there is harm

أتُسلِمُ يا ثمامةُ إنّ هذا

وإنْ كَذَّبْتَنا لَهُوَ الأثامُ

Will you submit, O Thumamah? This

Even if you deny it, would be the sin

ثُمامةُ خُنْتنا وَصَبأْتَ عنّا

فليس لِصَدْعِ أنفُسِنا الْتِئَامُ

Thumamah you have betrayed us and turned away

There is no mending our broken souls

لأنتَ لنا عدوٌّ نتّقيهِ

فلا صُلحٌ يكونُ ولا سَلامُ

You are an enemy to us, beware

There can be no peace or safety

ألا فَدَعُوا الجَهالةَ وَاسْتَفِيقُوا

فما يُغْنِي عَنِ الغَيْثِ الجَهامُ

Beware, leave ignorance and wake up

For slogans do not hold back the rain

حذار فَما ثُمامةُ غير عَضْبٍ

لكم في حَدِّهِ الموتُ الزُّؤامُ

Beware, Thumamah is only wrath

For you, its edge is lethal harm

يَقولُ لكم لئن لم تَتْبَعُوني

لسوفَ يُيبدُكم منِّي انتقامُ

He says to you, if you do not follow me

Then revenge from me will destroy you

أسُدُّ عليكمُ الأسواقَ حتّى

يَصيحَ جِياعُكم أينَ الطّعامُ

I will block the markets from you until

Your starving ones cry out, where is the food?

أبَوْا فأذاقَهم منه عَذاباً

غَراماً ما لدائِبهِ انْصِرامُ

They refused, so he made them taste

A punishment, distress without end

أذابَ الجوعُ أنفسَهم فَضَجُّوا

وَضَجَّتْ في جُلودِهمْ العِظامُ

Hunger melted their souls and they shrieked

And the bones in their skin shrieked

أهابوا بالنبيِّ ألا أغِثْنا

فما يُرضيكَ أن يَشْقَى الأنامُ

They appealed to the Prophet - help us!

Will it please you for people to suffer?

أغِثْنا إنّها يا خيرَ مَولىً

عُرَى الأرحامِ ليس لها انْفِصامُ

Help us, O best guardian

Family ties that cannot be severed

رُمِينا من ثُمامةَ بالدَّواهِي

وفي يَدِكَ الكِنانةُ والسِّهامُ

Thumamah pelted us with disasters

While the spears and arrows are in your hand

نَهاهُ فلا دَمٌ في الحيِّ يُشوَى

ولا شَيْخٌ يَجوعُ ولا غُلامُ

He forbade it - no soul of the living being roasted

No elder starving or youth

تدارَكَ فَضلُهُ منهم نُفوساً

تَمنَّتْ لو تَدَارَكها الحِمامُ

His overflowing favor recovered souls

That wished to be saved by the Dove

فأمسى الأمرُ فيهم مُستقيماً

ولو عَرَفوا المحجَّةَ لاسْتَقاموا

So the matter among them was set right

And had they recognized the proof, they would have walked straight