Qasida Burdah
Qasida al-Burda (Arabic: قصيدة البردة), known in English as the ‘Poem of the Cloak’ or the ‘Mantle-Ode’ is the most famous work of Imam Sharaf ad-Din al-Busiri V, an eminent Sufi poet. It also known as al-Kawakib al-duriyah fi madḥ Khayr al-Bariyah (Arabic: الكواكب الدرية في مدح خير البرية ), meaning ‘Celestial Lights in Praise of the Best of Creation’ or ‘Glittering Stars in Praise of the Best of Creation’. Despite the difficulty of the poem’s exalted Arabic, it has been said that it is the most widely-memorised poem in the Muslim world.
Imam al-Busiri
Imam al-Busiri‘s full name was Abu Abd-Allah Sharaf al-Din Muhammad ibn Sa’id al-Busiri al-Sanhaji. He was from the Banu Habnum clan, a major branch of the North African Berber Sanhaji tribe. It is reported that he was born in 608 AH / 1211 CE in Dellys (Arabic: دلّس, Berber: Delles), a small Mediterranean town in modern-day northern Algeria. He reportedly passed away in 691 AH / 1294 CE and is buried in Alexandria, Egypt.
Contents
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ مُنْشِي الْخَلْقِ مِنْ عَدَمِ
ثُمَ الصَّلَاةُ عَلى الْمُخْتَارِ فِي الْقِدَمِ
Al-ḥamdu li Llāhi munshī l-khalqi min ʿadami
Thumma ṣ-ṣalātu ʿala l-mukhtāri fi l-qidami
Praise be to Allah, Originator of Creation from non-existence
Then prayers be upon the one chosen since pre-eternity
Chorus
مَولَايَ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ دَائِمًا أَبَدًا
عَلَى حَبِيبِكَ خَيْرِ الْخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمِ
Mawlāya ṣalli wa sallim dā'iman abadan
ʿAlā ḥabībika khayri l-khalqi kullihimi
O my Lord, bless and grant peace always and forever
Upon Your beloved one, the Best of all Creatio
Al-faṣlu l-awwalu fi l-ghazli wa shakwa l-gharāmi
Chapter One
On Words of Love and the Intense Suffering of Passion
مَزَجْتَ دَمْعًا جَرَى مِنْ مُقْلَةٍ بِدَمِ
Amin tadhakkuri jīrānin bi dhī salami
Mazajta damʿan jarā min muqlatin bi dami
1. Is it the memory of neighbours in Dhu Salam
That has left your eyes so red with tears?
أَمْ هَبَّتِ الرِّيحُ مِنْ تِلْقَاءِ كَاظِمَةٍ
وَأَوْمَضَ الْبَرْقُ فِي الظَّلْمَاءِ مِنْ إِضَمِ
Am habbati r-rīḥu min tilqā'i kāẓimatin
Wa awmaḍa l-barqu fi ẓ-ẓalmā'i min iḍami
2. Or is it the wind blowing from the direction of Kazima
And the lightning flashing in the black night from Mount Idam?
فَمَا لِعَيْنَيْكَ إِنْ قُلْتَ اكْفُفَا هَمَتَا
وَمَا لِقَلْبِكَ إِنْ قُلْتَ اسْتَفِقْ يَهِمِ
Fa mā li ʿaynayka in qulta k-fufā hamatā
Wa mā li qalbika in qulta s-tafiq yahimi
3. What is the matter with your eyes, that when you tell them to refrain, they only weep more?
And your heart - when you try to rouse it, it only becomes more bewildered
أَيَحْسَبُ الصَّبُّ أَنَّ الْحُبَّ مُنْكَتِمٌ
مَا بَيْنَ مُنْسَجِمٍ مِنْهُ وَمُضْطَرِمِ
Ayaḥsabu ṣ-ṣabbu anna l-ḥubba munkatimun
Mā bayna munsajimin minhu wa muḍṭarimi
4. Does the one in love suppose his love can be concealed
Between pouring tears and a blazing heart?
لَوْلَا الْهَوَى لَمْ تُرِقْ دَمْعًا عَلَى طَلَلٍ
وَلَا أَرِقْتَ لِذِكْرِ الْبَانِ وَالْعَلَمِ
Lawla l-hawā lam turiq damʿan ʿalā ṭalalin
Wa lā ariqta li dhikri l-bāni wa l-ʿalami
5. If not for love, your tears would not pour forth over traces left by your beloved,
Nor would you be sleepless remembering the willow tree and the mountain
فَكَيْفَ تُنْكِرُ حُبًّا بَعْدَ مَا شَهِدَتْ
بِهِ عَلَيْكَ عُدُولُ الدَّمْعِ وَالسَّقَمِ
Fa kayfa tunkiru ḥubban baʿda mā shahidat
Bihi ʿalayka ʿudūlu d-damʿi wa s-saqami
6. So how can you deny this love when such honest witnesses,
as weeping and looking gaunt have testified to it against you?
وَأَثْبَتَ الْوَجْدُ خَطَّيْ عَبْرَةٍ وَضَنىً
مِثْلَ الْبَهَارِ عَلَى خَدَّيْكَ وَالْعَنَمِ
Wa athbata l-wajdu khaṭṭay ʿabratin wa ḍanan
Mithla l-bahāri ʿalā khaddayka wa l-ʿanami
7. The agony of love has inscribed two lines of tears and grief
Upon your cheeks, pale as bahar and red as anam
نَعَمْ سَرَى طَيْفُ مَنْ أَهْوَى فَأَرَّقَنِي
وَالْحُبُّ يَعْتَرِضُ اللَّذَّاتِ بِالْأَلَمِ
Naʿam sarā ṭayfu man ahwā fa arraqanī
Wa l-ḥubbu yaʿtariḍu l-ladhdhati bi l-alami
8. Yes, a vision of the one I love came to me by night, and I could not sleep,
Oh, how love hinders the tasting of delight with its suffering!
يَا لَائِمِي فِي الْهَوَى الْعُذْرِيِّ مَعْذِرَةً
مِنِّي إِلَيْكَ وَلَوْ أَنْصَفْتَ لَمْ تَلُمِ
Yā lā'imī fi l-hawa l-ʿudhriyyi maʿdhiratan
Minnī ilayka wa law anṣafta lam talumi
9. O you who would rebuke me for this pure love, accept my excuse
If you were truly fair, you would not reproach me at all
عَدَتْكَ حَالِيَ لَا سِرِّي بِمُسْتَتِرٍ
عَنِ الْوُشَاةِ وَلَا دَائِي بِمُنْحَسِمِ
ʿAdatka ḥāliya lā sirrī bi mustatirin
ʿAni l-wushāti wa lā dā'ī bi munḥasimi
10. May you be spared a state such as mine! My secret cannot be concealed
From my detractors, nor will there ever be an end to my malady
مَحَّضْتَنِي النُّصْحَ لَكِنْ لَسْتُ أَسْمَعُهُ
إِنَّ الْمُحِبَّ عَنِ الْعُذَّالِ فِي صَمَمِ
Maḥḥaḍtanī n-nuṣḥa lākin lastu asmaʿuhu
Inna l-muḥibba ʿani l-ʿudh-dhāli fī ṣamami
11. You gave me sincere good counsel, but I did not hear it,
The lover is quite deaf to those who blame him
إِنِّي اتَّهَمْتُ نَصِيحَ الشَّيْبِ فِي عَذَلٍ
وَالشَّيْبُ أَبْعَدُ فِي نُصْحٍ عَنِ التُّهَمِ
Innī t-tahamtu naṣīḥa sh-shaybi fī ʿadhalin
Wa sh-shaybu abʿadu fī nuṣ-ḥin ʿani t-tuhami
12. I even suspected the counsel of my own grey hairs rebuking me,
When I knew the counsel of old age and grey hair to be above suspicion
اَلْفَصْلُ الثَّانِي فِي الْحَذِيرِ مِنْ هَوَى النَّفْسِ
Al-faṣlu th-thānī fi l-ḥadhīri min hawa n-nafsi
Chapter Two
A Caution About the Whims of the Self
فَإِنَّ أَمَّارَتيِ بِالسُّوءِ مَا اتَّعَظَتْ
مِنْ جَهْلِهَا بِنَذِيرِ الشَّيْبِ وَالْهَرَمِ
Fa inna ammāratī bi s-sū'i ma t-taʿaẓat
Min jahlihā bi nadhīri sh-shaybi wa l-harami
13. My foolish reckless self refused to heed the warning
Heralded by the onset of grey hair and old age
وَلَا أَعَدَّتْ مِنَ الْفِعْلِ الْجَمِيلِ قِرَى
ضَيْفٍ أَلَمَّ بِرَأْسِي غَيْرَ مُحْتَشِمِ
Wa lā aʿaddat mina l-fiʿli l-jamīli qirā
Ḍayfin alamma bi ra'sī ghayra muḥtashimi
14. And it had not prepared any good deeds to properly welcome
This guest who had turned up on my head unannounced
لَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي مَا أُوَقِّرُهُ
كَتَمْتُ سِرًّا بَدَا ليِ مِنْهُ بِالْكَتَمِ
Law kuntu aʿlamu annī mā uwaqqiruhu
Katamtu sirran badā lī minhu bi l-katami
15. If I had known that I could not receive him with honour,
I would have hidden my secret from him with dye
مَنْ لِي بِرَدِّ جِمَاحٍ مِنْ غَوَايَتِهَا
كَمَا يُرَدُّ جِمَاحُ الْخَيْلِ بِاللُّجُمِ
Man lī bi raddi jimāḥin min ghawāyatihā
Kamā yuraddu jimāḥu l-khayli bi l-lujumi
16. Who can hold back my headstrong soul from the error of its ways,
Just as wild horses are restrained with bridles and reins?
