Al Faswlu th-Thaalith · الْفَصْلُ الثَّالِثُ

ظَلَمْتُ سُنَّةَ مَنْ أَحْيَا الظَّلاَمَ إِلَى
أَنِ اشْتَكَتْ قَدَمَاهُ الضُّرَّ مِنْ وَرَمِ

Ẓalamtu sunnata man aḥyādh ẓalāma ilā
Anishtakat qadamāhuḍ ḍurra min warami

I have wronged the Sunna of him who enlivened the dark nights By praying till his feet complained of painful swelling.

وَشَدَّ مِنْ سَغَبٍ أَحْشَاءَهُ وَطَوَى
تَحْتَ الحِجَارَةِ كَشْحًا مُتْرَفَ الأَدَمِ

Wa shadda min saghabin aḥshāʾahu wa ṭawā
Taḥtal ḥijārati kash-ḥan mutrafal adami

He placed a stone over his belly and soft skin, Tightening a belt over it to diminish the hunger pangs.

وَرَاوَدَتْهُ الجِبَالُ الشُّمُّ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ
عَنْ نَفْسِهِ فَأَرَاهَا أَيَّمَا شَمَمِ

Wa rāwadat-hul jibālush shummu min dhahabin
ʿAn nafsihi fa arāhā ayyamā shamami

Lofty mountains tried, to tempt him with turning to gold, But he showed them the height of his own loftiness!

وَأَكَّدَتْ زُهْدَهُ فِيهَا ضَرُورَتُهُ
إِنَّ الضَّرُورَةَ لاَ تَعْدُو عَلَى العِصَمِ

Wa akkadat zuhdahu fīhā ḍarūratuhu
Innaḍ ḍarūrata lā taʿdū ʿalal ʿiṣami

His dire neediness only strengthened his detachment; neediness like his never leads to transgression.

وَكَيْفَ تَدْعُو إِلَى الدُّنْيَا ضَرُورَةُ مَنْ
لَوْلاَهُ لَمْ تُخْرَجِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ العَدَمِ

Wa kayfa tadʿū ilad dunyā ḍarūratu man
Lawlāhu lam tukhrajid dunyā minal ʿadami

How could need tempt him with worldliness, when but for him The world would not have emerged from non-existence?

مُحَمَّدٌ سَيِّدُ الكَوْنَيْنِ وَالثَّقَلَيْـ
ـنِ وَالفَرِيقَيْنِ مِنْ عُرْبٍ وَمِنْ عَجَمِ

Muḥammadun sayyidul kawnayni wath thaqalay-
-ni wal farīqayni min ʿurbin wa min ʿajami

Muhammad is the master of both abodes, of both kinds, And both classes [of people]: Arabs and non-Arabs.

نَبِيُّنَا الآمِرُ النَّاهِي فَلاَ أَحَدٌ
أَبَرَّ فِي قَوْلِ لاَ مِنْهُ وَلاَ نَعَمِ

Nabiyyunal āmirun nāhī falā aḥadun
Abarra fī qawli lā minhu wa lā naʿami

Our Prophet, who commands and who forbids; None is more true than him in saying “yes” or “no”.

هُوَ الحَبِيبُ الذِّي تُرْجَى شَفَاعَتُهُ
لِكُلِّ هَوْلٍ مِنَ الأَهْوَالِ مُقْتَحَمِ

Huwal ḥabībul ladhī turjā shafāʿatuhu
Li kulli hawlin minal ahwāli muqtaḥami

He is the Beloved whose intercession is hoped for, Victorious over every terror and disaster.

دَعَا إِلَى اللهِ فَالْمُسْتَمْسِكُونَ بِهِ
مُسْتَمْسِكُونَ بِحَبْلٍ غَيْرِ مُنْفَصِمِ

Daʿā ilaLlāhi fal mustamsikūna bihi
Mustamsikūna biḥablin ghayri munfaṣimi

He called [people] to Allah, so those who hold fast to him Are holding fast to a rope that never shall break.

فَاقَ النَبِيّينَ فِي خَلْقٍ وَفِي خُلُقٍ
وَلَمْ يُدَانُوهُ فِي عِلْمٍ وَلاَ كَرَمِ

Fāqan nabiyyīna fī khalqin wa fī khuluqin
Wa lam yudānūhu fī ʿilmin wa lā karami

He excelled the other Prophets in form and qualities; Their knowledge and nobility did not come near his.

