ماذا يقولُ الشِّعرُ والشُّعراءُ

ماذا يقولُ الشِّعرُ والشُّعراءُ

والكلُّ في النُّور المبينِ هباءُ

والكلُّ في النُّور المبينِ هباءُ

What can poetry and poets say?

What does poetry and poets say

And all are but dust in the manifest light.

And all in the clear light is nonsense

نُورٌ منَ الرَّحمنِ ينطق آيُهُ

نُورٌ منَ الرَّحمنِ ينطق آيُهُ

بشهادةٍ تجري بها الآلاءُ

بشهادةٍ تجري بها الآلاءُ

A light from the All-Merciful, whose verses proclaim

A light from the Merciful which recites His verses

a testimony through which blessings flow.

With a testimony by which blessings flow

أثنى عليكِ الله فوق سمائه

أثنى عليكِ الله فوق سمائه

لِيَجلَّ خطبٌ أو يُسَنَّ قضاءُ

لِيَجلَّ خطبٌ أو يُسَنَّ قضاءُ

God praised you above His heaven,

God has praised you above His heavens

so that an affair might grow momentous, or a ruling be ordained.

So that glorious events happen or judgment is passed

وسطورُ وحيِ الله يُشـرقُ نُورُها

وسطورُ وحيِ الله يُشـرقُ نُورُها

في سقفِ بيتِكِ، والعلاءُ علاءُ

في سقفِ بيتِكِ، والعلاءُ علاءُ

And the lines of God's revelation shed their light

And the lines of God's revelation radiate their light

in the ceiling of your home—and exaltation is exaltation.

In the ceiling of your house, and the high ones are high

يا مَنْبِتًا عفًّا نقيًّا طاهرًا

يا مَنْبِتًا عفًّا نقيًّا طاهرًا

شهدتْ له الثَّقَلانِ والجوزاءُ

شهدتْ له الثَّقَلانِ والجوزاءُ

O chaste, unsullied, pure stock,

O pure, chaste, immaculate, sacred land

to which humans, jinn, and the constellation al-Jawza bear witness!

The two weighty things and Gemini bear witness to Him

وحَبَاكِ بالمختار سيِّدِ خلْقِه

وحَبَاكِ بالمختار سيِّدِ خلْقِه

شرفًا تَهَشُّ لِعِزِّهِ الأرجاءُ

شرفًا تَهَشُّ لِعِزِّهِ الأرجاءُ

And through the Chosen One, master of His creation, He granted you

And your affinity with the chosen one, the master of His creation

an honor at whose glory every region rejoices.

An honor that shakes the horizons for his might

في كلِّ أمرِكِ للبريَّةِ رحمةٌ

في كلِّ أمرِكِ للبريَّةِ رحمةٌ

تمَّتْ بها من فضلِهِ النَّعماءُ

تمَّتْ بها من فضلِهِ النَّعماءُ

In every affair of yours lies a mercy for creation,

In all your affairs there is mercy for people

through which blessings were perfected by His grace.

By which His blessings are completed

كم مُعضلاتٍ قد حملتِ جوابَها

كم مُعضلاتٍ قد حملتِ جوابَها

قد حارَ بين دُروبِها العلماءُ

قد حارَ بين دُروبِها العلماءُ

How many difficult questions you have borne the answers to,

How many intractable problems you have carried their answers

amid whose paths scholars stood bewildered!

That the scholars were confused among its paths

لبٌّ يحار اللُّبُّ فيه وحكمةٌ

لبٌّ يحار اللُّبُّ فيه وحكمةٌ

ما نالها الحكماءُ والعظماءُ

ما نالها الحكماءُ والعظماءُ

An intellect that bewilders intellect, and a wisdom

A heart that hearts are confused in and a wisdom

that neither sages nor the great attained.

That neither the wise nor the great attained

فنَشَرتِ شرعَ اللهِ بعدَ نبيِّهِ

فنَشَرتِ شرعَ اللهِ بعدَ نبيِّهِ

وأبوكِ تحت لوائه مضَّاءُ

وأبوكِ تحت لوائه مضَّاءُ

Thus you spread God's law after His Prophet,

So you spread God's Law after His Prophet

and your father was resolute beneath his banner.

And your father under his banner shining

وأبو قحافةَ لم يَفُتْهُ فَخرُه

وأبو قحافةَ لم يَفُتْهُ فَخرُه

وكذاك أمُّكِ بل كذا أسماءُ

وكذاك أمُّكِ بل كذا أسماءُ

And Abu Quhafa was not deprived of his glory,

And Abu Quhafa did not miss his pride

and likewise your mother—indeed, Asma too.

And so did your mother, yes and Asma

آمنتُمُ بالله ربًّا واحدًا

آمنتُمُ بالله ربًّا واحدًا

يا أهلَ بيتٍ كلُّهم فُضَلاءُ

يا أهلَ بيتٍ كلُّهم فُضَلاءُ

You all believed in God as the one Lord,

You have believed in God as the One Lord

O household whose members are all virtuous!