فَلَا تَرُمْ بِالْمَعَاصِي كَسْرَ شَهْوَتِهَا
إِنَّ الطَّعَامَ يُقَوِّي شَهْوَةَ النَّهِمِ
Fa lā tarum bi l-maʿāṣī kasra shahwatihā
Inna ṭ-ṭaʿāma yuqawwī shahwata n-nahimi
17. Do not aim to break the desires by plunging further into sin,
The glutton’s greed is only increased by [the sight of] food
وَالنَّفْسُ كَالطِّفْلِ إِنْ تُهْمِلْهُ شَبَّ عَلَى
حُبِّ الرَّضَاعِ وَإِنْ تَفْطِمْهُ يَنْفَطِمِ
Wa n-nafsu ka-ṭ-ṭifli in tuhmilhu shabba ʿalā
Ḥubbi r-raḍāʿi wa in tafṭimhu yanfaṭimi
18. The self is like an infant, if you neglect its proper care,
It will grow up still loving to suckle; but once you wean it, it will be weaned
فَاصْرِفْ هَوَاهَا وَحَاذِرْ أَنْ تُوَلِّيَهُ
إِنَّ الْهَوَى مَا تَوَلَّى يُصْمِ أَوْ يَصِمِ
Faṣrif hawāhā wa ḥādhir an tuwalliyahu
Inna l-hawā mā tawallā yuṣmi aw yaṣimi
19. So dismiss its passions, beware of letting them take over,
For when passion gets the upper hand, it will either kill or bring dishonour
وَرَاعِهَا وَهْيَ فِي الْأَعْمَالِ سَائِمَةٌ
وَإِنْ هِيَ اسْتَحْلَتِ الْمَرْعَى فَلَا تُسِمِ
Wa rāʿihā wahya fi l-aʿmāli sā'imatun
Wa in hiya s-taḥlati l-marʿā fa lā tusimi
20. Keep a watchful eye on it as it grazes in the field of actions,
And if it finds the pasture too delightful, do not let it graze unchecked
كَمْ حَسَّنَتْ لَذَّةً لِلْمَرْءِ قَاتِلَةً
مِنْ حَيْثُ لَمْ يَدْرِ أَنَّ السُّمَّ فِي الدَّسَمِ
Kam ḥassanat ladh-dhatan li l-mar'i qātilatan
Min ḥaythu lam yadri anna s-summa fi d-dasami
21. How often a pleasure that is in fact deadly has seemed good,
To one who does not know there may be poison in the fat
وَاخْشَ الدَّسَائِسَ مِنْ جُوعٍ وَمِنْ شِبَعٍ
فَرُبَّ مَخْمَصَةٍ شَرٌّ مِنَ التُّخَمِ
Wa kh-sha d-dasā'isa min jūʿin wa min shibaʿin
Fa rubba makhmaṣatin sharrun mina t-tukhami
22. Beware the snares of hunger and satiety,
For an empty stomach may be worse than over-eating
وَاسْتَفْرِغِ الدَّمْعَ مِنْ عَيْنٍ قَدِ امْتَلَأَتْ
مِنَ الْمَحَارِمِ وَالْزَمْ حِمْيَةَ النَّدَمِ
Wa s-tafrighi d-damʿa min ʿaynin qadi m-tala'at
Mina l-maḥārimi wa l-zam ḥimyata n-nadami
23. Dry the tears from eyes that have had their fill of forbidden things,
And henceforth let your only diet be regret
وَخَالِفِ النَّفْسَ وَالشَّيْطَانَ وَاعْصِهِمَا
وَإِنْ هُمَا مَحَضَاكَ النُّصْحَ فَاتَّهِمِ
Wa khālifi n-nafsa wa sh-shayṭāna wa ʿṣihimā
Wa in humā maḥaḍāka n-nuṣḥa fa t-tahimi
24. Oppose the self and shaytan - and defy them,
If they try to offer you advice, treat it with suspicion
وَلَا تُطِعْ مِنْهُمَا خَصْمًا وَلَا حَكَمًا
فَأَنْتَ تَعْرِفُ كَيْدَ الْخَصْمِ وَالْحَكَمِ
Wa lā tuṭiʿ minhumā khaṣman wa lā ḥakaman
Fa anta taʿrifu kayda l-khaṣmi wa l-ḥakami
25. Never obey them, whether they oppose or come to arbitrate,
For you know by now the tricks of both opponents and arbitrators
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ قَوْلٍ بِلَا عَمَلٍ
لَقَدْ نَسَبْتُ بِهِ نَسْلًا لِذِي عُقُمِ
Astaghfiru Llāha min qawlin bilā ʿamalin
Laqad nasabtu bihi naslan li dhī ʿuqumi
26. I beg Allah’s forgiveness for saying things I do not do,
As though I were ascribing progeny to one who was barren
أَمَرْتُكَ الْخَيْرَ لَكِنْ مَا ائْتَمَرْتُ بِهِ
وَمَا اسْتَقَمْتُ فَمَا قَوْليِ لَكَ اسْتَقِمِ
Amartuka l-khayra lākin mā' tamartu bihi
Wa ma s-taqamtu fa mā qawlī laka s-taqimi
27. I ordered you to be good, but then didn’t heed my own advice,
I was not myself upright, so what of my telling you, ‘Be upright!’
وَلَا تَزَوَّدْتُ قَبْلَ الْمَوْتِ نَافِلَةً
وَلَمْ أُصَلِّ سِوَى فَرْضٍ وَلَمْ أَصُمِ
Wa lā tazawwadtu qabla l-mawti nāfīlatan
Wa lam uṣalli siwā farḍin wa lam aṣumi
28. I have not made much provision of voluntary prayer before death comes to take me,
Neither have I prayed nor fasted more than was obligatory
الْفَصْلُ الثَّالِثُ فِي مَدْحِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ
Al-faṣlu th-thālithu fī madḥi n-Nabiyyi (ṣalla Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)
Chapter Three
Praise of the Prophet ﷺ
ظَلَمْتُ سُنَّةَ مَنْ أَحْيَا الظَّلَامَ إِلَى
أَنِ اشْتَكَتْ قَدَمَاهُ الضُّرَّ مِنْ وَرَمِ
Ẓalamtu sunnata man aḥyā ẓ-ẓalāma ilā
Ani sh-takat qadamāhu ḍ-ḍurra min warami
29. I have done injustice to the path of the one who prayed at night
Until his feet complained of pain and swelling
وَشَدَّ مِنْ سَغَبٍ أَحْشَاءَهُ وَطَوَى
تَحْتَ الْحِجَارَةِ كَشْحًا مُتْرَفَ الْأَدَمِ
Wa shadda min saghabin aḥshā'ahu wa ṭawā
Taḥta l-ḥijārati kash-ḥan mutrafa l-adami
30. While he bound up his insides against the extremity of his hunger,
Hiding his delicate skin beneath the stone tied round his waist
وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الْجِبَالُ الشُّمُّ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ
عَنْ نَفْسِهِ فَأَرَاهَا أَيَّمَا شَمَمِ
Wa rāwadat-hu l-jibālu sh-shummu min dhahabin
ʿAn nafsihi fa'arāhā ayyamā shamami
31. The high mountains of gold sought to entice him,
But he showed them in return the true meaning of elevation
وَ أَكَّدَتْ زُهْدَهُ فِيهَا ضَرُورَتُهُ
إِنَّ الضَّرُورَةَ لَا تَعْدُو عَلَى الْعِصَمِ
Wa akkadat zuhdahu fīhā ḍarūratuhu
Inna ḍ-ḍarūrata lā taʿdū ʿala l-ʿiṣami
32. His situation of austerity and need only confirmed his indifference to worldly concerns,
For even dire need cannot assail such impeccable virtue
وَكَيْفَ تَدْعُو إِلَى الدُّنْيَا ضَرُورَةُ مَنْ
لَولَاهُ لَمْ تُخْرَجِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الْعَدَمِ
Wa kayfa tadʿū ila d-dunyā ḍarūratu man
Lawlāhu lam tukhraji d-dunyā mina l-ʿadami
33. How could the dire need of such a person draw him towards the world,
When were it not for him, the world would never have emerged from non-existence?
