تعلَّمْنا الإِشارَةَ في طَريقٍ

تعلَّمْنا الإِشارَةَ في طَريقٍ

عليه مضَى الإِمامُ ابنُ الرِّفاعِي

عليه مضَى الإِمامُ ابنُ الرِّفاعِي

We learned allusion on a path

We learned gestures on the path

along which the Imam Ibn al-Rifa‘i went.

Where Imam Ibn Al-Rifa’i passed

وغِبنا عن مُلامَسَةِ الدَّعاوَى

وغِبنا عن مُلامَسَةِ الدَّعاوَى

بلا حقٍّ وعن عُلَقِ الدَّواعِي

بلا حقٍّ وعن عُلَقِ الدَّواعِي

And we withdrew from contact with claims

And we missed touching baseless claims

without truth, and from the bonds of impulses.

Without truth and the motives of passions

ومن شرعِ الرَّسولِ أُفيض فينا

ومن شرعِ الرَّسولِ أُفيض فينا

شُموسُ هُدًى تَلأْلأُ بالشُّعَاعِ

شُموسُ هُدًى تَلأْلأُ بالشُّعَاعِ

And from the Messenger's sacred law were poured into us

And from the way of the Messenger poured into us

suns of guidance, sparkling with radiance.

Suns of guidance glittering with rays

ففي رمزِ الإِشارَةِ أَيُّ سِرٍّ

ففي رمزِ الإِشارَةِ أَيُّ سِرٍّ

له وصلٌ تطَيْلَسَ بانقِطَاعِ

له وصلٌ تطَيْلَسَ بانقِطَاعِ

For within the symbol of allusion, what a secret lies:

So what is the secret in the symbol of gesture

it has a union that has donned separation's mantle.

That has a connection that communicates by cutting off

يُناطُ بحبلِ ذاكَ الوصلِ عزمٌ

يُناطُ بحبلِ ذاكَ الوصلِ عزمٌ

على الدُّنيا تَلا خُطَبَ الوَدَاعِ

على الدُّنيا تَلا خُطَبَ الوَدَاعِ

To the cord of that union is bound a resolve

Determination is tied with the rope of that connection

that has recited sermons of farewell to the world.

To turn away from the world after farewell sermons

وما الدُّنيا بعينِ شَريفِ عزمٍ

وما الدُّنيا بعينِ شَريفِ عزمٍ

سِوى المطْروحِ من سقطِ المَتَاعِ

سِوى المطْروحِ من سقطِ المَتَاعِ

And in the eyes of one of noble resolve, the world is

And the world in the eye of honorable determination

nothing but cast-off scraps of goods.

Is nothing but discarded belongings

فخذْ من حضرَةِ التَّقريبِ طَوْراً

فخذْ من حضرَةِ التَّقريبِ طَوْراً

تَدوسُ به على قُمَمِ السِّبَاعِ

تَدوسُ به على قُمَمِ السِّبَاعِ

So take from the presence of nearness a state

So take for a while from the presence of spiritual refinement

with which you trample the crowns of beasts of prey.

With which you can tread on the peaks of predators

وخلِّ اللَّهوَ عن مولاكَ واذْكُرْ

وخلِّ اللَّهوَ عن مولاكَ واذْكُرْ

فإنَّ اللَّهوَ من سوءِ الطِّبَاعِ

فإنَّ اللَّهوَ من سوءِ الطِّبَاعِ

And forsake what distracts you from your Lord, and remember Him;

And leave playfulness away from your Master, and remember

for diversion springs from bad dispositions.

Since playfulness is of the worst manners

فذكرُ اللهِ يُنتِجُ كلَّ خيرٍ

فذكرُ اللهِ يُنتِجُ كلَّ خيرٍ

ويَحمي العبدَ من لَوْثِ الضَّيَاعِ

ويَحمي العبدَ من لَوْثِ الضَّيَاعِ

For remembrance of God brings forth every good,

For God’s remembrance yields all good

and protects the servant from the taint of ruin.

And protects the servant from going astray

ولازِمْ سُنَّةَ المُخْتارِ دَهراً

ولازِمْ سُنَّةَ المُخْتارِ دَهراً

فتلك بها صُنوفُ الانْتِفَاعِ

فتلك بها صُنوفُ الانْتِفَاعِ

And keep to the Chosen One's practice all your days;

And adhere to the way of the Chosen One forever

for in it are many kinds of benefit.

For with it are all kinds of benefits

بها لطَوائِفِ الخَيْراتِ جمعٌ

بها لطَوائِفِ الخَيْراتِ جمعٌ

وكلُّ الشُّؤمِ شُؤمُ الابْتِدَاعِ

وكلُّ الشُّؤمِ شُؤمُ الابْتِدَاعِ

In it, the varieties of goodness are gathered,

With it are collected diverse virtues

and all ill fortune is the ill fortune of religious innovation.

And every misfortune is the misfortune of innovation

ورمِّحْ بالمُباحِ القلبَ حيناً

ورمِّحْ بالمُباحِ القلبَ حيناً

فتلكَ بنيَّ سيرَةُ خيرِ دَاعِ

فتلكَ بنيَّ سيرَةُ خيرِ دَاعِ

And let the heart gallop awhile in what is permitted;

And entertain your heart sometimes with the permissible

for that, my dear son, is the way of the best caller to God.

