يا سعد لو كنت امرءا مسعودا — Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani

يا سَعدُ لَو كُنتُ اِمرءاً مَسعودا

ما كانَ صَبري في النَوى مَفقودا

O Sa'd, had I been a fortunate man,

my patience would not have been lost in separation.

وَسَهِرتُ أَرتَقِبُ النُجومَ كَأَنَّني

في الأُفقِ أَطلُبُ لِلحَبيبِ عُهودا

And I stayed awake, watching the stars, as though I

were seeking the beloved's pledges on the horizon.

وَأَعُدُّ أَيّامَ الجَفاءِ مُعدّداً

حَتّى مَللتُ الحُزنَ وَالتَعديدا

And I count the days of estrangement, counting them over,

until I grew weary of sorrow and counting.

قولوا لِمَن ملكَ الفؤادَ بِأَسرِهِ

فَغَدا بِقَيدِ غَرامِهِ مَصفودا

Tell the one who possessed my heart entirely,

so it lay shackled by the fetter of love for him:

هَلّا مَنَنتَ عَلى أَسيركَ بِاللِقا

لِيَنالَ في دارِ الوِصالِ خُلودا

Why not favor your captive with a meeting,

that he may attain eternity in the abode of union?

وَبثغركَ الماءُ الزُلالُ فَما لَهُ

ما كانَ للظامي بِهِ مورودا

And at your lips is limpid water—why

has it never been reached by the thirsty one?

وأَسَرتَهُ وَحُجِبتَ عَنهُ فَيا له

وَهوَ الشَقيُّ مقرّباً مَطرودا

You captured him and were veiled from him—alas for him,

wretched, brought near yet cast out!

أَهوى الَّذي أَقسَمتُ أَنّي لا أَعي

في حُبِّهِ لَوماً وَلا تَفنيدا

I love the one, and swore that I would heed no

blame or censure in loving him.

مَلكَ الفؤادَ وَساقه لِهَلاكِهِ

فرأيت منّا سائِقاً وَشَهيدا

He possessed my heart and drove it to its destruction;

so I saw between us a driver and a martyr.

لا عَطفَ لي مِنهُ وَلا أَبغي بِهِ

بَدَلاً وَأَكّدتُ الهَوى تَأكيدا

He has no tenderness for me, yet I seek no

substitute for him, and have firmly affirmed my love.

وَإِذا بَدا ذابَ الفؤادُ صَبابَةً

وَالشَمسُ ما زالَت تُذيبُ جَليدا

Whenever he appears, my heart melts with yearning,

and the sun never ceases to melt ice.

وَإِذا نَظَرتَ إِلى اللِحاظِ وَجدتَها

في الفَتكِ بيضاً وَهيَ تُنعَتُ سودا

And if you look at those glances, you find them

white swords in their deadliness, though described as black.

بِالسَيف يسمى طَرفُهُ فَلَقَد غَدا

بصرُ الحَبيبِ كَما يُقالُ حَديدا

His glance is called a sword, for indeed

the beloved's sight has become, as they say, iron-sharp.

يا قَلب بِالزفراتِ لا تَبخَل وَيا

عينيَّ بالعبراتِ حُزناً جودا

O heart, do not begrudge your sighs; and O

my two eyes, pour forth tears of grief.

يا صاحِبيَّ مِنَ الهَوى أَنا واجِدٌ

وَفَقَدتُ صَبري إِذ وَجَدتُ فَقيدا

O my two friends, I suffer from love,

and lost my patience when I found a loved one gone.

عودا صَديقَكُما لكي ترياهُ من

بريِ النحولِ لما يُقاسي عودا

Visit your friend, both of you, to see how

emaciation has whittled him, through suffering, to a stick.

حَتّى مَتى أُبدي الوَفاءَ لِغادِرٍ

وَإِلى مَتى أَصِلُ المُحبَّ صدودا

How long shall I show fidelity to a betrayer?

And how long shall I keep ties with one who loves rejection?

هَيهاتَ صمتُ عَن الغَرامِ فَلَم أُعِد

قَلبي السَليمَ مِن الغوايَةِ عيدا

Far from it! I fasted from passion and did not make

my heart, safe from delusion, a feast again.

وَذَمَمتُ مَن يَهوى جَفاءَ محبّهِ

وَسَلَكتُ مَدحاً في النَبيِّ حَميدا

And I condemned whoever loves to estrange his lover,

and turned to praiseworthy praise of the Prophet.