مُحَمَّدٌ سَيِّدُ الْكَوْنَيْنِ وَالثَّقَلَيْـ
ـنِ وَالْفَرِيقَيْنِ مِنْ عُرْبٍ وَمِنْ عَجَمِ
Muḥammadun sayyidu l-kawnayni wa th-thaqalay-
-ni wa-l farīqayni min ʿurbin wa min ʿajami
34. Muhammad ﷺ is the master of the two worlds, master of the jinn and [men,]
And master of the two groups, Arabs and non-Arabs
نَبِيُّنَا الْآمِرُ النَّاهِي فَلَا أَحَدٌ
أَبَرَّ فِي قَوْلِ لَا مِنْهُ وَلَا نَعَمِ
Nabiyyuna l-āmiru n-nāhī falā aḥadun
Abarra fī qawli lā minhu wa lā naʿami
35. Our Prophet, who commands the good and forbids the wrong,
There is no one truer to his word, whether it be ‘yes’ or ‘no’
هُوَ الْحَبِيبُ الَّذِي تُرْجَى شَفَاعَتُهُ
لِكُلِّ هَوْلٍ مِنَ الْأَهْوَالِ مُقْتَحَمِ
Huwa l-ḥabību l-ladhī turjā shafāʿatuhu
Li kulli hawlin mina l-ahwāli muqtaḥami
36. He is the beloved one, whose intercession is hoped for
Against all the terrifying things that take us by storm
دَعَا إِلَى اللهِ فَالْمُسْتَمْسِكُونَ بِهِ
مُسْتَمْسِكُونَ بِحَبْلٍ غَيْرِ مُنْفَصِمِ
Daʿā ila Llāhi fa l-mustamsikūna bihi
Mustamsikūna bi ḥablin ghayri munfaṣimi
37. He has called people to Allah, so those who cling to him
Are clinging to a rope which will never break
فَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ فِي خَلْقٍ وَفِي خُلُقٍ
وَلَمْ يُدَانُوهُ فِي عِلْمٍ وَلَا كَرَمِ
Fāqa n-nabiyyīna fī khalqin wa fī khuluqin
Wa lam yudānūhu fī ʿilmin wa lā karami
38. He surpassed the other prophets both in form and noble character,
And none has come close to him in knowledge or in pure generosity
وَكُلُّهُمْ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ مُلْتَمِسٌ
غَرْفًا مِنَ الْبَحْرِ أَوْ رَشْفًا مِنَ الدِّيَمِ
Wa kulluhum min rasūli Llāhi multamisun
Gharfan mina l-baḥri aw rashfan mina d-diyami
39. They all petition the Messenger of Allah for just a handful of water
From his ocean, or a draught from his never-ending rain
وَوَاقِفُونَ لَدَيْهِ عِنْدَ حَدِّهِمِ
مِنْ نُقْطَةِ الْعِلْمِ أَوْ مِنْ شَكْلَةِ الْحِكَمِ
Wa wāqifūna ladayhi ʿinda ḥaddihimi
Min nuqṭati l-ʿilmi aw min shaklati l-ḥikami
40. They all come to a halt before him according to their measure,
As diacritical points upon his knowledge, or vowel marks upon his wisdom
فَهْوَ الَّذِي تَمَّ مَعْنَاهُ وَصُورَتُهُ
ثُمَّ اصْطَفَاهُ حَبِيبًا بَارِئُ النَّسَمِ
Fahwa l-ladhī tamma maʿnāhu wa ṣūratuhu
Thumma ṣ-ṭafāhu ḥabīban bāri'u n-nasami
41. He is the one in whom meaning and form were perfected,
And then the One who created all mankind chose him as His beloved
مُنَزَّهٌ عَنْ شَرِيكٍ فِي مَحَاسِنِهِ
فَجَوْهَرُ الْحُسْنِ فِيهِ غَيْرُ مُنْقَسِمِ
Munazzahun ʿan sharīkin fī maḥāsinihi
Fa jawharu l-ḥusni fīhi ghayru munqasimi
42. He is far from having any equal in his virtues,
For in him, the essence of perfection is indivisible
دَعْ مَا ادَّعَتْهُ النَّصَارَى فِي نَبِيِّهِمِ
وَاحْكُمْ بِمَا شِئْتَ مَدْحًا فِيهِ وَاحْتَكِمِ
Daʿ ma d-daʿathu n-naṣārā fī nabiyyihimi
Wa ḥ-kum bimā shi'ta mad-ḥan fīhi wa ḥ-takimi
43. Abandon what the Christians have claimed about their Prophet,
Beyond that you may say whatever you wish in praise of him
وَانْسُبْ إِلَى ذَاتِهِ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ شَرَفٍ
وَانْسُبْ إِلَى قَدْرِهِ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ عِظَمِ
Wa n-sub ilā dhātihi mā shi'ta min sharafin
Wa n-sub ilā qadrihi mā shi'ta min ʿiẓami
44. You may ascribe whatever you wish of nobility to his essence,
And to his rank, whatever you wish of greatness
فَإِنَّ فَضْلَ رَسُولِ اللهِ لَيْسَ لَهُ
حَدٌّ فَيُعْرِبَ عَنْهُ نَاطِقٌ بِفَمِ
Fa inna faḍla rasūli Llāhi laysa lahu
Ḥaddun fa yuʿriba ʿanhu nāṭiqun bi fami
45. Indeed, the high merit of the Messenger of Allah has no furthest limit
Which could be expressed by the tongue of a human being
لَوْ نَاسَبَتْ قَدْرَهُ آيَاتُهُ عِظَمًا
أَحْيَا اسْمُهُ حِينَ يُدْعَى دَارِسَ الرِّمَمِ
Law nāsabat qadrahu āyātuhu ʿiẓaman
Aḥya s-muhu ḥīna yudʿā dārisa r-rimami
46. Were his miracles to be as mighty as his rank,
Just the sound of his name would bring dead bones to life
لَمْ يَمْتَحِنَّا بِمَا تَعْيَا الْعُقُولُ بِهِ
حِرْصًا عَلَيْنَا فَلَمْ نَرْتَبْ وَلَمْ نَهِمِ
Lam yamtaḥinnā bimā taʿya l-ʿuqūlu bihi
Ḥirṣan ʿalaynā fa lam nartab wa lam nahimi
47. He did not test us with things that would exhaust our intellects,
Out of concern for us, so we did not fall into doubt or bewilderment
أَعْيَا الْوَرَى فَهْمُ مَعْنَاهُ فَلَيْسَ يُرَى
فِي الْقُرْبِ وَالْبُعْدِ فِيهِ غَيْرُ مُنْفَحِمِ
Aʿya l-warā fahmu maʿnāhu falaysa yurā
Fi l-qurbi wa l-buʿdi fīhi ghayru munfaḥimi
48. Mankind is unable to comprehend his true essence,
Near and far, they are dumbfounded
كَالشَّمْسِ تَظْهَرُ لِلْعَيْنَيْنِ مِنْ بُعُدٍ
صَغِيرَةً وَتُكِلُّ الطَّرْفَ مِنْ أَمَمِ
Ka sh-shamsi taẓ-haru li l-ʿaynayni min buʿudin
Ṣaghīratan wa tukillu ṭ-ṭarfa min amami
49. Like the sun, which from afar appears small to the naked eye,
Whereas up close, it would dim and dazzle the vision
وَكَيْفَ يُدْرِكُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَقِيقَتَهُ
قَوْمٌ نِيَامٌ تَسَلَّوْا عَنْهُ بِالْحُلُمِ
Wa kayfa yudriku fi d-dunyā ḥaqīqatahu
Qawmun niyāmun tasallaw ʿanhu bi l-ḥulumi
50. How can people who are asleep perceive his true reality
In this world, while they are distracted from him by their dreams?
فَمَبْلَغُ الْعِلْمِ فِيهِ أَنَّهُ بَشَرٌ
وَأَنَّهُ خَيْرُ خَلْقِ اللهِ كُلِّهِمِ
Fa mablaghu l-ʿilmi fīhi annahu basharun
Wa annahu khayru khalqi Llāhi kullihimi
51. The extent of the knowledge we have of him is that he is a man,
And that he is the best of all Allah’s creation
وَكُلُّ آيٍ أَتَى الرُّسْلُ الْكِرَامُ بِهَا
فَإِنَّمَا اتَّصَلَتْ مِنْ نُورِهِ بِهِمِ
Wa kullu āyin ata r-ruslu l-kirāmu bihā
Fa innama t-taṣalat min nūrihi bihimi
52. Every miracle brought by the Noble Messengers
Was only connected to them through his light
فَإِنَّهُ شَمْسُ فَضْلٍ هُمْ كَوَاكِبُهَا
يُظْهِرْنَ أَنْوَارَهَا لِلنَّاسِ فِي الظُّلَمِ
Fa innahu shamsu faḍlin hum kawākibuhā
Yuẓ-hirna anwārahā li n-nāsi fi ẓ-ẓulami
53. Surely he is a sun of bounty and they are its planets,
Manifesting their lights for people in the darkness
أَكْرِمْ بِخَلْقِ نَبِيٍّ زَانَهُ خُلُقٌ
بِالْحُسْنِ مُشْتَمِلٍ بِالْبِشْرِ مُتَّسِمِ
Akrim bi khalqi nabiyyin zānahu khuluqun
Bi l-ḥusni mushtamilin bi l-bishri muttasimi
54. How generous the creation of a Prophet adorned with excellent character!
So graced with beauty, and radiant of face
كَالزَّهْرِ فِي تَرَفٍ وَالْبَدْرِ فِي شَرَفٍ
وَالْبَحْرِ فِي كَرَمٍ وَالدَّهْرِ فِي هِمَمِ
Ka z-zahri fī tarafin wa l-badri fī sharafin
Wa l-baḥri fī karamin wa d-dahri fī himami
55. Like a flower in freshness and a full moon in eminence,
Like an ocean in pure generosity and like time itself in strength of resolution
كَأَنَّهُ وَهْوَ فَرْدٌ مِنْ جَلَالَتِهِ
فِي عَسْكَرٍ حِينَ تَلْقَاهُ وَفِي حَشَمِ
Ka annahu wahwa fardun min jalālatihi
Fī ʿaskarin ḥīna talqāhu wa fī ḥashami
56. Just from his majestic bearing, even when he was alone,
He seemed as if amongst a great army and entourage
كَأَنَّمَا اللُّؤْلُؤُ الْمَكْنُونُ فِي صَدَفٍ
مِنْ مَعْدِنَيْ مَنْطِقٍ مِنْهُ وَمُبْتَسَمِ
Ka annama l-lu'lu'u l-maknūnu fī ṣadafin
Min maʿdinay manṭiqin minhu wa mubtasami
57. It was as if shining pearls, protected in their shells,
Emerged from both his speech and his radiant smile
لَا طِيبَ يَعْدِلُ تُرْبًا ضَمَّ أَعْظُمَهُ
طُوبَى لِمُنْتَشِقٍ مِنْهُ وَمُلْتَثِمِ
Lā ṭība yaʿdilu turban ḍamma aʿẓumahu
Ṭūbā li muntashiqin minhu wa multathimi
58. No perfume could ever match that of the earth that holds his noble form,
What bliss for the one who smells that blessed earth or kisses it!
الْفَصْلُ الرَّابِعُ فِي مَوْلِدِهِ ﷺ
Al-faṣlu r-rābiʿu fī mawlidihi (ṣalla Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)
Chapter Four
On his Birth ﷺ
أَبَانَ مَوْلِدُهُ عَنْ طِيبِ عُنْصُرِهِ
يَا طِيبَ مُبْتَدَإٍ مِنْهُ وَمُخْتَتَمِ
Abāna mawliduhu ʿan ṭībi ʿunṣurihi
Yā ṭība mubtada'in minhu wa mukhtatami
59. His birth made clear the purity of his origin,
O how pure his beginning and his end!