For those are the ways of the best worshippers

ورحْ مُتواضِعاً واجْلِسْ وَقوراً

ورحْ مُتواضِعاً واجْلِسْ وَقوراً

فَهَتْكُ الشَّأْنِ من دَأبِ الرَّعَاعِ

فَهَتْكُ الشَّأْنِ من دَأبِ الرَّعَاعِ

And go forth humbly, and sit with dignity;

And walk humbly and sit with dignity

for dishonoring one's standing is the habit of the rabble.

For violating dignity is the habit of rabble

ولا تبعثْ لغيرِ اللهِ قلباً

ولا تبعثْ لغيرِ اللهِ قلباً

فبعثُ الغيرِ يقلِبُ في الصِّرَاعِ

فبعثُ الغيرِ يقلِبُ في الصِّرَاعِ

And send no heart toward anyone but God,

And do not dedicate your heart to other than God

for sending it toward another overturns it in the struggle.

For dedicating to others causes turmoil

وخلِّ الزُّهدَ فيكَ كَمينَ سِرٍّ

وخلِّ الزُّهدَ فيكَ كَمينَ سِرٍّ

نَقيعُ السَّمِّ في الزُّهْدِ المُشَاعِ

نَقيعُ السَّمِّ في الزُّهْدِ المُشَاعِ

And keep asceticism within you as a hidden secret;

And make asceticism within you a secret treasure

an infusion of poison lies in asceticism made public.

For the harm of ostentatious asceticism spreads like poison

فكم من هِمَّةٍ في ثوبِ خَزٍّ

فكم من هِمَّةٍ في ثوبِ خَزٍّ

وكم من خِسَّةٍ تحتَ الرِّقَاعِ

وكم من خِسَّةٍ تحتَ الرِّقَاعِ

For many a lofty resolve is found in a silken robe,

So how many ambitions are in a cloak of wool

and much baseness lies beneath patched rags.

And how much vileness under gowns

وحارِبْ للعَقيدَةِ كلَّ باغٍ

وحارِبْ للعَقيدَةِ كلَّ باغٍ

عليها لا تخَفْ صَدْمَ القِرَاعِ

عليها لا تخَفْ صَدْمَ القِرَاعِ

And fight, for the faith, every aggressor

And fight for the creed against every aggressor

against it; do not fear the shock of clashing blows.

Do not fear the strike of spears

فإنَّ اللهَ ينصُرُ ناصِريهِ

فإنَّ اللهَ ينصُرُ ناصِريهِ

بحُكمِ الآيِ والخَبَرِ المُذَاعِ

بحُكمِ الآيِ والخَبَرِ المُذَاعِ

For God gives victory to those who support Him,

For God grants victory to those who defend Him

according to the verses and the widely proclaimed report.

By the rule of verses and widely narrated reports

ولا تشغِلْ بأَهلِ الحِقدِ فِكراً

ولا تشغِلْ بأَهلِ الحِقدِ فِكراً

فحِقْدُهُمْ لهُمْ سَمُّ الأَفاعي

فحِقْدُهُمْ لهُمْ سَمُّ الأَفاعي

And do not occupy your thoughts with the resentful;

And do not occupy your mind with grudges

for their rancor is, to them, the venom of vipers.

For their hatred is poison to snakes

وخَلِّكَ في الهَوَى مُنْحَطَّ عزمٍ

وخَلِّكَ في الهَوَى مُنْحَطَّ عزمٍ

وفي طُرُقِ الكَمالِ طَويلَ بَاعِ

وفي طُرُقِ الكَمالِ طَويلَ بَاعِ

And keep your resolve low in matters of desire,

And make yourself determined, rejecting desires

and your reach long upon the paths of perfection.

And long-armed in the ways of perfection

ورُحْ للخيرِ منخَفِضاً فكم قدْ

ورُحْ للخيرِ منخَفِضاً فكم قدْ

جرَى الوادي بأَمواهِ التِّلاعِ

جرَى الوادي بأَمواهِ التِّلاعِ

And go humbly toward good; for how often

And go gently to good, for how often

has the valley run with the waters of the uplands!

The valley flows with its flooding waters

ومهِّدْ للحَسودِ فَسيحَ صدرٍ

ومهِّدْ للحَسودِ فَسيحَ صدرٍ

وقاتِلْهُ بترْكِكَ للدِّفَاعِ

وقاتِلْهُ بترْكِكَ للدِّفَاعِ

And prepare for the envious a spacious breast,

And pave an easy heart for the envious one

and fight him by forgoing self-defense.

And fight him by not defending yourself

وإن دافَعْتَ عن طبعٍ فأَحْكِمْ

وإن دافَعْتَ عن طبعٍ فأَحْكِمْ

نِظامَ الشَّرْعِ واخْلِصْ في التَّداعي

نِظامَ الشَّرْعِ واخْلِصْ في التَّداعي

And if you defend yourself out of instinct, then make firm

And if you defend a disposition, then judge precisely

the order of the sacred law, and be sincere in disputation.

The system of Sharia and be sincere in litigation

وإن سلَّمْتَ للمولَى فأَوْلى

وإن سلَّمْتَ للمولَى فأَوْلى

وهذا دأْبُ سيِّدِنا الرِّفاعِي

وهذا دأْبُ سيِّدِنا الرِّفاعِي

And if you surrender to the Lord, that is better;

And if you submit to the Master, that is best

and this is the practice of our master al-Rifa‘i.

And this is the way of our Master Al-Rifa’i