وَكُلُّهُمْ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ مُلْتَمِسٌ
غَرْفًا مِنَ البَحْرِ أَوْ رَشْفًا مِنَ الدِّيَمِ

Wa kulluhum min rasūliLlāhi multamisun
Gharfan minal baḥri aw rashfan minad diyami

They all seek something from Allah’s Emissary – handfuls from the sea, or small sips of drizzle.

وَوَاقِفُونَ لَدَيْهِ عِنْدَ حَدِّهِمِ
مِنْ نُقْطَةِ العِلْمِ أَوْ مِنْ شَكْلَةِ الحِكَمِ

Wa wāqifūna ladayhi ʿinda ḥaddihimi
Min nuqṭatil ʿilmi aw min shaklatil ḥikami

They all stand before him, observing their limits; Dots to his knowledge, or vowel-marks to his wisdom.

فَهْوَ الذِّي تَمَّ مَعْنَاهُ وَصُورَتُهُ
ثُمَّ اصْطَفَاهُ حَبِيبًا بَارِئُ النَّسَمِ

Fa huwal ladhī tamma maʿnāhu wa ṣūratuhu
Thummaṣṭafāhu ḥabīban bāriʾun nasami

It is he whose meaning and form attained perfection Then the Maker of Souls chose him for His beloved.

مُنَزَّهٌ عَنْ شَرِيكٍ فِي مَحَاسِنِهِ
فَجَوْهَرُ الحُسْنِ فِيهِ غَيْرُ مُنْقَسِمِ

Munazzahun ʿan sharīkin fī maḥāsinihi
Fa jawharul ḥusni fīhi ghayru munqasimi

Exalted above having a rival in his perfections; In him is the undivided essence of beauty.

دَعْ مَا ادَّعَتْهُ النَّصَارَى فِي نَبِيِّهِمِ
وَاحْكُمْ بِمَا شِئْتَ مَدْحًا فِيهِ وَاحْتَكِمِ

Daʿ maddaʿat-hun naṣārā fī nabiyyihimi
Waḥkum bimā shiʾta mad-ḥan fīhi waḥtakimi

Eschew the claim Christians have made for their Prophet. Then say in his praise what you will, but wisely!

وَانْسُبْ إِلَى ذَاتِهِ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ شَرَفٍ
وَانْسُبْ إِلَى قَدْرِهِ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ عِظَمِ

Wansub ilā dhātihi mā shiʾta min sharafin
Wansub ilā qadrihi mā shiʾta min ʿiẓami

Ascribe whatever honour you will to his essence, And ascribe what greatness you will to his worth;

فَإِنَّ فَضْلَ رَسُولِ اللهِ لَيْسَ لَهُ
حَدٌّ فَيُعْرِبَ عَنْهُ نَاطِقٌ بِفَمِ

Fa inna faḍla rasūliLlāhi laysa lahu
Ḥaddun fa yuʿriba ʿanhu nāṭiqun bifami

For the worth of Allah’s Emissary has no limit That could be expressed by a human mouth.

لَوْ نَاسَبَتْ قَدْرَهُ آيَاتُهُ عِظَمًا
أَحْيَا اسْمُهُ حِينَ يُدْعَى دَارِسَ الرِّمَمِ

Law nāsabat qadrahu āyātuhu ʿiẓaman
Aḥyaʾsmuhu ḥīna yudʿā dārisar rimami

If his miracles were commensurate with his greatness, The mere mention of his name would give life to dry bones.

لَمْ يَمْتَحِنَّا بِمَا تَعْيَا الْعُقُولُ بِهِ
حِرْصًا عَلَيْنَا فَلَمْ نَرْتَبْ وَلَمْ نَهِمْ

Lam yamtaḥinnā bimā taʿyal ʿuqūlu bihi
Ḥirṣan ʿalayna falam nartab wa lam nahimi

He did not try us with things that confound the mind Out of concern for us, so we neither doubted nor strayed.

أَعْيَا الوَرَى فَهْمُ مَعْنَاهُ فَلَيْسَ يُرَى
فِي القُرْبِ وَالْبُعْدِ فِيهِ غَيْرُ مُنْفَحِمِ

Aʿyal warā fahmu maʿnāhu falaysa yurā
Fīl qurbi wal buʿdi fīhi ghayru munfaḥimi

Man’s mind is exhausted trying to understand his meaning; All of them, near or far, appear as if dumbstruck.