يَوْمٌ تَفَرَّسَ فِيهِ الْفُرْسُ أَنَّهُمُ
قَدْ أُنْذِرُوا بِحُلُولِ الْبُؤْسِ وَالنِّقَمِ
Yawmun tafarrasa fīhi l-fursu annahumu
Qad undhirū bi ḥulūli l-bu'si wa n-niqami
60. On that day, the Persians realised they had been warned
Of the onset of misery and disasters
وَبَاتَ إِيوَانُ كِسْرَى وَهْوَ مُنْصَدِعٌ
كَشَمْلِ أَصْحَابِ كِسْرَى غَيْرَ مُلْتَئِمِ
Wa bāta īwānu kisrā wahwa munṣadiʿun
Ka shamli aṣ-ḥābi kisrā ghayra multa'imi
61. That very night a crack appeared in the Arch of Chosroes,
Just as the unity and cohesion of his people was forever lost
وَالنَّارُ خَامِدَةُ الْأَنْفَاسِ مِنْ أَسَفٍ
عَلَيْهِ وَالنَّهْرُ سَاهِي الْعَيْنِ مِنْ سَدَمِ
Wa n-nāru khāmidatu l-anfāsi min asafin
ʿAlayhi wa n-nahru sāhī l-ʿayni min sadami
62. The fire, out of grief for the loss, breathed its last,
And the river was distracted from its course by sorrow
وَسَاءَ سَاوَةَ أَنْ غَاضَتْ بُحَيْرَتُهَا
وَرُدَّ وَارِدُهَا بِالْغَيْظِ حِينَ ظَمِي
Wa sā'a sāwata an ghāḍat buḥayratuhā
Wa rudda wāriduhā bi l-ghayẓi ḥīna ẓamī
63. Sawa was troubled as the waters of its lake receded,
And the one who came to drink from it returned raging with thirst
كَأَنَّ بِالنَّارِ مَا بِالْمَاءِ مِنْ بَلَلٍ
حُزْنًا وَبِالْمَاءِ مَا بِالنَّارِ مِنْ ضَرَمِ
Ka anna bi n-nāri mā bi l-mā'i min balalin
Ḥuznan wa bi l-mā'i mā bi n-nāri min ḍarami
64. It was as though, from grief, the fire took on water’s wetness,
And water took on the blazing dryness of the fire
وَالْجِنُّ تَهْتِفُ وَالْأَنْوَارُ سَاطِعَةٌ
وَالْحَقُّ يَظْهَرُ مِنْ مَعْنًى وَمِنْ كَلِمِ
Wa l-jinnu tahtifu wa l-anwāru sāṭiʿatun
Wa l-ḥaqqu yaẓ-haru min maʿnan wa min kalimi
65. The jinn were shrieking, and the lights were flashing out,
As the truth was made manifest in both meaning and word
عَمُوا وَصَمُّوا فَإِعْلَانُ الْبَشَائِرِ لَمْ
تُسْمَعْ وَبَارِقَةُ الْإِنْذَارِ لَمْ تُشَمِ
ʿAmū wa ṣammū fa iʿlānu l-bashā'iri lam
Tusmaʿ wa bāriqatu l-indhāri lam tushami
66. But blind and deaf, the Persians did not hear the happy tidings,
Neither did they see the flash of warning signs
مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَخْبَرَ الْأَقْوَامَ كَاهِنُهُمْ
بِأَنَّ دِينَهُمُ الْمُعْوَجَّ لَمْ يَقُمِ
Min baʿdi mā akhbara l-aqwāma kāhinuhum
Bi anna dīnahumu l-muʿwajja lam yaqumi
67. Even after the people’s own soothsayers had told them
That their crooked old religion could not last
وَبَعْدَ مَا عَايَنُوا فِي الْأُفْقِ مِنْ شُهُبٍ
مُنْقَضَّةٍ وَفْقَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ صَنَمِ
Wa baʿda mā ʿāyanū fi l-ufqi min shuhubin
Munqaḍḍatin wafqa mā fi l-arḍi min ṣanami
68. And after they had seen shooting stars away on the horizon,
Falling from the heavens, just as the idols were falling on earth
حَتَّى غَدَا عَنْ طَرِيقِ الْوَحْيِ مُنْهَزِمٌ
مِنَ الشَّيَاطِينِ يَقْفُوا إِثْرَ مُنْهَزِمِ
Ḥattā ghadā ʿan ṭarīqi l-waḥyī munhazimun
Mina sh-shayāṭīni yaqfū ithra munhazimi
69. Until even the devils were routed, fleeing from the path of revelation,
Following after others as they fled
كَأَنَّهُمْ هَرَبًا أَبْطَالُ أَبْرَهَةٍ
أَوْ عَسْكَرٌ بِالْحَصَى مِنْ رَاحَتَيْهِ رُمِي
Ka annahum haraban abṭālu abrahatin
Aw ʿaskarun bi l-ḥaṣā min rāḥatayhi rumī
70. They were fleeing just like Abraha’s warriors,
Or like the army scattered by pebbles thrown from the Prophet’s own hand
نَبْذًا بِهِ بَعْدَ تَسْبِيحٍ بِبَطْنِهِمَا
نَبْذَ الْمُسَبِّحِ مِنْ أَحْشَاءِ مُلْتَقِمِ
Nabdhan bihi baʿda tasbīḥin bi baṭnihimā
Nabdha l-musabbiḥi min aḥshā'i multaqimi
71. Thrown by him after glorifying God in the palm of his hand,
As the one who glorified his Lord was thrown out from the belly of the whale
الْفَصْلُ الْخَامِسُ فِي مُعْجِزَاتِهِ ﷺ
Al-faṣlu l-khāmisu fī muʿjizātihi (ṣalla Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)
Chapter Five
On the Miracles that came at his Hand ﷺ
جَاءَتْ لِدَعْوَتِهِ الْأَشْجَارُ سَاجِدَةً
تَمْشِي إِلَيْهِ عَلَى سَاقٍ بِلَا قَدَمِ
Jā'at li daʿwatihi l-ashjāru sājidatan
Tamshī ilayhi ʿalā sāqin bilā qadami
72. Trees came to him when he called, prostrating,
Walking towards him on trunks that had no feet
كَأَنَّمَا سَطَرَتْ سَطْرًا لِمَا كَتَبَتْ
فُرُوعُهَا مِنْ بَدِيعِ الْخَطِّ بِاللَّقَمِ
Ka annamā saṭarat saṭran limā katabat
Furūʿuhā min badīʿi l-khaṭṭi bi l-laqami
73. As though they had written lines of beautiful calligraphy
With their branches all along the path
مِثْلَ الْغَمَامَةِ أَنَّى سَارَ سَائِرَةً
تَقِيهِ حَرَّ وَطِيسٍ لِلْهَجِيرِ حَمِي
Mithla l-ghamāmati annā sāra sā'iratan
Taqīhi ḥarra waṭīsin li l-hajīri ḥamī
74. Like the cloud that moved with him wherever he went,
Protecting him from the fierce oven of the midday heat
أَقْسَمْتُ بِالْقَمَرِ الْمُنْشَقِّ إِنَّ لَهُ
مِنْ قَلْبِهِ نِسْبَةً مَبْرُورَةَ الْقَسَمِ
Aqsamtu bi l-qamari l-munshaqqi inna lahu
Min qalbihi nisbatan mabrūrata l-qasami
75. I swear by the [Lord of the] moon that was split in two,
Surely it has a connection with his heart, a true and blessed oath
وَمَا حَوَى الْغَارُ مِنْ خَيْرٍ وَمِنْ كَرَمٍ
وَكُلُّ طَرْفٍ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ عَنْهُ عَمِي
Wa mā ḥawa l-ghāru min khayrin wa min karamin
Wa kullu ṭarfin mina l-kuffāri ʿanhu ʿamī
76. And by the excellence and nobility encompassed in the cave,
While every glance of the unbelievers was quite blind to it
فَالصِّدْقُ فِي الْغَارِ وَالصِّدِّيقُ لَمْ يَرِمَا
وَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ مَا بِالْغَارِ مِنْ أَرِمِ
Fa ṣ-ṣidqu fi l-ghāri wa ṣ-ṣiddīqu lam yarimā
Wa hum yaqūlūna mā bi l-ghāri min arimi
77. The true one and the truthful one remained in the cave,
As those outside said to one another, ‘There is no one in this cave.’
