سبحان من صار لنا مطلباً

سبحان من صار لنا مطلباً

أطلبه شرَّق أم غرَّبا

أطلبه شرَّق أم غرَّبا

Glory be to Him who has become our quest.

Glorious is He who has become our desire

I seek Him, whether He turns east or west.

Whether I seek Him in the east or west

فباطني صيَّره مشرقا

فباطني صيَّره مشرقا

وظاهري صيره مغربا

وظاهري صيره مغربا

So my inward self made Him a place of rising,

My inner self made Him the east

and my outward self made Him a place of setting.

And my outer self made Him the west

وقال لي الكل أنا فاطلبوا

وقال لي الكل أنا فاطلبوا

على الذي صيَّره مطلبا

على الذي صيَّره مطلبا

And He told me, “I am the All”; so seek

And He said to me, all are Me, so seek

according to what made Him an object of pursuit.

The one who made Himself the sought

فاهتم قلبي للذي قال لي

فاهتم قلبي للذي قال لي

فأنشأ الحقُّ لنا مركبا

فأنشأ الحقُّ لنا مركبا

So my heart grew concerned about what He told me,

So my heart was occupied with the one who said to me

so the Real fashioned a vessel for us.

Then the Truth established for us a ship

ركبتُ فيه هربا أبتغي

ركبتُ فيه هربا أبتغي

نجاتَنا فلم أجد مَهربا

نجاتَنا فلم أجد مَهربا

I boarded it in flight, seeking

I rode in it fleeing, seeking

our deliverance, but I found no escape.

Our salvation, but I did not find an escape

أطلبه بالكشفِ من ذاتنا

أطلبه بالكشفِ من ذاتنا

وذاتنا أطلبها مُطِنبا

وذاتنا أطلبها مُطِنبا

I seek Him through unveiling from our essence,

I seek Him in the essence of ourselves

and I seek our essence at length.

And our essence I seek kneaded

فكشفنا قوَّض بنيانه

فكشفنا قوَّض بنيانه

والفكر في أنفسنا طنبا

والفكر في أنفسنا طنبا

Then our unveiling tore down its structure,

So we tore down the building of His essence

while thought pitched its tent within ourselves.

And thought kneaded in our selves

أخبرني أحمد عن كشفه

أخبرني أحمد عن كشفه

في أول الحالِ زمانَ الصبى

في أول الحالِ زمانَ الصبى

Ahmad told me of his unveiling

Ahmad told me of his inner unveiling

at the outset of his spiritual state, in the days of childhood:

In the beginning of the state, the time of youth

بأنه أبصرَ في نومه

بأنه أبصرَ في نومه

أملاك عيسى مثل رجل الدبى

أملاك عيسى مثل رجل الدبى

that he had seen in his sleep

That he saw in his sleep

the angels of Jesus, like a swarm of young locusts,

The angels of Jesus like the man of Dubai

يومَ خروجي طالباً مكةَ

يومَ خروجي طالباً مكةَ

ويثربا ومسجدا في قبا

ويثربا ومسجدا في قبا

on the day I set out, seeking Mecca,

The day I went out seeking Mecca

and Yathrib, and a mosque in Quba.

And Yathrib and a mosque in Qubaa

قالوا نزلنا رسلا حفظا

قالوا نزلنا رسلا حفظا

ختم النبي المصطفى المجتبى

ختم النبي المصطفى المجتبى

They said, “We descended as messengers to guard

They said: We have descended as guards

the seal of the chosen, elect Prophet,

To the seal of prophets, the chosen one

محمد فليقصد واقصده

محمد فليقصد واقصده

فسيفُه في صدقه ما نبا

فسيفُه في صدقه ما نبا

Muhammad—let him be sought, and seek him.

Muhammad, so let him intend, and intend him

For his sword, in his truthfulness, has never glanced off;

For his sword in its truthfulness did not fail

وسهمه فيما رمى نافذ

وسهمه فيما رمى نافذ

وطرفه في شأوهِ ما كبا

وطرفه في شأوهِ ما كبا

and his arrow pierces whatever he shoots at,

And his arrow in what he aimed was piercing

and his steed has never stumbled in its course.

And his manner in his glory did not bend

قد عرضَ الحقّ عليه الذي

قد عرضَ الحقّ عليه الذي

في ملكه ولايةً فأبى

في ملكه ولايةً فأبى

The Real has offered him that which

The Truth presented to him that which

is in His dominion to govern; but he refused

In His kingdom, deputyship, but he refused

إلا خمول الذكر حتى يرى

إلا خمول الذكر حتى يرى

كأنه المختار في المجتبى

كأنه المختار في المجتبى

all but obscurity of name, until he is seen

Except the obscurity of mentioning until he sees

as though he were the chosen one among the elect.

As if he is the chosen one in the chosen

ونحن أنصار له إن بدا

ونحن أنصار له إن بدا

يحاربُ الأقرب فالأقربا

يحاربُ الأقرب فالأقربا

And we are his helpers if he comes forth,

And we are his supporters if he appears

fighting the nearest, then the next nearest.

To fight the nearest, then the nearest

كذلك الريح له سخرت

كذلك الريح له سخرت

ريح جنوبٍ بعد ريحِ الصَّبا

ريح جنوبٍ بعد ريحِ الصَّبا

Likewise, the wind was made subject to him:

Thus the wind is subjugated to him

the south wind after the east wind.

A south wind after the wind of morning

وراثة علوية نالها

وراثة علوية نالها

من أحمد خير الورى منصبا

من أحمد خير الورى منصبا

A lofty inheritance he attained

An Alid inheritance he attained

from Ahmad, the best of creation in rank.”

From Ahmad the best of creation appointed

وهذه البشرى أتانا بها

وهذه البشرى أتانا بها

مجربٌ في الصدقِ لن يكذبا

مجربٌ في الصدقِ لن يكذبا

And these glad tidings were brought to us by

And this good tidings came to us

one proven truthful, who will not lie.

By one tried in truthfulness, he will not lie