قال المسيكين ابن عبد الخالق

علمه الرحمن بالحقائق

Said the humble little man, son of ʿAbd al-Khaliq—

may the All-Merciful teach him the truths—

من بعد حمد الواحد القهار

تم الصلاة للنبي المختار

after praising the One, the All-Subduer:

then blessings upon the chosen Prophet,

محمد والآل والصحابة

وتابع من طرق الإصابه

Muhammad, and his family and Companions,

and every follower who trod the path of rightness.

فقد أردت جمع ما عرفت

بحسب ما فهمت أو أطقت

I wished to gather what I knew,

according to what I understood or could manage,

من مذهب التوحيد في العقايد

نظمته في السبك كالفرايد

of the doctrine of divine unity in matters of belief.

I cast it in verse like precious gems,

مع اعترافي بقصور باعى

في مبحث العلوم واطلاعي

while admitting the short reach of my abilities

in investigating the sciences and in my learning.

ولا أعد النفس بين العير

في مسلكي أيضا ولا النفير

I count myself neither among the caravan,

in my course, nor among the mustered host.

لكنما الأعمال بالنيات

كما أتى عن سيد السادات

Yet deeds are judged by intentions,

as reported from the master of masters.

صلى عليه ربنا وسلما

وآله وصحبه والعلما

May our Lord bless him and grant him peace,

and his family, his companions, and the learned.

فنيتي إفادتي وصحبي

والمسلمين آن ذاك حسبي

My intention is to benefit myself and my companions,

and the Muslims; that, then, suffices me.

وإن مما أوجب المقاله

لما ترى في هذه الرساله

Among the things that prompted these words

which you see in this epistle,

حث من الإخوان أرباب السنن

ومن هم الأعيان في قطر اليمن

was encouragement from brethren, adherents of the traditions,

and those who are notables in the land of Yemen,

في عام تسعين أتت بعد الألف

ومائتين بالحساب المؤتلف

in the year ninety coming after one thousand

and two hundred, by the combined reckoning.

فلم أجد عذرا من الإجابه

ونسأل التوفيق للإصابه

So I found no excuse for not answering,

and we ask for guidance toward what is right.

وقد تبعت طرق الأئمه

في مسلكي في البدء والتتمه

I have followed the ways of the imams

in my course, from beginning to completion.

ولم أعرض فيه للمذاهب

لأن ذاك جالب المعاطب

I did not discuss the schools of doctrine in it,

for that brings perils.

لأنهم ائمة الطرائق

وحجج اللّه على الخلائق

For they are the leaders of the paths,

and God's proofs before His creatures.

ما اختلفوا فيه فذاك نعمه

ورحمة والاعتراض نقمه

What they have differed over is a blessing,

and a mercy; objection is a calamity.

وهم على طريقة الصواب

أئمة السنة والكتاب

They follow the path of rightness,

the imams of the Sunnah and the Book.

فكلهم قد أجمعوا وقالوا

إن الإله ما له مثال

They have all agreed and said:

God has no likeness,

وأنه في وصفه قديم

حي مريد قادر عليم

and He is eternal in His attributes,

living, willing, powerful, all-knowing.

والخير والشر على الإراده

من ربنا فهذه الافاده

Good and evil are according to the will

of our Lord; this is the teaching.

لكنه لم يرض بالمحال

حتما على الأقوال والإفعال

Yet He does not approve of falsehood,

most assuredly, in words and deeds.

وليست الصفات عين ذات

منزه عن جملة الجهات

The attributes are not identical with the Essence.

He is exalted beyond all directions.

وأنه شيء ولاكالأشياء

ولم مثاله في الأحياء

He is a thing, but not like other things,

and has no likeness among living beings.

صفته كوصفه في القدم

قد أوجد العالم بعد العدم

His attribute, like His description, is eternal.

He brought the world into being after nonexistence.

لا لاحتياج هذه الإراده

وإنما لخالص العباده

This will is not out of need,

but solely for sincere worship.

فمن أطاع اللّه للجنان

ومن عصاه كان للنيران

Whoever obeys God is destined for the gardens,

and whoever disobeys Him is destined for the fires.