ظَنُّوا الْحَمَامَ وَظَنُّوا الْعَنْكَبُوتَ عَلَى
خَيْرِ الْبَرِيَّةِ لَمْ تَنْسُجْ وَلَمْ تَحُمِ
Ẓannu l-ḥamāma wa ẓannu l-ʿankabūta ʿalā
Khayri l-bariyyati lam tansuj wa lam taḥumi
78. They did not suspect that a dove would hover giving protection,
Or that a spider would spin its web to help the Best of Creation
وِقَايَةُ اللهِ أَغْنَتْ عَنْ مُضَاعَفَةٍ
مِنَ الدُّرُوعِ وَعَنْ عَالٍ مِنَ الْأُطُمِ
Wiqāyatu Llāhi aghnat ʿan muḍāʿafatin
Mina d-durūʿi wa ʿan ʿālin mina l-uṭumi
79. Allah’s solicitude and shelter freed him from the need to resort
To coats of armour and fortresses for his protection
مَا سَامَنِي الدَّهْرُ ضَيْمًا وَاسْتَجَرْتُ بِهِ
إِلَّا وَنِلْتُ جِوَارًا مِنْهُ لَمْ يُضَمِ
Mā sāmani d-dahru ḍayman wa s-tajartu bihi
Illā wa niltu jiwāran minhu lam yuḍami
80. Whenever the times have treated me unjustly, and I have turned to him
For refuge, I always found security with him, unharmed
وَلَا الْتَمَسْتُ غِنَى الدَّارَيْنِ مِنْ يَدِهِ
إِلَّا اسْتَلَمْتُ النَّدَى مِنْ خَيْرِ مُسْتَلَمِ
Wa la l-tamastu ghina d-dārayni min yadihi
Illa s-talamtu n-nadā min khayri mustalami
81. And never have I sought the wealth of the two worlds from his hand,
Without receiving open-handed generosity from the best of givers
لَا تُنْكِرِ الْوَحْيَ مِنْ رُؤْيَاهُ إِنَّ لَهُ
قَلَبًا إِذَا نَامَتِ الْعَيْنَانِ لَمْ يَنَمِ
Lā tunkiri l-waḥya min ru'yāhu inna lahu
Qalban idhā nāmati l-ʿaynāni lam yanami
82. Do not deny the revelations he received in his dreams,
For surely, though his eyes would sleep, he had a heart that never slept
وَذَاكَ حِينَ بُلُوغٍ مِنْ نُبُوَّتِهِ
فَلَيْسَ يُنْكَرُ فِيهِ حَالُ مُحْتَلِمِ
Wa dhāka ḥīna bulūghin min nubuwwatihi
Fa laysa yunkaru fīhi ḥālu muḥtalimi
83. That was from the time when he attained to prophethood,
For the dreams of the one who has come of age cannot be denied
تَبَارَكَ اللهُ مَا وَحْيٌ بِمُكْتَسَبٍ
وَلَا نَبيٌّ عَلَى غَيْبٍ بِمُتَّهَمِ
Tabāraka Llāhu mā waḥyun bi muktasabin
Wa lā nabiyyun ʿalā ghaybin bi muttahami
84. God be praised! Revelation is not something acquired,
Nor is a prophet’s knowledge of the unseen to be suspected
كَمْ أَبْرَأَتْ وَصِبًا بِاللَّمْسِ رَاحَتُهُ
وَأَطْلَقَتْ أَرِبًا مِنْ رِبْقَةِ اللَّمَمِ
Kam abra'at waṣiban bi l-lamsi rāḥatuhu
Wa aṭlaqat ariban min ribqati l-lamami
85. How many sick people have been healed at the touch of his hand,
And how many, driven almost mad by the noose of their sins, have been set free
وَأَحْيَتِ السَّنَةَ الشَّهْبَاءَ دَعْوَتُهُ
حَتَّى حَكَتْ غُرَّةً فِي الْأَعْصُرِ الدُّهُمِ
Wa aḥyati s-sanata sh-shahbā'a daʿwatuhu
Ḥattā ḥakat ghurratan fi l-aʿṣuri d-duhumi
86. His supplication brought new life in the year of barren dryness,
So that it stood out among the dark years like the beautiful white blaze on a horses forehead
بِعَارِضٍ جَادَ أَوْ خِلْتَ الْبِطَاحَ بِهَا
سَيْبٌ مِنَ الْيَمِّ أَوْ سَيْلٌ مِنَ الْعَرِمِ
Bi ʿāriḍin jāda aw khilta l-biṭāḥa bihā
Saybun mina l-yammi aw saylun mina l-ʿarimi
87. The clouds poured down rain, until you would have thought
The valley was flowing with water from the open sea, or from the burst dam of Arim
الْفَصْلُ السَّادِسُ فِي شَرَفِ الْقُرآنِ وَمَدْحِهِ
Al-faṣlu s-sādisu fī sharafi l-Qur'āni wa madḥihi
Chapter Six
On the Nobility of the Qur’an and its Praise
دَعْنِي وَوَصْفِيَ آيَاتٍ لَهُ ظَهَرَتْ
ظُهُورَ نَارِ الْقِرَى لَيْلًا عَلَى عَلَمِ
Daʿnī wa waṣfiya āyātin lahu ẓaharat
Ẓuhūra nāri l-qirā laylan ʿalā ʿalami
88. Allow me to describe to you the signs that appeared to him
Clearly visible like beacons lit at night on the high hills to welcome guests
فَالدُّرُّ يَزْدَادُ حُسْنًا وَهْوَ مُنْتَظِمٌ
وَلَيْسَ يَنْقُصُ قَدْرًا غَيْرَ مُنْتَظِمِ
Fa d-durru yazdādu ḥusnan wahwa muntaẓimun
Wa laysa yanquṣu qadran ghayra muntaẓimi
89. Although a pearl’s beauty is increased when strung among others
Its value is not lessened when alone, unstrung
فَمَا تَطَاوُلُ آمَالِ الْمَدِيحِ إِلَى
مَا فِيهِ مِنْ كَرَمِ الْأَخْلَاقِ وَ الشِّيَمِ
Fa mā taṭāwulu āmāli l-madīḥi ilā
Mā fīhi min karami l-akhlāqi wa sh-shiyami
90. What hope can the one who tries to praise it have
Of doing justice to its noble traits and qualities?
آيَاتُ حَقٍّ مِنَ الرَّحْمٰنِ مُحْدَثَةٌ
قَدِيمَةٌ صِفَةُ الْمَوْصُوفِ بِالْقِدَمِ
Āyātu ḥaqqin mina r-Raḥmāni muḥdathatun
Qadīmatun ṣifatu l-mawṣūfi bi l-qidami
91. Verses of truth from the Merciful - revealed in time,
Yet Eternal - the attribute of the Pre-eternal One
لَمْ تَقْتَرِنْ بِزَمَانٍ وَهْيَ تُخْبِرُنَا
عَنِ الْمَعَادِ وَعَنْ عَادٍ وَعَنْ إِرَمِ
Lam taqtarin bi zamānin wahya tukhbirunā
ʿAni l-maʿādi wa ʿan ʿādin wa ʿan irami
92. They are not bound by time, and bring us tidings of
The Last Day, and also of ‘Ad and Iram
دَامَتْ لَدَيْنَا فَفَاقَتْ كُلَّ مُعْجِزَةٍ
مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ إِذْ جَاءَتْ وَلَمْ تَدُمِ
Dāmat ladaynā fa fāqat kulla muʿjizatin
Mina n-nabiyyīna idh jā'at wa lam tadumi
93. They have lasted to our time, and outstripped every miracle
Brought by other prophets, which came, but did not last
مُحَكَّمَاتٌ فَمَا تُبْقِينَ مِنْ شُبَهٍ
لِذِي شِقَاقٍ وَمَا يَبْغِينَ مِنْ حَكَمِ
Muḥkamātun fa mā tubqīna min shubahin
Li dhī shiqāqin wa mā yabghīna min ḥakami
94. Verses so clear that no obscurity can remain
For the wrangler, nor do they require any judge
مَا حُورِبَتْ قَطُّ إِلَّا عَادَ مِنْ حَرَبٍ
أَعْدَى الْأَعَادِي إِلَيْهَا مُلْقِيَ السَّلَمِ
Mā ḥūribat qaṭṭu illā ʿāda min ḥarabin
Aʿda l-aʿādī ilayhā mulqiya s-salami
95. No implacable enemy has ever attacked them
Without retreating at last from the battle, begging for peace
رَدَّتْ بَلَاغَتُهَا دَعْوَى مُعَارِضِهَا
رَدَّ الْغَيُورِ يَدَ الْجَانِي عَنِ الْحُرَمِ
Raddat balāghatuhā daʿwā muʿāriḍihā
Radda l-ghayūri yada-l jānī ʿani l-ḥurami
96. Their very eloquence refutes the claim of one opposing them,
As an honourable man wards off the assailants hand from what is sacred
لَهَا مَعَانٍ كَمَوْجِ الْبَحْرِ فِي مَدَدٍ
وَ فَوْقَ جَوْهَرِهِ فِي الْحُسْنِ وَالْقِيَمِ
Lahā maʿānin ka mawji l-baḥri fī madadin
Wa fawqa jawharihi fi l-ḥusni wa l-qiyami
97. They contain meanings like the sea’s never-ending waves,
And go far beyond its jewels in their beauty and value
فَمَا تُعَدُّ وَلَا تُحْصَى عَجَائِبُهَا
وَلَا تُسَامُ عَلَى الْإِكْثَارِ بِالسَّأَمِ
Fa mā tuʿaddu wa lā tuḥṣā ʿajā'ibuhā
Wa lā tusāmu ʿala l-ikthāri bi s-sa'ami
98. Their wonders are numberless and incalculable,
Nor does their constant repetition ever result in weariness or boredom
قَرَّتْ بِهَا عَيْنُ قَارِيهَا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ
لَقَدْ ظَفِرْتَ بِحَبْلِ اللهِ فَاعْتَصِمِ
Qarrat bihā ʿaynu qārīhā fa qultu lahu
Laqad ẓafirta bi ḥabli Llāhi faʿtaṣimi
99. The one who recited them was filled with delight, and I said to him,
‘Truly you have seized the rope of Allah - so hold on to it.’
إِنْ تَتْلُهَا خِيفَةً مِنْ حَرِّ نَارِ لَظَى
أَطْفَأْتَ حَرَّ لَظَى مِنْ وِرْدِهَا الشَّبِمِ
In tatluhā khīfatan min ḥarri nāri laẓā
Aṭfa'ta ḥarra laẓā min wirdiha sh-shabimi
100. If you recite them fearing the heat of the blazing Fire,
You have extinguished the heat of the blaze by their cool sweet water
كَأَنَّهَا الْحَوْضُ تَبْيَضُّ الْوُجُوهُ بِهِ
مِنَ الْعُصَاةِ وَقَدْ جَاؤُوهُ كَالْحُمَمِ
Ka annaha l-ḥawḍu tabyaḍḍu l-wujūhu bihi
Mina l-ʿuṣāti wa qad jā'ūhu ka l-ḥumami
101. Like the Hawd, which makes bright the faces of the disobedient,
When they had arrived with faces black as coal
وَكَالصِّرَاطِ وَكَالْمِيزَانِ مَعْدِلَةً
فَالْقِسْطُ مِنْ غَيْرِهَا فِي النَّاسِ لَمْ يَقُمِ
Wa ka ṣ-ṣirāṭi wa ka l-mīzāni maʿdilatan
Fa l-qisṭu min ghayrihā fi n-nāsi lam yaqumi
102. Like the Sirat, and like the Balance Scales in justice,
True justice among men cannot be established from any other
لَا تَعْجَبَنْ لِحَسُودٍ رَاحَ يُنْكِرُهَا
تَجَاهُلًا وَهْوَ عَيْنُ الْحَاذِقِ الْفَهِمِ
Lā taʿjaban li ḥasūdin rāḥa yunkiruhā
Tajāhulan wahwa ʿaynu l-ḥādhiqi l-fahimi
103. Do not be surprised if an envious person refuses to acknowledge them
Affecting ignorance, even though perfectly able to understand
قَدْ تُنْكِرُ الْعَيْنُ ضَوْءَ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ رَمَدٍ
وَيُنْكِرُ الْفَمُ طَعْمَ الْمَاءِ مِنْ سَقَمِ
Qad tunkiru l-ʿaynu ḍaw'a sh-shamsi min ramadin
Wa yunkiru l-famu ṭaʿma l-mā'i min saqami
104. For the eye may reject the sun’s light when it is inflamed,
And when the body is unwell, the mouth may shun even the taste of sweet water.
