إِنَّ الذَوائِبَ مِن فِهرٍ وَإِخوَتَهُم
قَد بَيَّنوا سُنَّةً لِلناسِ تُتَّبَعُ
The exemplars from the clan of Fihr and their brethren
Have set a tradition for people to follow
يَرضى بِها كُلُّ مَن كانَت سَريرَتُهُ
تَقوى الإِلَهِ وَبِالأَمرِ الَّذي شَرَعوا
Pleasing to all whose inner thoughts are
Devotion to God and to the way they pioneered
قَومٌ إِذا حارَبوا ضَروا عَدُوَّهُمُ
أَو حاوَلوا النَفعَ في أَشياعِهِم نَفَعوا
A people who in warfare injured their enemies
Or in seeking benefit benefited their partisans
سَجِيَّةٌ تِلكَ مِنهُم غَيرُ مُحدَثَةٍ
إِنَّ الخَلائِقَ حَقّاً شَرُّها البِدَعُ
Such is their natural disposition, no innovation
Truly the worst of all creatures are innovations
لا يَرقَعُ الناسُ ما أَوهَت أَكُفُّهُمُ
عِندَ الدِفاعِ وَلا يوهونَ ما رَقَعوا
Men do not mend what their palms have rent
In defense, nor do they damage what they have mended
إِن سابَقوا الناسَ يَوماً فازَ سَبقُهُمُ
أَو وازَنوا أَهلَ مَجدٍ بِالنَدى مَتَعوا
If they outstripped people one day, their outstripping triumphed
Or if they vied with men of glory, they took enjoyment
إِن كانَ في الناسِ سَبّاقونَ بَعدَهُمُ
فَكُلُّ سَبقٍ لِأَدنى سَبقِهِم تَبَعُ
If there are any outstrippers among people after them
Then each outstripping is a consequence of their outstripping
وَلا يَضِنّونَ عَن مَولىً بِفَضلِهِمِ
وَلا يُصيبُهُمُ في مَطمَعٍ طَبَعُ
They do not begrudge a patron his favors upon them
Nor does greed afflict them in ambition
لا يَجهَلونَ وَإِن حاوَلتَ جَهلَهُمُ
في فَضلِ أَحلامِهِم عَن ذاكَ مُتَّسَعُ
They are not ignorant even if you seek their ignorance
Spacious is their sagacity, beyond that, latitude
أَعِفَّةٌ ذُكِرَت في الوَحيِ عِفَّتُهُم
لا يَطمَعونَ وَلا يُرديهِمُ الطَمَعُ
Their chastity was mentioned in revelation, their continence
They covet not, nor does covetousness cast them down
كَم مِن صَديقٍ لَهُم نالوا كَرامَتَهُ
وَمِن عَدُوٍّ عَلَيهِم جاهِدٍ جَدَعوا
How many a friend whose honor they attained
And how many a hostile foe they broke
أَعطَوا نَبِيَّ الهُدى وَالبِرِّ طاعَتَهُم
فَما وَنى نَصرُهُم عَنهُ وَما نَزَعوا
They gave obedience to the Prophet of guidance and righteousness
Never did their support of him waver, nor withdraw
إِن قالَ سيروا أَجَدّوا السَيرَ جَهدَهُمُ
أَو قالَ عوجوا عَلَينا ساعَةً رَبَعوا
If he said march they strove their utmost in marching
Or if he said turn askance from us awhile, they wheeled
ما زالَ سَيرُهُمُ حَتّى اِستَفادَ لَهُم
أَهلُ الصَليبِ وَمَن كانَت لَهُ البِيَعُ
Their marching did not cease until the people of the cross
And whoever else submitted gained their advantage
خُذ مِنهُمُ ما أَتى عَفواً إِذا غَضِبوا
وَلا يَكُن هَمَّكَ الأَمرُ الَّذي مَنَعوا
Take from them ungrudgingly when they are wrathful
And let not your concern be for what they forbid
فَإِنَّ في حَربِهِم فَاِترُك عَداوَتُهُم
شَرّاً يُخاضُ عَلَيهِ الصابُ وَالسَلَعُ
For in their warring, the shedding of their foe's blood
Is an evil that whets the sword and barters lives away
نَسمو إِذا الحَربُ نالَتنا مَخالِبُها
إِذا الزَعانِفُ مِن أَظفارِها خَشَعوا
We soar when warfare's talons clutch at us
As the spines scatter beneath its claws and shrink away
لا فُرُحٌ إِن أَصابوا مِن عَدُوِّهِمُ
وَإِن أُصيبوا فَلا خورٌ وَلا جُزُعُ
No joy if they smote an enemy, no dejection if smitten
As though war's death and havoc crouched, watching them, quiescent
كَأَنَّهُم في الوَغى وَالمَوتُ مُكتَنِعٌ
أُسدٌ بِبيشَةَ في أَرساغِها فَدَعُ
When a lion lies at rest in his lair, withdrawn
If we take aim at a people we do not blame
إِذا نَصَبنا لِقَومٍ لا نَدِبُّ لَهُم
كَما يَدِبُّ إِلى الوَحشِيَّةِ الذَرَعُ
As the young gazelles yearn toward the wilderness, desire
Honor a people whose leader was God's Messenger
أَكرِم بِقَومٍ رَسولُ اللَهِ قائِدُهُم
إِذا تَفَرَّقَتِ الأَهواءُ وَالشِيَعُ
When divers passions and sects became separated
My heart's praise of them is seconded by a tongue shaping
أَهدى لَهُم مِدحَتي قَلبٌ يُؤازِرُهُ
فيما يُحِبُّ لِسانٌ حائِكٌ صَنَعُ
Verily they are the best of all the living
If the earnestness of speech stirs people, or they kindle
فَإِنَّهُم أَفضَلُ الأَحياءِ كُلِّهِمِ
إِن جَدَّ بِالناسِ جِدُّ القَولِ أَو شَمِعوا
