Harfur Raa · حرف الراء

جَعَلْتُكَ يَا خَيْرَ الْأَنَـــــــامِ سَفِيـــرَا
وَكُلَّ زَمَانٍ قَــــــدْ أَرَاكَ مُجِيـــرَا

Ja‘altuka yā khayra al-anāmi safīrā
Wa-kulla zamānin qad arāka mujīrā

I have made you, O Best of Mankind, my emissary; and in every time, I see you as my protector.

بِكَفَّيْكَ رِبْحُ الْخَلْقِ طُرًّا وَخُسْرُهُ
وَغَيْرُكَ لَمْ يُلْفُوا لَدَيْهِ نَقِيــــــــرَا

Bi-kaffayka ribḥu al-khalqi ṭurran wa-khusruhu
Wa-ghayruka lam yulfū ladayhi naqīrā

In your hands lie the profit and loss of all creation; and beside you, they find not even a speck of worth elsewhere.

وَأَنْتَ حَبِيبُ اللّٰهِ وَالْمُلْكُ مُلْكُـــهُ
أَرَاكَ أَمِينًــا لِلْإِلَـــــهِ وَزِيـــــرَا

Wa-anta ḥabību Allāhi wal-mulku mulkuhu
Arāka amīnan lil-ilāhi wazīrā

You are the Beloved of Allah, and the Kingdom is His; I see you as the trustworthy minister of the Divine.

فَبَرْهَامُ هَـــذَا الْعَبْدُ بِالْحِقْوِ لاَئِذٌ
فَلَمْ يَكُ يَخْشَى مِنْ سِوَاكَ أَمِيرَا

Fa-Barhāmu hādhā al-‘abdu bil-ḥiqwi lā’idhun
Fa-lam yaku yakhshā min siwāka amīrā

Barham, this servant, is seeking refuge in your protection; thus he fears no leader other than you.

يَزِيدُ أَمَانِي مُذْ عَكَفْتُ بِبَابِـــــهِ
رُعُودُ عَدُوٍّ إِذْ أَرَاهُ حَسِيـــــرَا

Yazīdu amānī mudh ‘akaftu bi-bābihi
Ru‘ūdu ‘aduwwin idh arāhu ḥasīrā

My sense of security increases since I remained at his door, while the enemy’s threats leave them exhausted and weak.

فَهَلْ يَخْشِيَنْ يُوحٌ لَدَى كَبِدِ السَّمَا
نُبَاحًا لِمَغْلُولِ الْكِلاَبِ ضَرِيرَا

Fa-hal yakhshiyan yūḥun ladā kabidi as-samā
Nubāḥan li-maghlūli al-kilābi ḍarīrā

Does the sun at the heart of the sky fear the barking of a shackled, blind dog?

فَحُبُّ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ غُـنْـمٌ وَرَاحَــةٌ
وَحِصْنٌ أَرَاهُ لِلْمُحِبِّ مَصِيـرَا

Fa-ḥubbu Rasūli Allāhi ghunmun wa-rāḥatun
Wa-ḥiṣnun arāhu lil-muḥibbi maṣīrā

Love for the Messenger of Allah is a great gain and rest; it is a fortress that I see as the destination for the lover.

تَخِذْتُ وِدَادَ الْمُصْطَفَى وَمَدِيحَهُ
جَوَادِي وَسَيْفِي وَالْقَنَا وَخَفِيـرَا

Takhadhtu widāda al-Muṣṭafā wa-madīḥahu
Jawādī wa-sayfī wal-qanā wa-khafīrā

I have taken the love and praise of the Chosen One as my steed, my sword, my spear, and my guard.

وَذَا الْجَيْشُ وَالزَّادُ الْمُبَلِّغُ لِلْمُنَى
وَذَاكَ لَعَمْرُ اللّٰهِ نِعْمَ نَصِيــــرَا

Wa-dhā al-jayshu wal-zādu al-muballigha lil-munā
Wa-dhāka la-‘amru Allāhi ni‘ma naṣīrā

This is my army and the provision that delivers me to my hopes; and that, by Allah, is the most excellent helper.