O people of the house, all of them virtuous

لولا الإلهُ خليلُ أحمدَ لم يكن

لولا الإلهُ خليلُ أحمدَ لم يكن

إلا أبوكِ، وتِلكُمُ القَعساءُ

إلا أبوكِ، وتِلكُمُ القَعساءُ

Were it not for God, Ahmad's intimate friend would have been

If not for God, the friend of Ahmad, there would not be

none but your father—and that is unassailable honor.

Except your father, and that is sterility

والغارُ يَشهدُ والمدينةُ فضْلَه

والغارُ يَشهدُ والمدينةُ فضْلَه

ومواطنُ العُليا له شُهَداءُ

ومواطنُ العُليا له شُهَداءُ

And the cave and Medina bear witness to his merit,

And the cave bears witness and Medina to his merit

and the places of high honor are witnesses for him.

And the places of highness, for him there are witnesses

يا أيها الدَّاعي الجهولُ لِرِيبةٍ

يا أيها الدَّاعي الجهولُ لِرِيبةٍ

واللهُ يعلمُ أنكم جهلاءُ

واللهُ يعلمُ أنكم جهلاءُ

O you ignorant caller to suspicion,

O you the ignorant caller to suspicion

and God knows that you all are ignorant.

And God knows that you are ignorant

هذا كتابُ اللهِ يَنطقُ بَيْننا

هذا كتابُ اللهِ يَنطقُ بَيْننا

والفَصلُ بينَ سُطورِه وضَّاءُ

والفَصلُ بينَ سُطورِه وضَّاءُ

This is God's Book, speaking among us,

This is the Book of God which speaks between us

and the decisive judgment between its lines is radiant.

And the differentiation between its lines is shining

هلَّا رجعتَ إلى الهدَى وسبيلِه

هلَّا رجعتَ إلى الهدَى وسبيلِه

إذْ دُونَ ذاك ندامةٌ وشقاءُ

إذْ دُونَ ذاك ندامةٌ وشقاءُ

Why not return to right guidance and its path?

Why don’t you return to guidance and its path?

For without that lie regret and misery.

Otherwise there is regret and misery

تلك التي مات النَّبيُّ بِحِجْرِها

تلك التي مات النَّبيُّ بِحِجْرِها

وبِجَوفِ حُجرتِها له إيواءُ

وبِجَوفِ حُجرتِها له إيواءُ

She is the one in whose lap the Prophet died,

She in whose lap the Prophet died

and within her chamber is his abode.

And in her room he had refuge

وَأَحَبُّ خلْقِ اللهِ عند نبيِّه

وَأَحَبُّ خلْقِ اللهِ عند نبيِّه

وبِذاكَ صحَّ الخُبْرُ والأنباءُ

وبِذاكَ صحَّ الخُبْرُ والأنباءُ

And she is the dearest of God's creation to His Prophet,

And the most beloved of God's creation to His Prophet

and knowledge and reports of this have proved sound.

And with that the news and reports were true

صوَّامةٌ قوَّامةٌ صبَّارةٌ

صوَّامةٌ قوَّامةٌ صبَّارةٌ

دِينٌ قويمٌ دُونَه العلياءُ

دِينٌ قويمٌ دُونَه العلياءُ

Often fasting, devoted to night prayer, deeply patient—

Fasting, steadfast, patient

hers is an upright faith, with the heights beneath it.

An upright religion, above it the most high

والجُودُ يومَ البَذلِ يَسبقُ كفَّها

والجُودُ يومَ البَذلِ يَسبقُ كفَّها

فلها بذلك رايةٌ ولواءُ

فلها بذلك رايةٌ ولواءُ

And generosity, on the day of giving, outstrips her hand,

And the generosity on the day of giving precedes her palm

so for this, hers are a standard and a banner.

So for that she has a flag and a banner

يا أُمَّنا صبرًا على بَغضائهم

يا أُمَّنا صبرًا على بَغضائهم

عمَّا قريبٍ تَنجلي البَغضاءُ

عمَّا قريبٍ تَنجلي البَغضاءُ

O our mother, bear their hatred patiently;

O our mother, be patient with their hatred

before long, the hatred will clear away.

For soon the hatred will clear up

وكفاكِ أنَّكِ مَن يَسُبُّكِ حَدُّهُ

وكفاكِ أنَّكِ مَن يَسُبُّكِ حَدُّهُ

ضَربٌ بحدِّ السَّيفِ وهْو مُسَاءُ

ضَربٌ بحدِّ السَّيفِ وهْو مُسَاءُ

And it suffices you that whoever reviles you has as his penalty

And enough for you that one who insults you, his limit

a blow with the sword's edge, and he is treated harshly.

Is struck with the limit of the sword and it is evening