أقبل عليك من الشعوب سلام — Ahmad Muharram

أقبلْ عليكَ من الشُّعوبِ سلامُ

فَزعَ الصّليبُ إليكَ والإِسلامُ

Come! Greetings from the peoples are upon you.

The Cross and Islam have sought refuge in you.

عيسَى يُناجِي فيكَ سيفَ مُحمّدِ

والدَّمعُ سَيْلٌ والهمومُ رُكامُ

Within you, Jesus communes with Muhammad's sword,

and tears are a torrent, and cares a heap.

الأرضُ وَلْهَى والممالكُ رُجَّفٌ

والنّاسُ حَربٌ والزّمانُ خِصامُ

The earth is distraught, and kingdoms are trembling,

and people are at war, and time is strife.

دُنيا تموجُ بها الشُّرورُ وعالَمٌ

تَطغَى على جَنَبَاتهِ الآثامُ

A world in which evils surge, and a realm

whose sides are overrun by sins.

لا الحِلُّ حِلٌّ في شرائعِ أهلهِ

عند القضاءِ ولا الحرامُ حرامُ

In its people's laws, the lawful is not lawful

when judgment is given, nor is the forbidden forbidden.

عَبَثَ الفلاسفةُ الكِبارُ بأَمنهِ

وجَنَى عليه السّادةُ الأعلامُ

The great philosophers have tampered with its security,

and eminent leaders have wronged it.

أقْبِلْ كعهدكَ مُوقِظاً ومُنبِّهاً

إنّ البصائرَ والعُقولَ نِيامُ

Come as you have before, awakening and alerting;

indeed, insight and reason lie asleep.

وانْشُرْ كِتَابكَ هادياً ومهذِّباً

فالنّاسُ ضُلَّالٌ وأنتَ إمامُ

And unfold your book, guiding and refining;

for people are astray, and you are their leader.

هذا كتابٌ للحياةِ مُفصَّلٌ

وَضُحَتْ به الآياتُ والأحكامُ

This is a detailed book for life;

through it, the verses and rulings have become clear.

مَضَتِ الدُّهورُ وما يزالُ كأنَّهُ

بمكانِه ما فُضَّ عنه ختام

The ages have passed, yet it remains as though

still in its place, with its seal unbroken.

نَمتِ الممالكُ في ظلالِكَ واجتلتْ

أُممُ الزّمانِ سَناكَ والأقوامُ

Kingdoms grew in your shade; and beholding

your radiance were the nations and peoples of the ages.

أَشْرَقْتَ والدُّنيا ضَلالٌ مُطبِقٌ

والكونُ شرٌّ شاملٌ وظلامُ

You shone forth while the world was enveloped in error,

and the universe was pervasive evil and darkness.

وطلعتَ والحقُّ المبينُ مُشَرَّدٌ

يَبغِي المُقامَ وأين منه مُقامُ

And you rose while manifest truth was driven into exile,

seeking a dwelling—yet where could it find one?

القتلُ يَطلبُهُ ويركُضُ خلفَهُ

والسُّبلُ حَيْرَى والخُطوبُ جِسامُ

Slaughter hunted it and raced behind it,

while the paths were bewildered and calamities immense.

والجاهليّةُ في مظاهرِ عِزِّها

ما ينقضِي صَلَفٌ لها وعُرامُ

And the age of ignorance, in the trappings of its glory,

had arrogance and ferocity that never ceased.

بَطلٌ تأهّبَ للجهادِ يُقيمُه

ومَضَى فلا خَوَرٌ ولا اسْتِسلامُ

A hero readied himself for jihad, to undertake it,

and pressed on, with neither weakness nor surrender.

ما الظّنُ بالضّرغامِ سَارَ مُهاجِراً

ضاق العرينُ فهاجرَ الضرغامُ

What would you expect of the lion setting out in emigration?

The den grew narrow, so the lion emigrated.

يمشِي وصَاحِبَهُ وما من ثالثٍ

إلا الإلهُ الواحدُ العلّامُ

He walks with his companion, with no third

except God, the One, the All-Knowing.

لم تُلْهِه الدُّنيا ولم يلعبْ بهِ

منها مَتاعٌ زائلٌ وحُطامُ

The world did not distract him, nor was he toyed with

by its fleeting goods and worthless debris.

الدّينُ من دُنيا الهَوى وخَبالهِا

للنّفسِ حِرزٌ مانعٌ وعِصامُ

Religion, against the world of desire and its madness,

is the soul's protective refuge and safeguarding bond.

