1. تَدَفَّق دُموعاً أَو دَماً أَو قَوافيا

    مَآتِمُ أولى الناسِ بِالحُزنِ هاهِيا

    Pour forth tears, or blood, or rhymes.

    Here are the mourning rites of the one most worthy of people's grief.

  2. أَيَجمُلُ أن تُنعى الفَضائلُ لِلوَرى

    وَلم تكُ في الباكينَ وَيحكَ باكِيا

    Is it fitting that virtues' death be announced to mankind,

    While you—woe to you—are not weeping among the mourners?

  3. اغَرَّكَ من بَعضِ اللَيالي سُكونُها

    فَبِتَّ قَريراً ناعِمَ البالِ هانيا

    Did the stillness of certain nights deceive you,

    So that you spent the night content, serene of mind, at ease?

  4. لقد سَكَنَت لكن لِتُرهِفَ لِلوَغى

    دقائِقَ من ساعاتها وَثوانيا

    They were indeed still, but only to sharpen for battle

    Minutes from their hours, and seconds.

  5. إلا إِنَّ بينَ الكاسِ والفَم فُرجةً

    لِرَكضِ عظيماتٍ تُشيبُ النَواصِيا

    Yet surely between the cup and the mouth there is a gap

    For mighty calamities to gallop through, turning forelocks white.

  6. فنَبِّه رَقيقاً من حِذاركَ كلَّما

    رَأَيت بِأطرافِ الفُؤادِ أمانيا

    So stir a little of your caution whenever

    You see hopes at the edges of the heart.

  7. محمدُ دورُ العِلمِ كانَت أَواهِلاً

    بِفضلِكَ ما بينَ الأَنام زَواهِيا

    Muhammad, the houses of learning were full of life,

    Thanks to you, radiant among mankind.

  8. فَصَبَّحَها إِلّا من الحُزنِ وَالأَسى

    عَليكَ القَضاءُ المُستَبِدُّ خواليا

    Then at dawn they were left—save for grief and sorrow

    For you—empty by imperious fate.

  9. فَما لِلرَدى لا باركَ اللَهُ في الرَدى

    أَحالَ بَشيرَ الأَمسِ في الكَونِ ناعِيا

    What ails death, then—may God not bless death—

    That it turned yesterday's bearer of glad tidings in the world into a herald of death?

  10. بِرَغمِ الحجا وَالمجدِ أَن مسَّك البِلى

    بِسوءٍ فَأَضحى عودكَ الصُلبُ ذاوِيا

    To the dismay of intellect and glory, decay has touched you

    With harm, leaving your sturdy stem withered.

  11. وَأَن أُقفِلَ البابُ الذي كنتَ عندَه

    تُقابِلُ مَلهوفا وَتَرصُدُ شاكيا

    And that the door was locked, where you used

    To receive the distressed and await the complainant.

  12. محمَّدُ من لِلدّين يحرُسُ حَوضَه

    وَيَدرَأُ بَينَ الناس عنه العَواديا

    Muhammad, who will guard the faith's pool

    And ward off its assailants among mankind?

  13. تعرَّضَ قَومٌ لِلكتابِ وَأَثخَنوا

    صراحَتَه شَرحاً عن القَصدِ نائِيا

    Some people meddled with the Book and sorely wounded

    Its clarity with commentary far removed from its intent.

  14. فَأَرسَلتَ فيهِ نَظرَةً نَفَذَت إلى

    صَميمِ مُرادِ اللَهِ إِذ قُمتَ هاديا

    So you cast into it a gaze that penetrated to

    The very heart of God's intent, when you stood forth as a guide.

  15. وَوَفَّقتَ بين الشَرعِ وَالعَقلِ بَعدَما

    قد اعتَقَد الإِلفانِ أَلّا تَلاقيا

    And you reconciled divine law with reason, after

    The two companions had believed there could be no meeting.

  16. وَرُبَّ أُناسٍ حارَبوا دينَ أحمدٍ

    فَثرتَ عليهم ثَورَةَ اللَيثِ عادِيا

    And many were those who fought Ahmad's faith;

    So you rose against them with a charging lion's fury.

  17. وَقَفتَ وَأَقلامُ الغوايَةِ شُرَّعٌ

    وَأقلامُ أهلِ الحقِّ تَرنو سواهيا

    You stood firm while the pens of error were leveled for attack,

    And the pens of truth's people gazed on heedlessly.

  18. وَأَفحَمتَ بِالبُرهانِ كلَّ مُناضِلٍ

    لو انَّك لم تَغضَب لَزادَ تَمادِيا

    And with proof you silenced every opponent

    Who, had you not grown angry, would have persisted all the more.

  19. فَفاءُوا إلى الحُسنى ولو لَم تَحُجُّهُم

    لَعادَت زَئيراً صَيحَةُ القَومِ داوِيا

    So they returned to the better way; had you not bested them in argument,

    Their cry would have become a resounding roar again.

  20. هنيئاً لهُم فَليَحملوا حَمَلاتِهم

    فقد أَصبحَ المَيدان بعدَكَ خالِيا

    Good for them! Let them launch their assaults,

    For the battlefield is empty now that you are gone.

  21. محمدُ وَفَّيتَ المُروآتِ حقَّها

    وَقمتَ إِليها في حياتِكَ داعِيا

    Muhammad, you gave noble virtues their due,

    And in your lifetime rose to call others to them.

  22. وَعلَّمتَ أهلَ العُرفِ في العُرفِ أوجُهاً

    لها غُرَرٌ مَشهورَةٌ ومعانِيا

    And you taught the benevolent aspects of benevolence,

    With renowned bright distinctions—and meanings too.

  23. وَعالَجتَ أمراضَ القُلوب بحكمَةٍ

    تَرى ظاهراً مِن خَلفِها البُرءَ صافِيا

    And you treated the diseases of hearts with wisdom;

    Behind it you see healing, manifest and pure.

  24. وَأَودَعتَ في الطلّابِ أجزاءَ مُهجَةٍ

    تَرى العِلمَ إِن لم يَعلُ بالمرءِ هاذِيا

    And you lodged in the students fragments of a soul

    That deems knowledge mere babbling unless it uplifts a person.

  25. مَناقِبُ إن عُدَّت تَضَوَّعُ بَينَنا

    كَأنّا اتَّخَذنا ساحةَ الرَوضِ نادِيا

    Virtues which, if recounted, spread their fragrance among us,

    As though we had made the garden's expanse our meeting place.

  26. ألا نَم معَ الأَبرارِ في الخُلدِ ناعِماً

    فكم بِتَّ فينا ساهِرَ العَزمِ عانِيا

    Ah, sleep at ease with the righteous in eternity,

    For many a night you stayed among us, wakeful in resolve and toiling.

  27. جُزيتَ عن الإِسلام ما أنتَ أهلُه

    فقد كُنتَ سَيفاً في يَدِ الحَقِّ ماضِيا

    May you be rewarded on Islam's behalf with what you deserve,

    For you were a keen sword in the hand of truth.