كَذَا فَلْيَكُنْ رُزْءُ العُلَى والْعَوَالِمِ

ومِنْ مِثْلِ ذا تَنْهَدُّ رُكْنُ الْمَعالم

So let the derision of the exalted and the worlds be thus,

And it is the likes of this that makes the pillars of ideals moan.

أَما آنَ للأَرْضِ التَّزَلْزُلُ بَعْدَما

هَوَى جَبَلُ الْعِلْمِ الطَّويلُ الدَّعائِمِ

Is it not time for the earth to shake after

The mountain of knowledge, with its towering pillars, has fallen?

فكَيْفَ ثُبُوتُ الشُّهْبِ والْبَدْرُ قَدْ ثَوَى

بِبَطْنِ الثَّرَى واغْبرَّ أُفْقُ الْمَكارِمِ

So how can the stars and moon remain fixed

When he who was a sea of guidance lies buried in the belly of dust, and the horizon of virtues is clouded?

قَضَى العالِمُ النَّحْريرُ والسَّابِقُ الذي

غَدَا مَوْتُهُ في النّاسِ إحْدَى الْعَظَائمِ

The eminent scholar and pioneer has passed away,

And his death has become one of the greatest calamities for people.

قَضَى البَحْرُ في كُلِّ المعارِفِ عَنْ يَدٍ

فَوَاهاً عَلَى بَحْرِ الْهُدَى المتَلاطِمِ

The sea of all branches of knowledge has died at the hands of

Destiny. Alas for the tumultuous sea of guidance!

فَمَنْ للتَّفاسِيرِ الْعَويصَاتِ بَعْدَهُ

إذا حَيَّرَتْ أبْحاثُها كُلَّ عالِمِ

Who now can unravel the difficult exegeses

When their discussions perplex every scholar?

ومَنْ ذَا يُرْوِّي الطّالِبينَ بمَشْرَبٍ

مِنْ السُّنَّةِ الْغَرّاءِ عِنْدَ التَّزاحُمِ

And who can quench the thirst of seekers

With a drink from the radiant Sunnah during the crush?

ومَنْ ذَاك للأَصْلَيْنِ يَبْحَثُ فِيهما

مَباحِثَ نقّادِ الْبَصِيرَةِ فَاهِمِ

And who can now research the two fundamental sources,1

With the penetrating discussions of the discerning critics?

ومَنْ ذا إذَا عِلْمُ الْبَيانِ تَوَعَّرَتْ

مسالِكُهُ يَرْقَى لَهُ بالسَّلالِمِ

And when the science of rhetoric becomes difficult,

Who can now ascend its paths and ladders?

لِتَبْكِ عُلُومُ الْعَقْلِ والنَّقْلِ كُلُّها

عَلَى فَرْدِها المخْتارِ بَيْنَ الْعَوالِمِ

Let all the sciences of reason and narration weep

For their unique choice among the learned of the world.

ليَبْكِ عَلَيْهِ مَنْهَجُ الزُّهْدِ والْهُدَى

ومَرْتَعُ أَرْبابِ الْهُدَى المتَقادِمِ

Let the path of asceticism and guidance weep for him,

As well as the pasture of the people of guidance and precedent.

فَلَهْفِي عَلَى ذاكَ التَّواضُعِ إنَّهُ

تَعاظَمَ فيهِ الرُّزْءُ كُلَّ التّعاظُمِ

So weep for that humility of his, as

Superiority was utterly humbled in him.

ولَهْفي عَلَى تِلْكَ الْخَلائِقِ إنَّها

تَقَضَّتْ فكانَتْ شِبْهَ أَحْلامِ نائِمِ

And weep for those manners of his, as

They have come to an end, becoming like the dreams of a sleeper.

أَشَيْخَ شُيُوخِ الْعَصْرِ كَيْفَ تَركْتَنا

عِطاشاً وأَنْتَ الْبَحْرُ يا بنَ الأكارِمِ

O sheikh of the sheikhs of the age! How could you leave us

Thirsty when you were an ocean, O son of nobility?

أيا رِحْلَةَ الطّلاّبِ مَنْ ذاك يُرْتَجى

لَحلِّ عُقُودِ المعْضِلاتِ الْعَظائِمِ

O quest of the students! Who can now be hoped

To solve the complex, momentous problems?

سَقَى جَدَثاً أُنْزلْتَهُ صَوْبُ رَحْمَةٍ

وَجادَتْ عَلَيْهَ سافِحاتُ الْغَمائِمِ

Your grave was watered in a place of mercy,

And the rainclouds of favor poured upon it.

وَجازَاكَ مَنْ أَولاكَ عَنْ نَشْر دِينِهِ

بِخَيْرِ جَزَاءِ نالَهُ خَيْرُ قادمِ

May He who enabled you to spread His faith

Reward you with the best reward gained by the noble.

فَأَنْتَ الّذي أَحْيَيْتَ سُنَّةَ أَحْمَدٍ

وأطْلَعْتَها شَمْساً بِرَغْمِ الرَّواغِمِ

You are the one who revived the Sunnah of Ahmad2

And made it a radiant sun despite the preventing forces.

ومِلْتَ إلى الإنْصافِ غَيْرَ مُراقِبٍ

وَلا خائِفٍ ما عِشْتَ لَوْمَ اللّوائِمِ

You inclined toward fairness without self-interest

Or fear of blame for as long as you lived.

وأعْرَضْتَ عَنْ كُلِّ الْمَطامِعِ رَاضِياً

بمَيْسُورِ عَيْشٍ لا بِعَيْشِ الْبَهائِمِ

And you turned away from all temptations, pleased

With a moderate livelihood, not the life of beasts.