عَدَتْ طارقاتُ الهمِّ والليلُ مقبلُ

فَلِلْقَلْبِ منها آهةٌ وتأمُّلُ

The harbingers of worry and the approaching night have returned,

Bringing sighs and contemplation to the heart.

وأطلالُ رسمٍ تبعثُ الذِّكْرَ بعدما

توهَّمْتُ أنَّ الذِّكْرَ إذْ ذاك مُعضلُ

The ruins of a form awaken memories after

I thought memories were impossible when they were.

فماذا تُرَجِّي مِن رسومٍ تقلَّبتْ

بها حادثاتُ الدَّهرِ مِن حيثُ تَذْهَلُ

What can you hope for from forms changed

By the events of fate however it turns?

وهلْ يتردَّى في الصبابةِ عاقلٌ

وهلْ يَتْبَعُ الأشجانَ إلا مضلَّلُ

Can a reasonable man rave in youth?

And do any follow passions except the misguided?

فَدَعْ عنكَ هذا إنما الأمرُ منقضٍ

بما قدَّر الرَّحمنُ لو كنتَ تعقلُ

Leave this, the matter is over

With what the Merciful has ordained, if you are reasonable.

وشُدَّ إلى خيرِ البريَّةِ مَدْحَه

ومَن ذا يوفِّي حقَّه ويكمِّلُ

And praise the best of humanity,

Who can fulfill his right and complete it?

وقد بَسَطَ المُدَّاحُ فيضَ عطائهم

فما بلَغوا إلا يسيرًا يقلَّلُ

The praisers have poured out his abundant generosity,

Yet they have only attained little, made small.

فماذا يقولُ المادحون وقد مضـى

بِذكرِكَ قرآنٌ مِن اللهِ مُنْزَلُ

What can the praisers say when a Quran

Has passed down your remembrance, sent down from God?

وذِكْرُكَ مقرونٌ لدَى العرشِ باسمِه

فأيُّ مقامٍ بعدَ ذلك أفضلُ؟!

Your remembrance is linked next to His name at the Throne,

What station after that is more virtuous?!

هو النُّورُ مَن بِالنُّورِ جاءَ فأشرقتْ

له ظلماتُ الأرضِ مِن حيث يُقبلُ

He is the Light, the one who came with the Light so the

Darkness of earth shone wherever he turned.

هو الخاتَمُ المبعوثُ للنَّاسِ رحمةً

يُظِلُّ بها الرحمنُ قومًا ويشملُ

He is the Seal, sent to humanity as a mercy,

With which the Merciful shades and includes a people.

سراجٌ منيرٌ للبريَّة كلِّها

به يهتدي مَن كان عن ذاك يَسألُ

A shining lamp for all of humankind,

By it, those who asked about it are guided.

ألستَ ترى طيرَ السماءِ تراقصتْ

له فرحًا تشدو له ثُمَّ ترقلُ

Do you not see the birds of the sky danced for him

In joy, singing for him, then bowing down?

وخرَّتْ عوادِي الجنِّ ثُمَّتَ أيقنتْ

بأنَّ استراقَ السمعِ بابٌ مقفَّلُ

And the jinn of the deserts fell silent in submission

Realizing that eavesdropping was a door shut tight.

وأشرقَتِ الأنوارُ في كلِّ بقعةٍ

تُرَتِّلُ مِن آياتها ما تُرَتِّلُ

The lights shone in every spot,

Chanting verses, chanting what they chant,

وتهتِفُ باسمِ اللهِ ذي العرشِ ربِّها

لها في دعاءِ الليلِ منها تبتُّلُ

And proclaiming the name of God, Lord of the Throne,

For them, supplicating Him at night is an act of devotion.

وهشَّتْ له هَذِي السماءُ فأمطرتْ

سحائِبَ نُورٍ بالرخاءِ تُهَلِّلُ

The clouds of this sky fluttered for him and rained

Down showers of light, exalting in grace.

ولو سألوا عن شاتِها أمَّ معبدٍ

لَلَاحَ لهم مِن بعدُ آيٌ مفصَّلُ

Had they asked about their downpour, which sanctuary,

Signs explaining would have then appeared for them.

لقد كان يومُ الجذعِ للناسِ آيةً

لِمَنْ هو في أرجائها يتأملُ

The day of the tree trunk was truly a sign

For whoever contemplates in its reaches.

وسبَّح للرحمنِ في يَدِكَ الحصَـى

وأصغَتْ إليكَ الجِنُّ مِن حيثُ تُقْبِلُ

The pebbles glorified the Merciful in your hand,

And the jinn listened to you from wherever you approached.

أمينٌ على شرعِ الإلهِ وعدلِه

صدوقٌ فما تُخفي ولا تتبدَّلُ

Trustworthy in upholding the just law of God,

Truthful, you hide nothing and do not change.

أتيتَهُمُ بالمكرُماتِ مُتَمِّمًا

وما عافَها إلا سفيهٌ مختَّلُ

You brought them noble deeds, fulfilling

What none renounced except the deficient demented.