واللّه ليس جوهرا أو جسما

لكنه جل العلى اسمى

God is neither a substance nor a body,

but He, majestic in loftiness, is most exalted.

قد أنزل الآيات في القرآن

بمعجزات الخلق في البرهان

He sent down the verses in the Qur'an,

with miracles that leave creation powerless in proof.

ليس بمخلوق كلام ربى

أو محدث فافهم وقل ذا حسبي

My Lord's speech is not created,

nor newly originated; understand, and say: 'This suffices me.'

وأنه في الحكم فوق العرش

بالاتصال أو مكان مغشى

He is, in sovereignty, above the Throne,

through contact, or an enveloped place.

لم يتخذ صاحبة أو ولدا

أو والدا أو دافعاً أو عضدا

He has taken neither a consort nor a child,

nor a parent, a defender, or a supporter.

حي فيحيى الخلق للعباده

وهو مميت منه بالإراده

He is living, and gives creatures life for worship,

and He causes death among them by His will.

والبعث بعد الموت حكم الحق

مع الجزا منه لكل الخلق

Resurrection after death is the decree of the True One,

with recompense from Him for all creation,

وجنة والنار والميزان

لربنا في خلق هذا الشان

and a Garden, the Fire, and the Balance.

This affair of creation belongs to our Lord.

ومن هو السعيد عند الأزل

كمن هو الشقى لم يبدل

Whoever was blessed in pre-eternity,

like whoever was wretched, is not changed.

ميسر كل إلى ما يعمل

فالجد في الجد ولا تتكلموا

Each is eased toward what he will do,

so strive in earnest, and do not talk.

وإنما الأعمال بالخواتم

واللّه ربي لم يكن بظالم

Deeds are judged only by their endings,

and God, my Lord, is never unjust.

بثيب من أطاعه بالفضل

ومن يشا عاقبه بالعدل

He rewards whoever obeys Him through bounty,

and punishes whomever He wills with justice.

ويؤلم الأطفال والبهائما

ولم يكن في فعل هذا ظالما

He causes children and animals to suffer,

yet is not unjust in doing so.

ويغفر الذنوب غير الشرك به

فاحذر من الإشراك ياذا وانتبه

He forgives sins other than associating partners with Him,

so beware of such association, O you, and take heed.

فإنه يدب في الإنسان

كما يدب النمل في الميدان

For it creeps within a person,

as ants creep upon the open ground.

وأن منه أصغرا وأكبرا

كما أتانا ليس قولا يفترى

There are lesser and greater forms of it,

as has come down to us—not a fabricated saying.

وما على الرحمن شيء واجب

وكل ما تلفظ فيه كاتب

Nothing is obligatory upon the All-Merciful,

and everything you utter has a recorder.

فصدق الآيات والحديثا

ولا ترد قادما حديثا

So affirm the verses and the hadith,

and do not reject a report that reaches you.

وليس ماناجا به الكليما

بمحدث فلا تزل عليما

What He spoke privately to the one He addressed

is not newly originated; remain knowledgeable.

وأن طه خاتم الرساله

فيا لها من نعمة ويا له

Ta-Ha is the seal of the prophetic mission.

What a blessing that is, and how wondrous he is—

من سبح الحصا ببطن كفه

ورد من عصى برغم أنفه

he in the hollow of whose palm the pebbles glorified God,

who repelled the disobedient against his will.

واللّه أسرى بالحبيب ليلا

والماء من كفيه سال سيلا

God carried the Beloved by night,

and water poured in torrents from his two hands.

والمعجزات كانشقاق القمر

لسيد الكونين لم تستنكر

Miracles, such as the splitting of the moon,

were not denied to the master of the two worlds.

فوارق العادات لا تستغرب

للأنبياء بل لا تكذب

Do not find departures from customary laws strange

for the prophets; rather, do not deny them.

وأنه والأنبيا في عصمه

من الذنوب بل وكل وصمة

He and the prophets are protected

from sins, indeed from every blemish.