الْفَصْلُ السَّابِعُ فِي إِسْرَائِهِ وَمِعْرَاجِهِ ﷺ
Al-faṣlu s-sābiʿu fī isrā'ihi wa miʿrājihi (ṣalla Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)
Chapter Seven
On the Prophet’s Night Journey and Ascension ﷺ
يَا خَيْرَ مَنْ يَمَّمَ الْعَافُونَ سَاحَتَهُ
سَعْيًا وَفَوْقَ مُتُونِ الْأَيْنُقِ الرُّسُمِ
Yā khayra man yammama l-ʿāfūna sāḥatahu
Saʿyan wa fawqa mutūni l-aynuqi r-rusumi
105. O best of those to whose courtyards repair the seekers of blessings,
On foot and on the backs of laden camels
وَمَنْ هُوَ الْآيَةُ الْكُبْرَى لِمُعْتَبِرٍ
وَمَنْ هُوَ النِّعْمَةُ الْعُظْمَى لِمُغْتَنِمِ
Wa man huwa l-āyatu l-kubrā li muʿtabirin
Wa man huwa n-niʿmatu l-ʿuẓmā li mughtanimi
106. O you who are the greatest sign for the one able to perceive,
And the most sublime blessing for the one desiring benefit
سَرَيْتَ مِنْ حَرَمٍ لَيْلًا إِلَى حَرَمٍ
كَمَا سَرَى الْبَدْرُ فِي دَاجٍ مِنَ الظُّلَمِ
Sarayta min ḥaramin laylan ilā ḥarami
Kamā sara l-badru fi dājin mina ẓ-ẓulami
107. You travelled by night from one sacred place to yet another,
Just as the full moon travels across the pitch-black sky
وَبِتَّ تَرْقَى إِلَى أَنْ نِلْتَ مَنْزِلَةً
مِنْ قَابِ قَوْسَيْنِ لَمْ تُدْرَكْ وَلَمْ تُرَمِ
Wa bitta tarqā ilā an nilta manzilatan
Min qābi qawsayni lam tudrak wa lam turami
108. That night you ascended until you reached a station of nearness
Only two bows-lengths distant, a station never before attained or even hoped for
وَقَدَّمَتْكَ جَمِيعُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ بِهَا
وَالرُّسْلِ تَقْدِيمَ مَخْدُومٍ عَلَى خَدَمِ
Wa qaddamatka jamīʿu l-anbiyā'i bihā
Wa r-rusli taqdīma makhdūmin ʿalā khadami
109. Thus all the Prophets and Messengers gave precedence to you,
The precedence of a master over those who serve him
وَأَنْتَ تَخْتَرِقُ السَّبْعَ الطِّبَاقَ بِهِمْ
فِي مَوْكِبٍ كُنْتَ فِيهِ الصَّاحِبَ الْعَلَمِ
Wa anta takhtariqu s-sabʿa ṭ-ṭibāqa bihim
Fī mawkibin kunta fīhi ṣāhiba l-ʿalami
110. You traversed the Seven Heavens with them,
And you were the standard bearer - leading their procession
حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ تَدَعْ شَأْوًا لِمُسْتَبِقٍ
مِنَ الدُّنُوِّ وَلَا مَرْقًى لِمُسْتَنِمِ
Ḥattā idhā lam tadaʿ sha'wan li mustabiqin
Mina d-dunuwwi wa lā marqan li mustanimi
111. Until you left no greater goal for the seeker of eminence and proximity,
Nor any higher station for the one seeking elevation
خَفَضْتَ كُلَّ مَقَامٍ بِالْإِضَافَةِ إِذْ
نُودِيتَ بِالرَّفْعِ مِثْلَ الْمُفْرَدِ الْعَلَمِ
Khafaḍta kulla maqāmin bi l-iḍāfati idh
Nūdīta bi r-rafʿi mithla l-mufradi l-ʿalami
112. All other stations seemed lower in comparison with yours
Since you were proclaimed in the highest terms - the unique one
كَيْمَا تَفُوزَ بِوَصْلٍ أَيِّ مُسْتَتِرٍ
عَنِ الْعُيُونِ وَسِرٍّ أَيِّ مُكْتَتَمِ
Kaymā tafūza bi waṣlin ayyi mustatirin
ʿAni l-ʿuyūni wa sirrin ayyi muktatami
113. So that you would achieve a station of perfect proximity
Hidden from the eyes, and obtain a secret concealed from all creation
فَحُزْتَ كُلَّ فَخَارٍ غَيْرَ مُشْتَرَكٍ
وَجُزْتَ كُلَّ مَقَامٍ غَيْرَ مُزْدَحَمِ
Fa ḥuzta kulla fakhārin ghayra mushtarakin
Wa juzta kulla maqāmin ghayra muzdaḥami
114. So you attained to every excellence without equal
And you passed alone through every station, far from all others
وَجَلَّ مِقْدَارُ مَا وُلِّيتَ مِنْ رُتَبٍ
وَعَزَّ إِدْرَاكُ مَا أُولِيتَ مِنْ نِعَمِ
Wa jalla miqdāru mā wullīta min rutabin
Wa ʿazza idrāku mā ūlīta min niʿami
115. Sublime indeed is the measure of the ranks you have been granted,
Beyond comprehension the blessings bestowed upon you
بُشْرَى لَنَا مَعْشَرَ الْإِسْلَامِ إِنَّ لَنَا
مِنَ الْعِنَايَةِ رُكْنًا غَيْرَ مُنْهَدِمِ
Bushrā lanā maʿshara l-islāmi inna lanā
Mina l-ʿināyati ruknan ghayra munhadimi
116. Glad tidings for us, O assembly of Muslims,
For truly we have a pillar of support and solicitude that can never be destroyed
لَمَّا دَعَا اللهُ دَاعِينَا لِطَاعَتِهِ
بِأَكْرَمِ الرُّسْلِ كُنَّا أَكْرَمَ الْأُمَمِ
Lammā daʿā Llāhu dāʿīnā li ṭāʿatihi
Bi akrami r-rusli kunnā akrama l-umami
117. When God named the one who called us to obey Him
The noblest of Messengers, henceforward we became the noblest of peoples
Al-faṣlu th-thāminu fī jihādi n-Nabiyyi (ṣalla Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)
Chapter Eight
On the Martial Struggle of the Prophet ﷺ
رَاعَتْ قُلُوبَ الْعِدَا أَنْبَاءُ بِعْثَتِهِ
كَنَبْأَةٍ أَجْفَلَتْ غُفْلًا مِنَ الْغَنَمِ
Rāʿat qulūba l-ʿidā anbā'u biʿthatihi
Ka nab'atin ajfalat ghuflan mina l-ghanami
118. News of his marching out cast fear into the hearts of the enemy,
Just as heedless goats are startled at a sudden noise
مَا زَالَ يَلْقَاهُمُ فِي كُلِّ مُعْتَرَكٍ
حَتَّى حَكَوْا بِالْقَنَا لَحْمًا عَلَى وَضَمِ
Mā zāla yalqāhumu fī kulli muʿtarakin
Ḥattā ḥakaw bi l-qanā laḥman ʿalā waḍami
119. He continued to meet them on every battle ground,
Until they were cut to pieces by spears, like meat upon a butcher’s block
وَدُّوا الْفِرَارَ فَكَادُوا يَغْبِطُونَ بِهِ
أَشْلَاءَ شَالَتْ مَعَ الْعِقْبَانِ وَالرَّخَمِ
Waddu l-firāra fa kādū yaghbiṭūna bihi
Ashlā'a shālat maʿa l-ʿiqbāni wa r-rakhami
120. They were longing to flee, almost envying
The corpses carried off by the eagles and vultures
تَمْضِي اللَّيَالِي وَلَا يَدْرُونَ عِدَّتَهَا
مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنْ لَيَالِي الْأَشْهُرِ الْحُرُمِ
Tamḍi l-layālī wa lā yadrūna ʿiddatahā
Mā lam takun min layāli l-ash-huri l-ḥurumi
121. The nights passed, without them being able to keep count,
Except if they were the nights of the Sacred Months
كَأَنَّمَا الدِّينُ ضَيْفٌ حَلَّ سَاحَتَهُمْ
بِكُلِّ قَرْمٍ إِلَى لَحْمِ الْعِدَا قَرِمِ
Ka annama d-dīnu ḍayfun ḥalla sāḥatahum
Bi kulli qarmin ilā laḥmi l-ʿidā qarimi
122. As if the religion were a guest that had arrived at their courtyards,
With every brave chieftain ready to rend the flesh of their enemies
يَجُرُّ بَحْرَ خَمِيسٍ فَوْقَ سَابِحَةٍ
يَرْمِي بِمَوْجٍ مِنَ الْأَبْطَالِ مُلْتَطِمِ
Yajurru baḥra khamīsin fawqa sābiḥatin
Yarmī bi mawjin mina l-abṭāli multaṭimi
123. Bringing in its wake a sea of armed men upon fast horses,
Hurling forth waves of brave warriors in clashing tumult
مِنْ كُلِّ مُنْتَدِبٍ لِلّٰهِ مُحْتَسِبٍ
يَسْطُو بِمُسْتَأْصِلٍ لِلْكُفْرِ مُصْطَلِمِ
Min kulli muntadibin li Llāhi muḥtasibin
Yasṭū bi musta'ṣilin li l-kufri muṣṭalimi
124. Each responding to Allah’s summons, seeking His good pleasure,
Mounting a fierce assault, to fear out unbelief by its roots
حَتَّى غَدَتْ مِلَّةُ الْإِسْلَامِ وَهْيَ بِهِمْ
مِنْ بَعْدِ غُرْبَتِهَا مَوْصُولَةَ الرَّحِمِ
Ḥatta ghadat millatu l-islāmi wahya bihim
Min baʿdi ghurbatihā mawṣūlata r-raḥimi
125. Until the religion of Islam, thanks to them,
After banishment from her homeland was once again unified with her kin
مَكْفُولَةً أَبَدًا مِنْهُمْ بِخَيْرِ أَبٍ
وَخَيْرِ بَعْلٍ فَلَمْ تَيْتَمْ وَلَمْ تَئِمِ
Makfūlatan abadan minhum bi khayri abin