ولقد يَنالُ الفردُ في إيمانهِ

ما لا ينالُ الجيشُ وهو لُهامُ

Indeed, the individual may attain through his faith

what even a vast army cannot attain.

النفسُ ملءُ الدّهرِ أو هِيَ ذرةٌ

مِمّا تُثيرُ وتنفُضُ الأقدامُ

The soul fills all time, or it is a speck

of the dust that feet stir up and shake off.

ما يستبينُ مكانُها فَتُرَى ولا

هي بالتي يُعْنَى بها فَتُسامُ

Its place cannot be discerned, that it might be seen; nor

is it given any heed, that it might be valued.

حَرَّرْتَ من رِقِّ الجهالةِ أنْفُساً

لَبِثَتْ يُهانُ عَزيزُها ويُضامُ

You freed souls from the bondage of ignorance,

whose noble ones had long been humiliated and oppressed.

مِحَنُ الحياةِ على النُّفوسِ كثيرةٌ

وأشدُّها الأهواءُ والأوهامُ

Life's trials upon souls are many,

and the harshest are passions and delusions.

يا مُنْقِذَ الضُّعفاءِ من آلامِهم

أُمَمُ البسيطةِ كلُّها آلامُ

O rescuer of the weak from their pains,

all the nations of the earth are pain.

جَرْحَى على جَرْحَى تَئِنُّ ألا يَدٌ

تأسو الجِراحَ لَعلَّها تَلتامُ

Wounded upon wounded, groaning—is there no hand

to tend the wounds, that they might heal?

هاتِ الرّسالةَ من يمين مُحمّدٍ

إنّا نَسِينا الدِّينُ كيف يُقامُ

Bring the message from Muhammad's right hand;

we have forgotten how religion is upheld.

وإذا الحياةُ تنكَّرتْ أعلامُها

فالدّينُ دُستورٌ لها ونظامُ

And when life's landmarks become unrecognizable,

religion is its constitution and order.

إنّا جَهِلْناها وعندكَ عِلْمُها

والجهلُ داءٌ للشُّعوب عُقامُ

We have been ignorant of it, while you possess knowledge of it,

and ignorance is an incurable disease for peoples.

هو إن سألتَ أُولي المعارف ما اسمه

سُلٌّ يُذيبُ حَياتها وجُذامُ

It is—if you ask the learned what its name is—

consumption wasting their life away, and leprosy.

زَاغَتْ بَصائرُنا فأصبحَ أمرُنا

بِيَدِ الأُلىَ نَامَ الحُماةُ وقاموا

Our insight has strayed, and our affairs have fallen

into the hands of those who rose while the guardians slept.

نَمضِي على هُونٍ بكلّ مَضَلَّةٍ

حتّى كأنّا في البلادِ سَوامُ

We move abjectly along every misleading path,

until we seem like grazing herds across the land.

والقومُ إن عَصَفتْ بهم أهواؤُهم

هَفَتِ العقولُ وطاشتِ الأحلامُ

And when people's passions sweep them away,

reason falters and judgment goes astray.

لا الجاهليّةُ إذ تَقادمَ عهدُها

دَرَستْ معالِمُها ولا الأصنامُ

The age of ignorance, though its era is long past,

has not had its traces erased, nor have the idols.

أَقْبِلْ على الدُّنيا بعهدٍ صالحٍ

تحيا به الآمالُ وهي رِمامُ

Come to the world with a virtuous age,

in which hopes revive, though now they are decayed remains.

بالمسلمين وأنتَ من آمالهم

ظَمَأٌ إليكَ مُبَرِّحٌ وأُوامُ

The Muslims, who count you among their hopes,

have a tormenting thirst for you, a burning thirst.

هُمْ في المنابرِ ألسنٌ وجوانِحٌ

وعلى المآذنِ أعيُنٌ أو هامُ

On the pulpits they are tongues and hearts,

and on the minarets, eyes or heads.

نَظروكَ فازدلفوا تُهِلُّ شُعوبُهم

فلكلِّ شعبٍ ضجّةٌ وزحامُ

They beheld you and drew near, their peoples cheering;

for each people has an uproar and a throng.

أَوَ مَا لَمستَ صُدورَهم فعرفتَها

ومن التّرائبِ والصُّدورِ ضرامُ

Have you not touched their breasts and come to know them,

while a blaze rises from their breastbones and chests?

حَالَ الزَّمانُ ودارتِ الأيّامُ

فَمضَى الجَبانُ وأحْجَمَ المِقدامُ

Time has changed, and the days have turned,

so the coward advanced, and the bold man held back.