إِصدَح بِمَدحِ المُصطَفى واِصدَع بِهِ

قَلبَ الحَسودِ وَلا تَخَف تَفنيدا

Sing aloud the praise of the Chosen One, and with it split

the envier's heart, and fear no censure.

وَاِقصِد لَهُ وَاِسأَل بِهِ تُعطَ المنى

وَتَعيشُ مَهما عشت فيهِ سَعيدا

Make for him, and ask through him: your wishes will be granted,

and live happily through him, however long you live.

خَيرُ الأَنامِ ومن لَجا لِجنابِهِ

لا بِدعَ أَن أَضحى بِهِ مَسعودا

The best of humankind—whoever seeks refuge at his side,

no wonder he becomes fortunate through him.

المُجتَبى الهادي الَّذي مِنهاجُهُ

حازَ الكَمالَ وَمهَّد التَميهدا

The Elect, the Guide, whose way

attained perfection and paved the way thoroughly.

قَد خُصَّ بِالتَقريبِ بالإِسراءِ إِذ

عادَ الَّذي عادى الحَبيبَ بَعيدا

He was singled out for nearness in the Night Journey, while

whoever opposed the Beloved became distant.

وَسَما فأُبصِرَتِ السَما مِن دونِهِ

أَرضاً وَحازَ بِهِ الصُعودُ سُعودا

He rose, and heaven beneath him was seen

as earth; through him ascent attained good fortune.

وَعَلا مَحلّاً دونَهُ جِبريلُ قَد

أَمسى وَقَد وَرَدَ الحَبيبُ مذودا

He ascended to a station below which Gabriel

remained, held back as the Beloved arrived.

بِالحَقِّ أَرسَلَهُ الإِلَهُ إِلى الوَرى

فَغدَا المُطيعُ لما يَقولُ رَشيدا

God sent him with the truth to humankind,

and whoever obeyed his words became rightly guided.

وَثَنى عَن الغيّ العِبادَ لِرُشدِهِم

إِلّا شَقيّاً هالِكاً وَعَنيدا

He turned the servants from error toward their right guidance,

except one wretched, doomed, and obstinate.

كَم شَيخِ إِشراكٍ مَضى في غَيِّهِ

وَغَدا لِشَيطانِ الضَلالِ مريدا

How many an elder of idolatry persisted in his error,

and became a disciple of the devil of misguidance.

وَطَغى وَمَدَّ لَهُ الرَجيمُ بِشركِهِ

شرَكاً فعاد بِعَكسِهِ مَطرودا

He transgressed, and the accursed one spread for him, through his idolatry,

a snare; he returned instead, cast out.

وَلَكم فَتى لاحَ الرشادُ لَهُ رَجا

بنبيّهِ وَعداً وَخافَ وَعيدا

And how many a youth, to whom right guidance dawned, hoped

through his Prophet for a promise, and feared a threat.

نالَ الأَمانَ المؤمِنونَ بِهِ إِذا

شَبَّت جِهَنَّمُ بِالطُغاةِ وَقودا

Through him the believers attain safety when

Hell blazes with tyrants as its fuel.

يردونَ إِذ ظَمِئوا عَلى الحوضِ الَّذي

يَروي الغَليلَ فَيا لَهُ مورودا

When thirsty, they come to the Pool that

quenches burning thirst—what a watering place!

وَهوَ المشَفّعُ في العُصاةِ إِذا طَمى

عَرَقٌ وَأَلجَمَ في الورودِ وَريدا

He is the accepted intercessor for sinners when surging

sweat bridles each comer upon arrival.

يأتي لِساقِ العَرشِ يَسجُدُ سائِلاً

لِلَّهِ فينا حبّذاكَ سُجودا

He comes to the foot of the Throne, prostrating and petitioning

God on our behalf—how excellent that prostration!

وَعَلَيهِ يَفتَحُ رَبُّهُ بمحامِدٍ

لَم يُعطِ خلقاً ذَلِكَ التَحميدا

And his Lord opens to him words of praise,

such praise as He has granted no created being.

وَيَقولُ قُل تسمَع وَسَل تُعطَ المنى

وَاِشفَع تُشَفَّع وَاِنتجِز مَوعودا

And He says: 'Speak, and you will be heard; ask, and your wishes will be granted;

intercede, and your intercession will be accepted; claim what was promised.'

فَهُناكَ يَشفَعُ في الوَرى مِن مَوقِفٍ

لا تَرتَجي العَينان فيهِ هُجودا

There he intercedes for humankind from a station

where the eyes can hope for no sleep.