ولم تكن أنثى لها نبوه

يرد ذا الأحكام والفتوه

No woman has had prophethood;

the rulings and legal opinion reject that.

وأن ذا القرنين مع لقمان

في طرق الأنبياء مجهولان

Dhu al-Qarnayn, together with Luqman,

are of unknown standing among the prophets.

لم يعرفا هل ملكان كانا

أو نبّئا نبوة إيقانا

It is not known whether the two were kings,

or had certainly been granted prophethood,

أم هل هما في طرق الولايه

قد سلكا مسالك العنايه

or whether, on the paths of sainthood,

they had followed the ways of divine care.

والأنبيا في الفضل والملائكه

توقف النعمان في أولئكه

On the relative merit of prophets and angels,

al-Nuʿman withheld judgment concerning them,

أيضاً وفي أولاد من قد أشركا

مع غيرها فنعم ذاك مسلكا

and also concerning the children of those who associated partners with God,

along with other matters; excellent is that course.

وأن عيسى آخر الأزمان

سيقتل الدجال بالإيقان

Jesus, at the end of time,

will assuredly kill the Dajjal.

والأوليا ذوو كرامات رتب

منكرها له التواني والتبب

The saints possess miraculous gifts and ranks;

their denier is marked by slackness and ruin.

متفاضلون رتب الإنابه

تفاضل التفضيل للصحابه

They differ in degrees of turning back to God,

as precedence differs among the Companions.

فبعضهم مقدم من بعض

لاعن جفاً لآخر أو رفض

Some of them are given precedence over others,

not out of estrangement from another or rejection.

أما ترى التفضيل للصديق

حتما لذى النورين والفاروق

Do you not see the precedence of al-Siddiq,

assuredly over Dhu al-Nurayn and al-Faruq?

والفضل للفاروق عن عثمانا

كفضل عثمان على أقصانا

Al-Faruq has precedence over ʿUthman,

as ʿUthman has precedence over the last of ours.

أعنى به الكرار للقتال

وهازم الرايات والأبطال

By him I mean the one who charges repeatedly into battle,

the vanquisher of banners and champions,

زوج البتول وابن عم المصطفى

كفاه هذا في البرايا شرفا

husband of al-Batul, and cousin of the Chosen One.

This alone suffices him for honor among humankind.

والستة الباقون ثم العشره

من بايع المختار تحت الشجره

And the remaining six, then the ten,

those who pledged allegiance to the Chosen One beneath the tree.

وأهل بدر يعملوا ما شاءوا

فما على شاهدها عناء

Those of Badr may do whatever they wish,

for no hardship rests on anyone who witnessed it.

فهؤلاء لهم التفضيل

عن غيرهم كما أتى التنزيل

These have precedence

over others, as revelation has stated.

وكل أزواج النبي قالوا

قد فضلوا لكن له أحوال

Of all the Prophet's wives, they said,

they have been favored, though the matter has differing circumstances.

فقدموا خديجة في الفضل

لأنها أهلٌ وأى أهل

So they gave Khadijah precedence in merit,

for she is worthy—how worthy!

قد نزل الوحي وأن المصطفى

على لحاف ذاتها ملتحفا

Revelation descended while the Chosen One

was wrapped in her own coverlet,

وخالطت بريقها في ريقه

لما دعى المختار في رفيقه

and she mingled her saliva with his

when the Chosen One was called to his Companion.

وفضلها على نساء عصرها

فضل الثريد لطعام دهرها

Her superiority over the women of her age

is that of tharid over the food of her time.

وبعدها في الفضل والعظيم

فاطمة الزهرا بلا توهيم

After her, in merit and greatness,

comes Fatimah al-Zahra, without misgiving:

بنت الرسول زوجه ابن عمه

من علمه مجتمع في علمه

the Messenger's daughter, wife of his cousin,

whose knowledge is gathered within his knowledge.