Wa khayri baʿlin fa lam taytam wa lam ta'imi
126. Ever protected from her enemies by the best father
And most excellent husband, so that she was neither orphaned nor widowed
هُمُ الْجِبَالُ فَسَلْ عَنْهُمْ مُصَادِمَهُمْ
مَاذَا رَأَى مِنْهُمُ فِي كُلِّ مُصْطَدَمِ
Humu l-jibālu fa sal ʿanhum muṣādimahum
Mādhā ra'ā minhumu fī kulli muṣṭadami
127. They were mountains - ask those who fought against them
Just what they saw of them on every battlefield
وَسَلْ حُنَيْنًا وَسَلْ بَدْرًا وَسَلْ أُحُدًا
فُصُولَ حَتْفٍ لَهُمْ أَدْهَى مِنَ الْوَخَمِ
Wa sal ḥunaynan wa sal badran wa sal uḥudan
Fuṣūla ḥatfin lahum ad-hā mina l-wakhami
128. Ask Hunayn, ask Badr, ask Uhud - seasons of death and destruction
More calamitous for them than fatal epidemics
الْمُصْدِرِي الْبِيضِ حُمْرًا بَعْدَ مَا وَرَدَتْ
مِنَ الْعِدَا كُلَّ مُسْوَدٍّ مِنَ اللِّمَمِ
Al-muṣdirī l-bīḍi ḥumran baʿda mā waradat
Mina l-ʿidā kulla muswaddin mina l-limami
129. Their burnished swords returned quenched and bloody,
After drinking deep beneath black locks on their enemies’ heads
وَالْكَاتِبِينَ بِسُمْرِ الْخَطِّ مَا تَرَكَتْ
أَقْلَامُهُمْ حَرْفَ جِسْمٍ غَيْرَ مُنْعَجِمِ
Wa l-kātibīna bi sumri l-khaṭṭi mā tarakat
Aqlāmuhum ḥarfa jismin ghayra munʿajimi
130. Like writers wielding reed pens for spears,
Their pens left no part of the bodies unpointed or unmarked
شَاكِي السِّلَاحِ لَهُمْ سِيمَا تُمَيِّزُهُمْ
وَالْوَرْدُ يَمْتَازُ بِالسِّيمَا عَنِ السَّلَمِ
Shāki s-silāḥi lahum sīmā tumayyizuhum
Wa l-wardu yamtāzu bi s-sīmā ʿani s-salami
131. Bristling with arms, yet a special quality distinguished them,
Just as a rose differs by a certain perfumed quality from the thorny salam tree
تُهْدِي إِلَيْكَ رِيَاحُ النَّصْرِ نَشْرَهُمُ
فَتَحْسَبُ الزَّهْرَ فِي الْأَكْمَامِ كُلَّ كَمِي
Tuhdī ilayka riyāḥu n-naṣri nashrahumu
Fa taḥsabu z-zahra fi l-akmāmi kulla kamī
132. The winds of victory would present to you their fragrance,
So that you imagine each valiant one of them to be a beautiful flower in bud
كَأَنَّهُمْ فِي ظُهُورِ الْخَيْلِ نَبْتُ رُبًا
مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْحَزْمِ لَا مِنْ شَدَّةِ الْحُزُمِ
Ka annahum fī ẓuhūri l-khayli nabtu ruban
Min shiddati l-ḥazmi lā min shaddati l-ḥuzumi
133. As if, riding their steeds, they were flowers blooming upon a height
Held there not by the tautness of their saddles, rather by the firmness of their resolution
طَارَتْ قُلُوبُ الْعِدَا مِنْ بَأْسِهِمْ فَرَقًا
فَمَا تُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ الْبَهْمِ وَالْبُهَمِ
Ṭārat qulūbu l-ʿidā min ba'sihim faraqan
Fa mā tufarriqu bayna l-bahmi wa l-buhami
134. The enemy hearts in turmoil, terrified at their mighty power,
Could hardly tell brave warriors from herds of sheep
وَمَنْ تَكُنْ بِرَسُولِ اللهِ نُصْرَتُهُ
إِنْ تَلْقَهُ الْأُسْدُ فِي آجَامِهَا تَجِمِ
Wa man takun bi Rasūli Llāhi nuṣratuhu
In talqahu l-usdu fī ājāmihā tajimi
135. Those whose help comes from the Messenger of Allah,
Even lions encountering them in their dens would be speechless with fear
وَلَنْ تَرَى مِنْ وَلِيٍّ غَيْرَ مُنْتَصِرٍ
بِهِ وَلَا مِنْ عَدُوٍّ غَيْرَ مُنْقَصِمِ
Wa lan tarā min waliyyin ghayra muntaṣirin
Bihi wa lā min ʿaduwwin ghayra munqasimi
136. You would never see a friend of his unaided by him,
Nor yet an enemy of his undefeated
أَحَلَّ أُمَّتَهُ فِي حِرْزِ مِلَّتِهِ
كَاللَّيْثِ حَلَّ مَعَ الْأَشْبَالِ فِي أَجَمِ
Aḥalla ummatahu fī ḥirzi millatihi
Ka l-laythi ḥalla maʿa l-ashbāli fī ajami
137. He established his community within the fortress of his religion,
As the lion settles down with its cubs in its lair
كَمْ جَدَّلَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللهِ مِنْ جَدِلٍ
فِيهِ وَكَمْ خَصَمَ الْبُرْهَانُ مِنْ خَصِمِ
Kam jaddalat kalimātu Llāhi min jadilin
Fīhi wa kam khaṣama l-burhānu min khaṣimi
138. How often have the words of Allah thrown down those who contended with him,
How often has the Clear Proof defeated his opponents in argument!
كَفَاكَ بِالْعِلْمِ فِي الْأُمِّيِّ مُعْجِزَةً
فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَالتَّأْدِيبِ فِي الْيُتُمِ
Kafāka bi l-ʿilmi fi l-ummiyyi muʿjizatan
Fi l-jāhiliyyati wa t-ta'dībi fi l-yutumi
139. Enough of a miracle for you - such knowledge found
In someone unlettered, living in the Age of Ignorance, and such refinement in an orphan!
Al-faṣlu t-tāsiʿu fī tawassulin bi Rasūli Llāhi (ṣalla Llāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam)
Chapter Nine
On Seeking Intercession Through the Prophet ﷺ
خَدَمْتُهُ بِمَدِيحٍ أَسْتَقِيلُ بِهِ
ذُنُوبَ عُمْرٍ مَضَى فِي الشِّعْرِ وَالْخِدَمِ
Khadamtuhu bi madīḥin astaqīlu bihi
Dhunūba ʿumrin maḍā fi sh-shiʿri wa l-khidami
140. I have served him with my praise, seeking pardon
For the sins of a life spent in poetry and the service of others
إِذْ قَلَّدَانِيَ مَا تُخْشَى عَوَاقِبُهُ
كَأَنَّنِي بِهِمَا هَدْيٌ مِنَ النَّعَمِ
Idh qalladāniya mā tukhshā ʿawāqibuhu
Ka annanī bihimā hadyun mina n-naʿami
141. Garlanded with these two sins, the consequences of which I dread
It is as though I were now a sacrificial animal
أَطَعْتُ غَيَّ الصِّبَا فِي الْحَالَتَيْنِ وَمَا
حَصَلْتُ إِلَّا عَلَى الْآثَامِ وَالنَّدَمِ
Aṭaʿtu ghayya ṣ-ṣibā fi l-ḥālatayni wa mā
Ḥaṣaltu illā ʿala l-āthāmi wa n-nadami
142. In both these errors I followed only the reckless delinquency of youth
Achieving nothing in the end but wrong action and regret
فَيَا خَسَارَةَ نَفْسٍ فِي تِجَارَتِهَا
لَمْ تَشْتَرِ الدِّينَ بِالدُّنْيَا وَلَمْ تَسُمِ
Fa yā khasārata nafsin fī tijāratihā
Lam tashtari d-dīna bi d-dunyā wa lam tasumi
143. Alas for a soul that has met with only loss in its transactions!
It did not use this world to help secure the Next, nor even to embark upon negotiations
وَمَنْ يَبِعْ آجِلًا مِنْهُ بِعَاجِلِهِ
يَبِنْ لَهُ الْغَبْنُ فِي بَيْعٍ وَفِي سَلَمِ
Wa man yabiʿ ājilan minhu bi ʿājilihi
Yabin lahu l-ghabnu fī bayʿin wa fī salami
144. Whoever sells his Hereafter in exchange for this world,
Soon discovers he has been cheated, both in present and future gains
إِنْ آتِ ذَنْبًا فَمَا عَهْدِي بِمُنْتَقِضٍ
مِنَ النَّبِيِّ وَلَا حَبْلِي بِمُنْصَرِمِ
In āti dhanban fa mā ʿahdī bi muntaqiḍin
Mina n-nabiyyi wa lā ḥablī bi munṣarimi
145. If I were to commit a sin, it would not break my contract
with the Prophet, nor cut off my connection to him
فَإِنَّ لِي ذِمَّةً مِنْهُ بِتَسْمِيَتِي
مُحَمَّدًا وَهْوَ أَوْفَى الْخَلْقِ بِالذِّمَمِ
Fa inna lī dhimmatan minhu bi tasmiyatī
Muḥammadan wahwa awfa l-khalqi bi dh-dhimami
146. For I have a covenant of protection from him by my being named
Muhammad, and he is the most faithful of all mankind in keeping trusts
إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِي مَعَادِي آخِذًا بِيَدِي
فَضْلًا وَإِلَّا فَقُلْ يَا زَلَّةَ الْقَدَمِ
In lam yakun fī maʿādī ākhidhan bi yadī
Faḍlan wa illā faqul yā zallata l-qadami
147. On the Day of Rising, if he does not take me by the hand
Out of pure kindness, then just say, ‘What a terrible end!’