نامت سُيوفُ الفاتحينَ فَحازَها

يَقِظُ الأسِنَّةِ والسُّيوفِ هُمامُ

The conquerors' swords fell asleep; they were seized

by a valiant man whose spearheads and swords were wakeful.

لَهِجٌ بأخبارِ السّماءِ يَهيجُه

عند الكواكبِ مَطلبٌ ومَرامُ

Intent on tidings of the sky, he is stirred

by a quest and an ambition among the stars.

جَمعَ الأزمَّةَ للصّعابِ يقودها

فلكلّ صعبٍ في يديهِ زِمامُ

He gathered reins for the unruly steeds, and leads them;

for every unruly steed, a rein lies in his hands.

ولكلِّ شعبٍ إن توثّبَ أو مَضَى

يبغي الفريسةَ مَصْرَعٌ وحِمامُ

And for every people, should it spring forth or advance

seeking prey, there is a downfall and death.

يا أيّها العامُ الجديدُ وَرِثْتَها

دُنيا وَرِثْنَاها ونحن كِرامُ

O new year, you have inherited it—

a world we inherited when we were noble.

ثمّ انْطوتْ عنّا وزالَ نعيمُها

فكأنّنا من بعدها أيتامُ

Then it withdrew from us, and its bliss vanished,

leaving us, after it, like orphans.

كم مات قبلكَ من وليدٍ وارثٍ

وكذا تموتُ وتُولَدُ الأعوامُ

How many a newborn heir has died before you!

Thus do the years die and are born.

بَشِّرْ شُعوبَ المسلمينَ بطائرٍ

سَعْدٍ فما للنّحسِ منكَ ذمامُ

Give the Muslim peoples glad tidings of a bird

of good fortune; ill luck has no claim on your protection.

زالتْ عن الشّرقِ السُّعودُ فلم تَدُمْ

أَيكونُ فيه للنُّحوسِ دَوامُ

Good fortunes left the East and did not endure;

will misfortunes there endure forever?

اضربْ لنا مَثَلَ الجهادِ وسِرْ بنا

نَغْشَى الوقائعَ فالحياةُ صِدامُ

Set us an example of jihad, and march with us,

to enter the battles, for life is collision.

هل أسلمَ الهادي الأمينُ قِيادَهُ

أم كان منه النّقضُ والإِبرامُ

Did the trustworthy guide surrender his reins,

or was he the one to undo and bind?

يبنِي ويهدِمُ جاهِداً ما مِثلُه

في الدَّهرِ بنّاءٌ ولا هدّامُ

He builds and demolishes, striving; none like him

has ever been a builder or demolisher.

رَفعَ الحياةَ على أساسٍ صالحٍ

والسّيفُ رُكنٌ والكتابُ دِعامُ

He raised life upon a sound foundation,

the sword a pillar, and the Book a support.

أُحُدٌ وبَدْرٌ شاهِدانِ فما عَلى

مَنْ يَسْفَحُ الدَّمَ في الحقوقِ مَلامُ

Uhud and Badr bear witness; there is no

blame upon one who sheds blood in defense of rights.

هل جالَ في تلكَ المشاهدِ مُصحفٌ

أم جال فيها مُصحفٌ وحُسامُ

Did a copy of the Qur'an range through those scenes,

or did a copy of the Qur'an and a sword range through them?

إنّا لَنلمحُ في جَبيِنكَ آيةً

ممّا يَخطُّ الوحيُ والإلهامُ

We indeed glimpse upon your brow a sign

of what revelation and inspiration inscribe.

تلك البِشارةُ إن تَغِبْ فَدليلُها

هذا الهلالُ المُشرِقُ البسّامُ

That glad tiding, should it vanish, has as its proof

this shining, smiling crescent.

إن يُخلفِ الزّمنُ الكَنودُ فربّما

وَفَتِ الجُدودُ وبَرّتِ الأقسامُ

If ungrateful time breaks its promise, perhaps

good fortunes will keep faith, and oaths prove true.

إنّا أخذنا للحياةِ عَتادَها

ومَضَتْ بنا هِمَمٌ تجيشُ عِظامُ

We have taken up life's equipment,

and mighty, surging aspirations have carried us on.

لا يأتمرْ مِنّا الرُّماةُ بِمَقْتَلٍ

فَلَنا نِبالٌ مثلهم وسِهامُ

Let the archers not plot our death,

for we, like them, have arrows and shafts.

نسعى ونعملُ دائبينَ لقومنا

نبغي التّمامَ وللأمورِ تمامُ

We strive and work tirelessly for our people,

seeking fulfillment, and all affairs have their fulfillment.