أم الشهيدين كفاها فخرا

يوم القصاص أن تنادى جهرا

Mother of the two martyrs—sufficient is her glory

that, on the day of retribution, she will be called aloud:

قومى ليوم الفصل والمزيد

وأخذ ثأر الحق من يزيد

'Rise for the Day of Judgment and increase,

and for taking rightful vengeance upon Yazid,

لقاء تقتيل الحسين أولا

وأهله وصحبه بين الملا

in return for the slaughter of Husayn first,

and his family and companions before the multitude.'

وما جرى من قبل في الصحابه

فيستحق الصمت والإنابه

As for what happened earlier among the Companions,

it calls for silence and turning back to God.

وإنما من كان ذا سلطان

طاعته فرض على الإنسان

Whoever possesses authority,

obedience to him is incumbent upon a person.

ولا سماع في معاصى اللّه

لآمر فهل لها من ناهى

There is no heeding, in disobedience to God,

one who commands it; is there anyone to forbid it?

ما وافق المشروع حقّا يعتمد

وكل ما خالفه جهرا يرد

What truly accords with the prescribed law is upheld,

and all that contradicts it is openly rejected.

من يكن يعلم ذا فليسأل

كما أتى في محكم التنزيل

Whoever knows this should ask,

as has come in the definitive revelation.

لا يعذر الجاهل إن لم يعلمن

كعالم بعلمه لم يعملن

The ignorant person is not excused if he does not learn,

like a scholar who does not act upon his knowledge.

فمن يكن يعمل في جهاله

يرد ما يعمل بالأصاله

Whoever acts in ignorance,

what he does is rejected in principle.

لو وافق المشروع في الإصابه

فهو هباء لم ينل ثوابه

Even if it correctly accords with the prescribed law,

it is dust; he does not attain its reward.

وعالم لم يعملن بالعلم

معذب بما جنى من غثم

A scholar who does not act on his knowledge

is punished for the wrongdoing he has committed.

وآخر الذنوب للغفران

ثم النجاة لذوى الإيمان

The final end of sins is forgiveness,

then salvation for those who believe.

ورحمة المولى الكريم واسعه

قريبة للمحسنين جامعه

The noble Master's mercy is vast,

near to those who do good, all-embracing.

ولا بقاء لذوى الإيمان

حتما على التعذيب بالنيران

There is no lasting stay for those who believe,

assuredly, in the torment of the fires.

فادعوا الإله في نجاة جامعه

فدعوة الرب الكريم نافعه

So call upon God for salvation embracing all,

for calling upon the noble Lord brings benefit.

سبحانه جل عظيم الشان

ذو الجود والإحسان والسلطان

Glory be to Him, majestic, immense in His station,

possessor of bounty, beneficence, and sovereignty.

إن الدعا قطعا له تأثير

حتما كما أخبرنا البشير

Supplication certainly has an effect,

assuredly, as the bringer of glad tidings told us.

وادعو الإله لنجاة الحفظى

والمسلمين من عذاب العرض

Pray to God for the salvation of al-Hifzi,

and the Muslims, from the torment of the presentation before Him,

ووالديه وجميع الأمه

فاكشف عن الكل جميع الغمه

and his parents and the entire community:

'Lift every affliction from them all.'

وقد سلكت الاختصار في العمل

خوفاً في التطويل فيه فيمل

I have followed brevity in this work,

fearing that prolonging it would weary the reader.

فليستر الناظل فيه الخللا

فجل من لا عيب فيه وعلا

Let the reader conceal its flaws,

for exalted and lofty is He in whom there is no fault.

جعلتها نصيحة مرتله

عدتها كالكتب المنزّله

I have made it a counsel recited in measured form,

its number like that of the revealed books,

لأن إيماناً بها فريضه

فخالفوا الأفئدة المريضه

for faith in them is obligatory.

So oppose diseased hearts.

ثم الصلاة لرسول اللّه

محمد الهادى عريض الجاه

Then blessings upon God's Messenger,

Muhammad, the guide, of vast standing,

الآمر الحاث بفعل الأمر

يطلق من كان حليف الأسر

who commands and urges fulfillment of the command,

and frees whoever is bound in captivity,

وصحبه من بعد ذكر الآل

والحمد للّه على الكمال

and upon his companions, after mention of his family.

And praise be to God upon completion.