حَدَوْتَ بهم خيرَ الطريقِ فمَن عصَـى

فكلٌّ له قلبٌ به يتعقَّلُ

You guided them to the best path―whoever disobeyed

Has a heart with which he reasons and comprehends.

أتيتَهُمُ بالحقِّ، والحقُّ واضحٌ

وقلتَ لهم إنِّي مِن اللهِ مرسَلُ

You met them with pardon and favor, a boon,

To whoever comes to reason after misguidance.

بسطتَ لهم حبلَ المودَّةِ علَّه

يَؤُوبُ إلى الحسنَى غويٌّ مضلَّلُ

If they deny, God is your Lord, All-Knowing

Of hearts for which, after this, there is no refuge.

سَنَنْتَ لهم هَدْيَ الصِّـراطِ ليسلُكوا

وقد خابَ مَن عن هَديِه يتحولُ

You are gentle with them in speech, practicing

Restraint, avoiding hostility that is best avoided.

وقابلتَهم بالعفوِ فضلًا ومنَّةً

لِمَنْ كان مِن بعدِ الضلالةِ يعقلُ

If they claim you grew angry for personal need,

Let whoever makes such a claim speak for himself.

فإنْ يجحَدُوا فاللهُ ربُّكَ عالمٌ

بأفئدةٍ ما إنْ لها بعدُ موئلُ

You called to the upright religion with wisdom

And signs of truth, in which there is no pretense.

تَلِينُ لهم في القولِ حِلْمًا وتتَّقي

عداوةَ كلٍّ بالَّتي هي أمثَلُ

You called and left no argument for any speaker,

While your Lord guides whom He wills and leads astray.

فإنْ يزعُمُوا أنْ قَدْ غَضِبْتَ لحاجةٍ

بنفسِكَ فلْينطِقْ بها المتقَوِّلُ

You employed consultation of opinion where they comprehended,

For sound opinion is what can be accepted.

دعوتَ إلى الدِّينِ القَوِيمِ بحكمةٍ

وآياتِ صدقٍ ليس فيها تبذُّلُ

You are not harsh or brash, nor one disposed

To evil traits that he would then enact.

دعوتَ فما أبقيتَ قولًا لقائلٍ

وربُّكَ يهدِي مَن يشاءُ ويُضْلِلُ

Neither does partisanship make you favor the lowly,

Nor does resentment discourage those afar.

وأعمَلْتَ شُورَى الرأيِ مِن حيثُ أدرَكوا

بأنَّ سديدَ الرأيِ ما هو يُقْبَلُ

Is this magic or madness, as they claimed?

Glory to the Lord of the Throne above what they alleged.

فلا أنتَ بالْفَظِّ الغليظِ ولا الَّذي

يهمُّ إلى سُوءِ الخصالِ فيفعَلُ

Most people before were misguided and mounted

The carriages of vain delusion, met by hastened demise.

وما يُطْمِعُ الأدنينَ منكَ تعصُّبٌ

ولا يُقْنِطُ القاصينَ حقدٌ يكبِّلُ

Signs were recited to them yet none are guided

Except a submissive heart made meek.

أذلِكَ سِحْرٌ أمْ جنونٌ كما ادَّعَوا

فسبحانَ رَبِّ العرشِ عما تَقَوَّلُوا

You demolished the edifices of polytheism, raising

Their worth, while among the people are those high and low.

فقَدْ ضلَّ قَبْلًا أكثَرُ الناسِ وامتطَوْا

ركائِبَ غيٍّ دُونَها الحتفُ أعجَلُ

And you unified the two worlds under one standard―

The Truth, lofty, while resentments are below.

وقد كانتِ الآياتُ تُتلى عليهمُ

وما يهتدِي إلا فؤادٌ مذلَّلُ

Had you wished, the kingdom of earth would have come obedient,

But thanking the Merciful preoccupies you beyond that.

هَدَمْتَ صُرُوحَ الـشِّركِ تَرْفَعُ قَدْرَهُمْ

وفي الناسِ مَن يعلُو ومَن يتسفَّلُ

Ask the essence of the loins, they will tell of his merit,

And who after that can still be ignorant?

وجمَّعتَ شَمْلَ العالمينَ بِرايةٍ

هي الحقّ يعلُو والضَّغائنُ أسفَلُ

So stand for the Lord of the Worlds and be still,

For by God the favored path has appeared.

ولو شئتَ مُلْكَ الأرضِ جاءتْ مطيعةً

وشُكْرُكَ للرَّحمنِ عن ذاك يَشغَلُ

سَلُوا نُطَفَ الأصلابِ تُخْبِرْ بفضلِهِ

ومَن ذا الذي مِن بعدِ ذلك يجهلُ

فقُوموا لربِّ العالمين وأخبِتُوا

فواللهِ قدْ لاحَ السَّبيلُ المفضَّلُ