أَهلاً بِأَوَّلِ مُسلِمٍ

في المَشرِقَينِ عَلا وَطار

Greetings, O first Muslim

Who transcended the two horizons

النيلُ وَالبُسفورُ فيـ

ـكَ تَجاذَبا ذَيلَ الفَخار

The Nile and the Bosphorus vied

To grab the train of his robe

يَومَ اِمتَطَيتَ بُراقَكَ الـ

ـمَيمونَ وَاِجتَزتَ القِفار

The day you rode your Buraq

And traversed the barren desert

تَلهو وَتَعبَثُ بِالرِيا

حِ عَلى المَفاوِزِ وَالبِحارِ

Frolicking with the wind

Across the plateaus and seas

لَو سابَقَتكَ سَوابِقُ الـ

ـأَفكارِ أَدرَكَها العِثار

Had your thoughts raced ahead

Misfortune would have tripped them

حَسَدَتكَ في الأُفُقِ البُرو

قُ وَغارَ في الأَرضِ البُخار

The horizon envied you

And vapor hid in the earth

تَجري بِسابِحَةٍ تَشُق

قُ سَبيلَها شَقَّ الإِزار

You swam parting a path

That split your wrap

وَتَكادُ تَقدَحُ في الأَثيـ

ـرِ فَيَستَحيلُ إِلى شَرار

And nearly struck the ether

Turning it into embers

مِثلَ الشِهابِ اِنقَضَّ في

آثارِ عِفريتٍ وَثار

Like a shooting star smashed

The tracks of a roaming ghost

فَإِذا عَلَت فَكَدَعوَةِ الـ

ـمُضطَرِّ تَختَرِقُ السِتار

When you rose like the cry

Of the desperate, piercing the veil

وَإِذا هَوَت فَكَما هَوَت

أُنثى العُقابِ عَلى الهَزاز

And when you dove like the plunge

Of a female eagle over its playground

وَتُسِفُّ آوِنَةً وَآ

وِنَةً يَحيدُ بِها اِزوِرار

Swerving here and there

Making the watcher think you’d landed

فَيَخالُها الراؤونَ قَد

قَرَّت وَلَيسَ بِها قَرار

Though you hadn’t landed

The steed frolicked less

لَعِبَ الجَوادُ أَقَلَّ لَي

ثاً مِن قُضاعَةَ أَو نِزار

Than a Qudha’a or Nizari

Or like the games of protective beasts

أَو كَاللَعوبِ مِنَ الحَما

ئِمِ فَوقَ مَلعَبِهِ اِستَطار

Cavorting in their yard

And as if in the horizon when

وَكَأَنَّها في الأُفقِ حيـ

ـنَ يَميلُ ميزانُ النَهار

The scale of daylight tilts

And the sun casts over you

وَالشَمسُ تُلقي فَوقَها

حُلَلَ اِحمِرارٍ وَاِصفِرار

Robes of red and yellow

A king you represent to us

مَلِكٌ تُمَثِّلُهُ لَنا ال

سيما فَيَأخُذُنا اِنبِهار

Dazzling our sight

So swear by your Lord for what

فَتحي بِرَبِّكَ ما رَأَيـ

ـتَ بِذَلِكَ الفَلَكِ المُدار

You saw in that revolving sphere

Did you convey the praise

أَبَلَغتَ تَسبيحَ المَلا

ئِكِ أَو دَنَوتَ مِنَ السِرار

Of the angels or draw near to secrets

Or did you fear those watchers

أَم خِفتَ تِلكَ الراصِدا

تِ هُناكَ مِن شُهُبٍ وَنار

There of comets and fire?

Did you see the inhabitants

أَرَأَيتَ سُكّانَ النُجو

مِ وَأَنتَ في ذاكَ الجِوار

Of the stars while in that vicinity

Are the flaws of vegetation

أَهُناكَ في المِرّيخِ ما

في الأَرضِ مِن عِلَلِ الشِجار

There on Mars like those on earth

Does the weak prey

أَهُناكَ يَستَعدي الضَعيـ

ـفُ عَلى القَوِيِّ فَلا يُجار

Upon the strong there without redress

What excess for man

ما لِاِبنِ آدَمَ زادَ في

غُلَوائِهِ فَطَغى وَجار

In his tyranny that he transgressed!

I wish I knew: does he

يا لَيتَ شِعري هَل لَهُ

في عالَمِ المَلَكوتِ ثار

Have vengeance in the angelic realm

Or has he sought refuge

أَم لاذَ مُعتَصِماً بِكُر

سِيِّ المُهَيمِنِ وَاِستَجار

Clinging to the Omnipotent King’s throne?