كَالشَّمْسِ تَظْهَرُ لِلْعَيْنَيْنِ مِنْ بُعُدٍ
صَغِيرَةً وَتُكِلُّ الطَّرْفَ مِنْ أَمَمِ

Kash shamsi taẓ-haru lil ʿaynayni min buʿudin
Ṣaghīratan wa tukilluṭ ṭarfa min amami

He is like the sun: small to the eye when seen from afar, But dazzling to the sight when seen close up.

وَكَيْفَ يُدْرِكُ فِي الدُّنْيَا حَقِيقَتَهُ
قَوْمٌ نِيَامٌ تَسَلَّوْا عَنْهُ بِالحُلُمِ

Wa kayfa yudriku fid dunyā ḥaqīqatahu
Qawmun niyāmun tasallū ʿanhu bil ḥulumi

How can his reality be grasped in this world By sleeping folk, distracted from him by dreams?

فَمَبْلَغُ العِلْمِ فِيهِ أَنَّهُ بَشَرٌ
وَأَنَّهُ خَيْرُ خَلْقِ اللهِ كُلِّهِمِ

Fa mablaghul ʿilmi fīhi annahu basharun
Wa annahu khayru khalqiLlāhi kullihimi

The extent of our knowledge is that he is a mortal – And that he is the best of Allah’s creation!

وَكُلُّ آيٍ أَتَى الرُّسْلُ الكِرَامُ بِهَا
فَإِنَّمَا اتَّصَلَتْ مِنْ نُوِرِهِ بِهِمِ

Wa kullu āyin atar ruslul kirāmu bihā
Fa innamat taṣalat min nūrihi bihimi

Every miracle produced by the noble Emissaries Came to them by virtue of his light alone.

فَإِنَّهُ شَمْسُ فَضْلٍ هُمْ كَوَاكِبُهَا
يُظْهِرْنَ أَنْوَارَهاَ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الظُّلَمِ

Fa innahu shamsu faḍlin hum kawākibuhā
Yuẓ-hirna anwārahā lin nāsi fidh ẓulami

For he is the sun of virtue, and they are its planets; They display its lights to mankind in the darkness.

أَكْرِمْ بِخَلْقِ نَبِيٍ زَانَهُ خُلُقٌ
بِالحُسْنِ مُشْتَمِلٍ بِالبِشْرِ مُتَّسِمِ

Akrim bikhalqi nabiyyin zānahu khuluqun
Bil ḥusni mushtamilin bil bishri muttasimi

How noble the qualities of a Prophet beautified by such traits: Full of beauty, and marked by smiles and good cheer!

كَالزَّهْرِ فِي تَرَفٍ وَالبَدْرِ فِي شَرَفٍ
وَالبَحْرِ فِي كَرَمٍ وَالدَّهْرِ فِي هِمَمِ

Kaz zahri fī tarafin wal badri fī sharafin
Wal baḥri fī karamin wad dahri fī himami

Like flowers in delicate beauty, like the full moon in honour; like the sea in generosity, like time in persistence.

كَأَنَّه وَهْوَ فَرْدٌ مِنْ جَلاَلَتِهِ
فِي عَسْكَرٍ حِينَ تَلْقَاهُ وَفِي حَشَمِ

Ka annahu wa huwa fardun min jalālatihi
Fī ʿaskarin ḥīna talqāhu wa fī ḥashami

So majestic was his presence that even when alone he appeared surrounded by a large army and retinue.

كَأَنَّمَا اللُّؤْلُؤْ المَكْنُونُ فِي صَدَفٍ
مِنْ مَعْدِنَيْ مَنْطِقٍ مِنْهُ وَمُبْتَسِمِ

Ka annamal luʾluʾul maknūnu fī ṣadafin
Min maʿdinay manṭiqin minhu wa mubtasami

It is as if precious hidden pearls, sparkling from their shells, came from the treasure-mine of his speech and smile.

لاَ طِيبَ يَعْدِلُ تُرْبًا ضَمَّ أَعْظُمَهُ
طُوبىَ لِمُنْتَشِقٍ مِنْهُ وَمُلْتَثِمِ

Lā ṭība yaʿdilu turban ḍamma aʿẓumahu
Ṭūbā li muntashiqin minhu wa multathimi

No perfume can match the ground that holds his bones. Blessed are those who breathe in its fragrance or kiss it!