تعلَّمْنا الإِشارَةَ في طَريقٍ

عليه مضَى الإِمامُ ابنُ الرِّفاعِي

We learned gestures on the path

Where Imam Ibn Al-Rifa’i passed

وغِبنا عن مُلامَسَةِ الدَّعاوَى

بلا حقٍّ وعن عُلَقِ الدَّواعِي

And we missed touching baseless claims

Without truth and the motives of passions

ومن شرعِ الرَّسولِ أُفيض فينا

شُموسُ هُدًى تَلأْلأُ بالشُّعَاعِ

And from the way of the Messenger poured into us

Suns of guidance glittering with rays

ففي رمزِ الإِشارَةِ أَيُّ سِرٍّ

له وصلٌ تطَيْلَسَ بانقِطَاعِ

So what is the secret in the symbol of gesture

That has a connection that communicates by cutting off

يُناطُ بحبلِ ذاكَ الوصلِ عزمٌ

على الدُّنيا تَلا خُطَبَ الوَدَاعِ

Determination is tied with the rope of that connection

To turn away from the world after farewell sermons

وما الدُّنيا بعينِ شَريفِ عزمٍ

سِوى المطْروحِ من سقطِ المَتَاعِ

And the world in the eye of honorable determination

Is nothing but discarded belongings

فخذْ من حضرَةِ التَّقريبِ طَوْراً

تَدوسُ به على قُمَمِ السِّبَاعِ

So take for a while from the presence of spiritual refinement

With which you can tread on the peaks of predators

وخلِّ اللَّهوَ عن مولاكَ واذْكُرْ

فإنَّ اللَّهوَ من سوءِ الطِّبَاعِ

And leave playfulness away from your Master, and remember

Since playfulness is of the worst manners

فذكرُ اللهِ يُنتِجُ كلَّ خيرٍ

ويَحمي العبدَ من لَوْثِ الضَّيَاعِ

For God’s remembrance yields all good

And protects the servant from going astray

ولازِمْ سُنَّةَ المُخْتارِ دَهراً

فتلك بها صُنوفُ الانْتِفَاعِ

And adhere to the way of the Chosen One forever

For with it are all kinds of benefits

بها لطَوائِفِ الخَيْراتِ جمعٌ

وكلُّ الشُّؤمِ شُؤمُ الابْتِدَاعِ

With it are collected diverse virtues

And every misfortune is the misfortune of innovation

ورمِّحْ بالمُباحِ القلبَ حيناً

فتلكَ بنيَّ سيرَةُ خيرِ دَاعِ

And entertain your heart sometimes with the permissible

For those are the ways of the best worshippers

ورحْ مُتواضِعاً واجْلِسْ وَقوراً

فَهَتْكُ الشَّأْنِ من دَأبِ الرَّعَاعِ

And walk humbly and sit with dignity

For violating dignity is the habit of rabble

ولا تبعثْ لغيرِ اللهِ قلباً

فبعثُ الغيرِ يقلِبُ في الصِّرَاعِ

And do not dedicate your heart to other than God

For dedicating to others causes turmoil

وخلِّ الزُّهدَ فيكَ كَمينَ سِرٍّ

نَقيعُ السَّمِّ في الزُّهْدِ المُشَاعِ

And make asceticism within you a secret treasure

For the harm of ostentatious asceticism spreads like poison

فكم من هِمَّةٍ في ثوبِ خَزٍّ

وكم من خِسَّةٍ تحتَ الرِّقَاعِ

So how many ambitions are in a cloak of wool

And how much vileness under gowns

وحارِبْ للعَقيدَةِ كلَّ باغٍ

عليها لا تخَفْ صَدْمَ القِرَاعِ

And fight for the creed against every aggressor

Do not fear the strike of spears

فإنَّ اللهَ ينصُرُ ناصِريهِ

بحُكمِ الآيِ والخَبَرِ المُذَاعِ

For God grants victory to those who defend Him

By the rule of verses and widely narrated reports

ولا تشغِلْ بأَهلِ الحِقدِ فِكراً

فحِقْدُهُمْ لهُمْ سَمُّ الأَفاعي

And do not occupy your mind with grudges

For their hatred is poison to snakes

وخَلِّكَ في الهَوَى مُنْحَطَّ عزمٍ

وفي طُرُقِ الكَمالِ طَويلَ بَاعِ

And make yourself determined, rejecting desires

And long-armed in the ways of perfection

ورُحْ للخيرِ منخَفِضاً فكم قدْ

جرَى الوادي بأَمواهِ التِّلاعِ

And go gently to good, for how often

The valley flows with its flooding waters

ومهِّدْ للحَسودِ فَسيحَ صدرٍ

وقاتِلْهُ بترْكِكَ للدِّفَاعِ

And pave an easy heart for the envious one

And fight him by not defending yourself

وإن دافَعْتَ عن طبعٍ فأَحْكِمْ

نِظامَ الشَّرْعِ واخْلِصْ في التَّداعي

And if you defend a disposition, then judge precisely

The system of Sharia and be sincere in litigation

وإن سلَّمْتَ للمولَى فأَوْلى

وهذا دأْبُ سيِّدِنا الرِّفاعِي

And if you submit to the Master, that is best

And this is the way of our Master Al-Rifa’i