So prepare to take off

فَاِستَلَّ مِن قَلبِ الجَما

دِ الصُلبِ أَجنِحَةً وَطار

When you reach the extent of flight

Then visit Suhail and Furqadain

وَتَسَلَّقَ الأَجواءَ مُم

تَطِياً عَواصِفَها وَسار

If the shrines become accessible

And ask the stars about life

يَرجو النَجاءَ مِنَ المَظا

لِمِ وَالمَغارِمِ وَالدَمار

For in asking is a lesson

They inform you that all

يا أَيُّها الطَيّارُ طِر

فَإِذا بَلَغتَ مَدى المَطار

Creatures are liable to perish

And that injustice is inherent in the system

فَزُرِ السُها وَالفَرقَدَيـ

ـنِ إِذا أُتيحَ لَكَ المَزار

So if you are wronged, do not resist

He who created the mighty

وَسَلِ النُجومَ عَنِ الحَيا

ةِ فَفي السُؤالِ لَكَ اِعتِبار

Is He who created the atom

In the highest and lowest realms

هُم يُنبِئونَكَ أَنَّ كُلـ

ـلَ الكائِناتِ إِلى بَوار

There are laws that are executed

The weak was created to serve

وَالظُلمُ مِن طَبعِ النِظا

مِ فَإِن ظُلِمتَ فَلا تُمار

The strong and has no options

So be pious, for the strong will intimidate you

إِنَّ الَّذي بَرَأَ السَديـ

ـمَ هُوَ الَّذي بَرَأَ الغُبار

While the small haunt you

In the land you wish for glory

في العالَمِ العُلوِيِّ وَالـ

ـسُفلِيِّ أَحكامٌ تُدار

And great hopes

In it lies the iron and the flint

خُلِقَ الضَعيفُ لِخِدمَةِ الـ

ـأَقوى وَلَيسَ لَهُ خِيار

The day the ignoble will be disgraced

In it lie the abundant treasures

فَتَقَوَّ يَرهَبكَ القَوِيـ

ـيُ وَهُن يُلازِمكَ الصَغار

For those who are insightful and enlightened

From it drew his power he who conquered realms

في الأَرضِ ما تَبغونَ مِن

عِزٍّ وَآمالٍ كِبار

And borrowed weapons from he who invaded

With what it contained the sound opinion

فيها الحَديدُ وَفيهِ بَأ

سٌ يَومَ يُمتَهَنُ الذِمار

Repelled the attack of the aggressors

Entrust your secret and return

فيها الكُنوزُ الحافِلا

تُ لِمَن تَبَصَّرَ وَاِستَنار

To that homeland

And send our greetings

مِنها اِستَمَدَّ قُواهُ مَن

قَهَرَ المَمالِكِ وَاِستَعار

To the land where reign has its seat

The seat of the caliphate and guidance

وَبِما اِحتَوَت رَدَّ الحَصيـ

ـفُ الرَأيِ غارَةَ مَن أَغار

Where the minaret of light was erected

The home of conquering elite

في ذِمَّةِ الآفاقِ سِر

وَاِرجِع إِلى تِلكَ الدِيار

The best of men, well refined

In every civilized place they have

وَاِجعَل تَحِيَّتَنا إِلى

بَلَدٍ بِهِ لِلمُلكِ دار

A conquest, then an opening, then victory

They lashed the times with the whip of their glory

دارٌ عَلَيها لِلخِلا

فَةِ وَالهُدى رُفِعَ المَنار

Shining for them, inexhaustible

They walk in thickets of spears

دارُ الغُزاةِ الفاتِحيـ

ـنَ الصَفوَةِ الغُرِّ الخِيار

With the strut of one inebriated by perfume

The most valiant of brave warriors

في كُلِّ حاضِرَةٍ لَهُم

غَزوٌ فَفَتحٌ فَاِنتِصار

Consulting nothing but their own zeal

Of terrible striking power

ضَرَبوا الزَمانَ بِسَوطِ عِز

زَتِهِم فَلانَ لَهُم فَدار

Not that of the alluring coquette

Assailing ambitions, gambling his soul

يَمشونَ في غابِ القَنا

مَشيَ المُرَنَّحِ بِالعُقار

As if it were a game of chance

Never wavering nor the planets

مِن كُلِّ أَروَعَ فاتِكٍ

لا يَستَشيرُ سِوى الغِرار

Departing their orbit

Gloomy were their days to them

ذي مِرَّةٍ تُشجيهِ ذا

تُ النَقعِ لا ذاتُ الخِمار

And gloom gives way to joy

They never blamed that ascent

يَغشى المَعامِعَ ضارِباً

بِحَياتِهِ ضَربَ القِمار

In life is followed by descent

For every risen one has a collapse

لا يَنثَني أَو تَخرُجَ الـ

ـأَجرامُ عَن فَلَكِ المَدار

And for every glow there’s an eclipse

Soon their star will rise high

عَبَسَت لَهُم أَيّامُهُم

وَالعَبسُ يَعقُبُهُ اِفتِرار

And that emblem will turn pitch black

ما عابَهُم أَنَّ الصُعو

دَ يَليهِ في الدَهرِ اِنحِدار

فَلِكُلِّ غادٍ رَوحَةٌ

وَلِكُلِّ وُضّاءٍ سِرار

وَلَسَوفَ يَعلو نَجمُهُم

وَيَسودُ ذَيّاكَ الشِعار