تفوقُ السيف والوَطْ

تفوقُ السيف والوَطْ

فاءَ فَتْكَتُهُ ونائلُهُ

فاءَ فَتْكَتُهُ ونائلُهُ

Surpassing the sword and the raincloud

The supremacy of the sword and counsel,

are his deadly force and his bounty.

Its prowess lethal, its gains bountiful.

فأنْعُمُهُ مَواطِرُهُ

فأنْعُمُهُ مَواطِرُهُ

وعَزْمتُهُ مَناصِلُهُ

وعَزْمتُهُ مَناصِلُهُ

For his favors are his rain-bearing clouds,

Its rain is gracious,

and his resolve is his sword blades.

Its resolve resolute.

غَمامٌ بِشْرُهُ الوَضَّا

غَمامٌ بِشْرُهُ الوَضَّا

حُ في النَّادي مخائلُهُ

حُ في النَّادي مخائلُهُ

He is a cloud; his radiant cheer

A cloud whose glad tidings the meadows hail,

in the assembly is its promise of rain.

Flirting in the club, its glances playful.

إذا لَمَعتْ بَشاشَتُهُ

إذا لَمَعتْ بَشاشَتُهُ

هَمى وانْهلَّ وابِلُهُ

هَمى وانْهلَّ وابِلُهُ

When his smiling welcome shines,

When its radiance shines,

his heavy rain streams and pours down.

It surges, pours down, its rain copious.

مَنيعُ الجارِ ناصِرُهُ

مَنيعُ الجارِ ناصِرُهُ

مُباحُ الجودِ باذِلُهُ

مُباحُ الجودِ باذِلُهُ

His neighbor is secure; he is his defender.

Impregnable ally of the neighbor,

His bounty is freely available; he is its giver.

Free with bounty, its hand generous.

مُنَجَّحَةٌ مكارِمُهُ

مُنَجَّحَةٌ مكارِمُهُ

مُخَيَّبَةٌ عَواذِلُهُ

مُخَيَّبَةٌ عَواذِلُهُ

His noble deeds are crowned with success;

Its virtues successful,

his reproachers are disappointed.

Its morals exemplary.

وغامِرَةٌ فَواضِلُهُ

وغامِرَةٌ فَواضِلُهُ

وباهِرَةٌ فَضائلُهُ

وباهِرَةٌ فَضائلُهُ

And his benefactions overflow,

Prolific its outpourings,

and his virtues dazzle.

Manifest its merits.

تَجودُ على عِتاقِ ال

تَجودُ على عِتاقِ ال

طَّيْرِ والعافي أنامِلُهُ

طَّيْرِ والعافي أنامِلُهُ

His fingertips give freely to the noble

It is bounteous to the birds of the air,

birds and the seeker of bounty.

Offering sanctuary, its wings sheltering.

فَتُطْعِمُها مَعارِكُهُ

فَتُطْعِمُها مَعارِكُهُ

وتُطْعِمُهُمْ مَراجِلُهُ

وتُطْعِمُهُمْ مَراجِلُهُ

So his battles feed the birds,

Its battles nourish them,

and his cauldrons feed the supplicants.

Its hearths nourish them.

ويَشْقَى مَنْ يُجادِلُه

ويَشْقَى مَنْ يُجادِلُه

كما يَشْقى مُنازِلُهُ

كما يَشْقى مُنازِلُهُ

And whoever disputes with him suffers,

Wretched is he who contends with it,

just as his opponent in battle suffers.

As wretched as his dwellings.

فَمُرْضِيَةٌ فَتاويهِ

فَمُرْضِيَةٌ فَتاويهِ

وراضِيَةٌ مَسائِلُهُ

وراضِيَةٌ مَسائِلُهُ

So his legal rulings are pleasing,

Satisfying its judgments,

and his questions rest content.

Agreeable its dealings.

تَبَرُّعُهُ لِباغي الجُو

تَبَرُّعُهُ لِباغي الجُو

دِ والنُّعْمى وسائلُهُ

دِ والنُّعْمى وسائلُهُ

His unasked-for gifts, to the seeker of bounty

It volunteers its bounty to the obstinate transgressor,

and blessing, are his means of attaining them.

Numerous its kind acts, but few its petitioners.

فقد كَثُرَتْ عَوارِفهُ

فقد كَثُرَتْ عَوارِفهُ

ولكنْ قَلَّ سائلُهُ

ولكنْ قَلَّ سائلُهُ

For his benefactions have become many,

An eminent minister, abhorrent that

yet few are his petitioners.

Any disliked act should stain its reputation.

وزيرٌ جَلَّ أنْ تَسْري

وزيرٌ جَلَّ أنْ تَسْري

بمكْروهٍ مَخاتِلُهُ

بمكْروهٍ مَخاتِلُهُ

A minister too noble for his stratagems

Rather, it assaults at dawn

to creep forth by night bringing harm;

Those whose aggression exhausts patience.

ولكِنْ ضارِبٌ بالصُّبْحِ

ولكِنْ ضارِبٌ بالصُّبْحِ

مَنْ أعْيَتْ مَقاتِلُهُ

مَنْ أعْيَتْ مَقاتِلُهُ

yet at dawn he strikes

What glory for Allah’s religion!

the foe whose vital spots have proved elusive.

The Lord of the Throne guarantees it.

أيا شَرفاً لدينِ اللهِ

أيا شَرفاً لدينِ اللهِ

رَبُّ العَرْشِ كافِلُهُ

رَبُّ العَرْشِ كافِلُهُ

O honor to God's faith,

And praise to Ahmad in all praiseworthiness,

whose guardian is the Lord of the Throne,

Its bastion his piety.

وأحْمَدَ كُلِّ مَحْمَدَةٍ

وأحْمَدَ كُلِّ مَحْمَدَةٍ

وتَقْواهُ مَعاقِلُهُ

وتَقْواهُ مَعاقِلُهُ

and Ahmad, worthy of every commendation,

To those whose aspirations are pure

whose piety serves as his fortresses;

As were its beginnings.

ومَنْ طابَتْ مَاسعِيهِ

ومَنْ طابَتْ مَاسعِيهِ

كما طابَتْ أوائلُهُ

كما طابَتْ أوائلُهُ

and you whose endeavors are noble,

You remain for every good

just as your forebears were noble:

Its speaker and its doer

بَقِيتَ لِكُلِّ خَيْرٍ

بَقِيتَ لِكُلِّ خَيْرٍ

أنْتَ قائلُهُ وفاعِلُهُ

أنْتَ قائلُهُ وفاعِلُهُ

may you endure for every good

For as long as days sprout

that you proclaim and perform,

In the garden of sorrow, its rain pouring down.

مَدى الأيَّامِ ما أنْبَتَ

مَدى الأيَّامِ ما أنْبَتَ

رَوْضَ الحَزْنِ هاطِلُهُ

رَوْضَ الحَزْنِ هاطِلُهُ

through all the days, as long as there blooms

For as long as the barefoot circle

the upland meadow beneath its pouring rain,

His House, extolling His oneness.

وما طافَ ببَيْتِ اللَّهِ

وما طافَ ببَيْتِ اللَّهِ

حافِيهِ وناعِلُهُ

حافِيهِ وناعِلُهُ

and as long as God's House is circled

by its barefoot and sandal-shod pilgrims.