حَاشَاهُ أَنْ يَحْرِمَ الرَّاجِي مَكَارِمَهُ
أَوْ يَرْجِعَ الْجَارُ مِنْهُ غَيْرَ مُحْتَرَمِ
Ḥāshāhu an yaḥrima r-rājī makārimahu
Aw yarjiʿa l-jāru minhu ghayra muḥtarami
148. Far be it from him to ever deprive the hopeful one of his generous gifts,
Or to turn back someone seeking refuge without treating him honourably
وَمُنْذُ أَلْزَمْتُ أَفْكَارِي مَدَائِحَهُ
وَجَدْتُهُ لِخَلَاصِي خَيْرَ مُلْتَزِمِ
Wa mundhu alzamtu afkārī madā'iḥahu
Wajadtuhu li khalāṣī khayra multazimi
149. For ever since I have devoted all my thoughts to his praise,
I have found him to be the best guarantor of my salvation
وَلَنْ يَفُوتَ الْغِنَى مِنْهُ يَدًا تَرِبَتْ
إَنَّ الْحَيَا يُنْبِتُ الْأَزْهَارَ فِي الْأَكَمِ
Wa lan yafūta l-ghinā minhu yadan taribat
Inna l-ḥayā yunbitu l-azhāra fi l-akami
150. His bounty will not fail even a hand that is dusty and poor,
For surely the rain may bring forth flowers even on the rockiest of slopes
وَلَمْ أُرِدْ زَهْرَةَ الدُّنْيَا الَّتيِ اقْتَطَفَتْ
يَدَا زُهَيْرٍ بِمَا أَثْنَى عَلَى هَرِمِ
Wa lam urid zahrata d-dunya l-lati q-taṭafat
Yadā zuhayrin bimā athnā ʿalā harimi
151. Indeed, I have no more desire for the flowers of this world,
Like those gathered in by the hands of Zuhayr for his praise of Harim
الْفَصْلُ الْعَاشِرُ فِي الْمُنَاجَاةِ وَعَرْضِ الْحَاجَاتِ
Al-faṣlu l-ʿāshiru fi l-munājāti wa ʿarḍi l-ḥājāti
Chapter Ten
On Intimate Conversation and Cherished Hopes
يَا أَكْرَمَ الْخَلْقِ مَا لِي مَنْ أَلُوذُ بِهِ
سِوَاكَ عِنْدَ حُلُولِ الْحَادِثِ الْعَمِمِ
Yā akrama l-khalqi mā lī man alūdhu bihi
Siwāka ʿinda ḥulūli l-ḥādithi l-ʿamimi
152. O most Noble of all Creation, whose protection can I seek,
But yours, when the Great Catastrophe overtakes us?
وَلَنْ يَضِيقَ رَسُولَ اللهِ جَاهُكَ بِي
إِذَا الْكَرِيمُ تَجَلَّى بِاسْمِ مُنْتَقِمِ
Wa lan yaḍīqa rasūla Llāhi jāhuka bī
Idha l-karīmu tajallā bismi muntaqimi
153. O Messenger of Allah, your great rank will not be lessened by my petition,
If the Generous One appears as the Avenger
فَإِنَّ مِنْ جُودِكَ الدُّنْيَا وَضَرَّتَهَا
وَمِنْ عُلُومِكَ عِلْمَ اللَّوْحِ وَالْقَلَمِ
Fa inna min jūdika d-dunyā wa ḍarratahā
Wa min ʿulūmika ʿilma l-lawḥi wa l-qalami
154. For surely this world and its companion the Next are from your generosity
And part of your knowledge is knowledge of the Preserved Tablet and of the Pen
يَا نَفْسُ لَا تَقْنَطِي مِنْ زَلَّةٍ عَظُمَتْ
إِنَّ الْكَبَائِرَ فِي الْغُفْرَانِ كَاللَّمَمِ
Yā nafsu lā taqnaṭī min zallatin ʿaẓumat
Inna l-kabā'ira fi l-ghufrāni ka l-lamami
155. O my soul, do not despair over an error which may appear immense,
For surely even grave sins, with divine forgiveness are more like minor lapses
لَعَلَّ رَحْمَةَ رَبِّي حِينَ يَقْسِمُهَا
تَأْتِي عَلَى حَسَبِ الْعِصْيَانِ فِي الْقِسَمِ
Laʿalla raḥmata rabbī ḥīna yaqsimuhā
Ta'tī ʿalā ḥasabi l-ʿiṣyāni fi l-qisami
156. It may be that my Lord’s mercy, when He distributes it,
Will be apportioned in accordance with the magnitude of sins
يَا رَبِّ وَاجْعَلْ رَجَائِي غَيْرَ مُنْعَكِسٍ
لَدَيْكَ وَاجْعَلْ حِسَابِي غَيْرَ مُنْخَرِمِ
Yā rabbī wa j-ʿal rajā'ī ghayra munʿakisin
Ladayka wa j-ʿal ḥisābī ghayra munkharimi
157. O my Lord, let not my hopes in You be cast back unfulfilled,
Nor let my firm conviction [of Your Goodness] be thrown into disarray
وَالْطُفْ بِعَبْدِكَ فِي الدَّارَيْنِ إِنَّ لَهُ
صَبْرًا مَتَى تَدْعُهُ الْأَهْوَالُ يَنْهَزِمِ
Wa l-ṭuf bi ʿabdika fi d-dārayni inna lahu
Ṣabran matā tadʿuhu l-ahwālu yanhazimi
158. Be kind to Your servant, both in this world and the Next,
For his patience, when called upon by dreadful fears, just disappears
وَأْذَنْ لِسُحْبِ صَلَاةٍ مِنْكَ دَائِمَةٍ
عَلَى النَّبِيِّ بِمُنْهَلٍّ وَمُنْسَجِمِ
Wa'dhan lisuḥbi ṣalātin minka dā'imatin
ʿAla n-nabiyyi bi munhallin wa munsajimi
159. And let a cloud of blessings from You pour down
Upon the Prophet, raining down unceasingly
مَا رَنَّحَتْ عَذَبَاتِ الْبَانِ رِيحُ صَبًا
وَأَطْرَبَ الْعِيسَ حَادِي الْعِيسِ بِالنَّغَمِ
Mā rannaḥat ʿadhabāti l-bāni rīḥu ṣaban
Wa aṭraba l-ʿīsa ḥādī l-ʿīsi bi n-naghami
160. As long as the easterly breezes sway the willow boughs,
And the caravan leader urges on his white camels, delighting them with his songs
The following seven verses were not in the original Burda, but were added at a later date
ثُمَّ الرِّضَا عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعَنْ عُمَرَ
وَعَنْ عَلِيٍّ وَعَنْ عُثْمَانَ ذِي الْكَرَمِ
Thumma r-riḍā ʿan Abī Bakrin wa ʿan ʿUmara
Wa ʿan ʿAliyyin wa ʿan ʿUthmāna dhi l-karami
And grant Your good pleasure to Abu Bakr and Umar
And to Ali and Uthman, the noble and generous
وَالْآلِ وَالصَّحْبِ ثُمَّ التَّابِعِينَ فَهُمْ
أَهْلُ التُّقَى وَالنَّقَى وَالْحِلْمِ وَالْكَرَمِ
Wa l-āli wa ṣ-ṣaḥbi thumma t-tābiʿīna fa hum
Ahlu t-tuqā wa n-naqā wa l-ḥilmi wa l-karami
And to the Family and the Companions and Followers,
For they are the people of true mindfulness of God and of purity, forbearance and generosity
يِا رَبِّ بِالْمُصْطَفَى بَلِّغْ مَقَاصِدَنَا
وَاغْفِرْ لَنَا مَا مَضَى يَا وَاسِعَ الْكَرَمِ
Yā rabbī bi l-Muṣṭafā balligh maqāṣidanā
Waghfir lanā mā maḍā yā wāsiʿa l-karami
O my Lord, by the Chosen One, let us attain all that we are hoping for,
And pardon us for what has passed, O Boundlessly Generous One
وَاغْفِرْ إِلَهِي لِكُلِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِمَا
يَتْلُونَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى وَفِي الْحَرَمِ
Waghfir ilāhī li kulli l-muslimīna bimā
Yatlūna fi l-masjidi l-aqṣā wa fi l-ḥarami
And, O God, forgive all the Muslims their wrong actions,
By that which they recite in the Masjid al-Aqsa, as well as in the Ancient Sanctuary
بِجَاهِ مَنْ بَيْتُهُ فِي طَيْبَةٍ حَرَمٌ
وَإِسْمُهُ قَسَمٌ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الْقَسَمِ
Bi jāhi man baytuhu fī ṭaybatin ḥaramun
Wa ismuhu qasamun min aʿẓami l-qasami
By the rank of the one whose dwelling is a sanctuary in Tayba
And whose very name is one of the greatest of oaths
وَهَذِهِ بُرْدَةُ الْمُخْتَارِ قَدْ خُتِمَتْ
وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ فِي بَدْءٍ وَ فِي خَتَمِ
Wa hādhihi burdatu l-mukhtāri qad khutimat
Wa l-ḥamdu li Llāhi fī bad'in wa fī khatami
This Burda of the Chosen One is now complete,
Praise be to Allah for its beginning and for its end
أَبْيَاتُهَا قَدْ أَتَتْ سِتِّينَ مَعْ مِائَةٍ
فَرِّجْ بِهَا كَرْبَنَا يَا وَاسِعَ الْكَرَمِ
Abyātuhā qad atat sittīna maʿ mi'atin
Farrij bihā karbanā yā wāsiʿa l-karami
Its verses number one hundred and sixty,
Ease, by them, all of our difficulties, O Boundlessly Generous Lord