ذاكَ المقامُ بِهِ يُخَصُّ مُحَمَّدٌ

وَالرُسلُ فيهِ يَحضُرونَ شُهودا

That is the station reserved for Muhammad,

and the messengers attend it as witnesses.

ثُمَّ الشَفاعَةُ في العُصاةِ فَإِنَّهُ

فيهِ المقدَّمُ لا يَخافُ ردودا

Then comes intercession for sinners, for he

takes precedence there and fears no refusal.

والأنبيا نَطَقوا بِحَمدِ مَقامِهِ

وَمَقامُ أَحمَدَ لَم يَزَل مَحمودا

The prophets have spoken in praise of his station,

and Ahmad's station has ever been praised.

يا سَيِّدَ الرُسلِ الَّذي فاقَ الوَرى

بأساً سَما كُلَّ الوجودِ وجودا

O master of the messengers, who surpassed humankind

in valor, and rose above all existence in generosity.

هذي ضَراعَةُ مُذنِبٍ مُتَمَسِّكٍ

بِوَلائِكُم مِن يَومِ كانَ وَليدا

This is the supplication of a sinner who has clung

to devotion to you since the day he was a newborn.

يَرجو بِكَ المَحيا السَعيدَ وَبَعثَهُ

بَعدَ المَماتِ إِلى النَعيمِ شَهيدا

He hopes through you for a happy life and his resurrection

after death, into bliss, as a martyr.

صَلّى عَلَيكَ وَسَلَّم اللَهُ الَّذي

أَحيا بِكَ الإِيمانَ وَالتَوحيدا

May God bless you and grant you peace, He who

revived faith and belief in His oneness through you.

والآل ما هَبَّ النَسيمُ فَحَلَّ مِن

أَزرارِ أَزهارِ الربى المَعقودا

And your family, so long as the breeze blows and unfastens

the knotted buttons of the hillside flowers.

وَعلى صَحابَتِكَ الَّذينَ سموا عُلىً

وَهُدىً وَآباءً رقوا وَجدودا

And upon your companions, who rose high in eminence

and guidance, exalted in their fathers and grandfathers.

مِن مَعشَرٍ كانوا الأَئمّةَ لِلوَرى

فاقوا البَريَّةَ سَيِّداً ومسودا

From a company who were leaders for humankind,

surpassing creation, master and subject alike.

فَإِذا سَخَوا كانوا البِحارَ وَإِن سَطوا

كانوا الأسودَ أَو السُراة الصيدا

When generous, they were oceans; and when they struck,

they were lions, or proud chieftains.

ما طُوِّقَت مُدّاحُهُم بِحَلاهُمُ

فلأجلِ ذَلِكَ لازَموا التَغريدا

So long as their praisers are garlanded with their ornaments;

for that reason they kept on singing.

وَعلى الأُلى تبعوا بإِحسانٍ ومن

حفظَ الشَريعةَ شاهِداً مَشهودا

And upon those who followed them in goodness, and whoever

preserved the Sacred Law, a witness and one witnessed,

مِن كُلِّ حَبرٍ تابِعٍ سنَنَ الهُدى

وَلّى عَلى أثرِ الهُداةِ حَميدا

every scholar following the paths of guidance,

who went in the guides' footsteps, praiseworthy.

مِثل البُخاري ثُمَّ مُسلِمٍ الَّذي

يَتلوهُ في العليا أَبو داودا

Like al-Bukhari, then Muslim, who

is followed in lofty rank by Abu Dawud.

فاقَ التَصانيفَ الكِبارَ بِجَمعِهِ ال

أَحكامَ فيها يَبذُلُ المَجهودا

He surpassed the great compilations by collecting the

rulings within it, expending his utmost effort.

قَد كانَ أَقوى ما رأى في بابِهِ

يأتي بِهِ وَيحرّرُ التَجويدا

The strongest he found in each chapter

he would present, refining it with precision.

فَجَزاهُ عَنّا اللَهُ أَفضَلَ ما جَزى

مَن في الديانَةِ أَبطلَ التَرديدا

May God reward him on our behalf with the best reward He has given

anyone who dispelled uncertainty in religion.

ثُمَّ الصَلاةُ عَلى النَبيِّ وَآلِهِ

أَبَداً إِلى يَومِ الجَزاءِ أَبيدا

Then blessings upon the Prophet and his family,

forever, until the Day of Recompense, for all time.