وَهُو خَاتِمٌ لِلرُّسْلِ وَهْوَ إِمَامُهُـمْ
فَأَوَّلُ تِلْكَ الرُّسْلِ جَاءَ أَخِيــرَا

Wa-huwa khātimun lil-rusli wa-huwa imāmuhum
Fa-awwalu tilka ar-rusli jā’a akhīrā

He is the Seal of the Messengers and their leader; the very first of those Messengers who appeared last in time.

وَبَاطِنُهُمْ حَقًّا وَذَلِكَ ظَاهِرٌ
فَجَاءَ بَشِيرًا لِلْجُمُوعِ نَذِيرَا

Wa-bāṭinuhum ḥaqqan wa-dhālika ẓāhirun
Fa-jā’a bashīran lil-jumū‘i nadhīrā

He is their inner reality in truth, and that is manifest; he came as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner to the multitudes.

فَـآلَيْتُ لاَ أَنْفَكُّ أَنْسِجُ مَدْحَـــــهُ
وَكُنْتُ لِشُرْبِ الْعَاشِقِينَ مُدِيرَا

Fa-ālaytu lā anfakku ansiju madḥahu
Wa-kuntu li-shurbi al-‘āshiqīna mudīrā

I have sworn never to cease weaving his praise; for I have become the cupbearer for the circle of lovers.

فَأَسْقَيْتُهُمْ نَـهْلاً وَعَـــــلاًّ وِدَادَهُ
وَبَلْهَ مُدَامَ الْغَافِلِيــــنَ حَقِيـــرَا

Fa-asqaytuhum nahlan wa-‘allan widādahu
Wa-balhi mudāma al-ghāfilīna ḥaqīrā

I gave them to drink of his love, time and again; disregarding the wretched wine of the heedless.

سُكَارَى بِلاَ إِثْـمٍ وَغَوْلٍ فَيَا لَهُمْ
صَفَا وَقْتُهُمْ وَالْمُلْكُ كَانَ كَبِيـرَا

Sukārā bilā ithmin wa-ghawlin fa-yā lahum
Ṣafā waqtuhum wal-mulku kāna kabīrā

They are intoxicated without sin or headache; how pure is their time, and how vast is their spiritual kingdom.

بِمَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ جَالِسِينَ جَلِيسُهُـمْ
مَلِيكُ جُمُوعِ الْمَالِكِينَ قَدِيـــرَا

Bi-maq‘adi ṣidqin jālisīna jalīsuhum
Malīku jumū‘i al-mālikīna qadīrā

They sit in a seat of truth, and their companion is the King of all kings, the All-Powerful.

يَسِيرُونَ سَيْرًا فِي الْمَجَالِسِ فَاعْجَبَـنْ
لِسَيْرِ جُلُوسٍ يُشْبِهُـــــونَ صُخُـــورَا

Yasīrūna sayran fī al-majālisi fa-’ajaban
Li-sayri julūsin yushbihūna ṣukhūrā

They travel a spiritual journey while in their sittings—how wondrous is the journey of those who sit as still as rocks!

وَقَدْ رَتَعُوا فِي تِلْكَ رَوْضَ مَعَارِفٍ
تَرَاهُمْ سُكُــوتًا وَالْمَقَـــــامَ مُشِيـــرَا

Wa-qad rata‘ū fī tilka rawḍa ma‘ārifin
Tarāhum sukūtan wal-maqāma mushīrā

They have grazed in the gardens of gnosis; you see them silent, yet their spiritual station speaks volumes.

كَــــلاَمٌ قَدِيمٌ لاَ يُمَــــــلُّ سَمَاعُــــهُ
يَكُونُ عَلَى الْجَمْعِ الْقَدِيمِ خُمُــــورَا

Kalāmun qadīmun lā yumallu samā‘uhu
Yakūnu ‘alā al-jam‘i al-qadīmi khumūrā

It is the Ancient Speech, whose hearing never tires; it acts as wine for that primordial gathering.

خَدِيمُكَ هَـــــذَا أَسْقِهِ كُلَّ بُرْهَــــةٍ
وَأَحْيِ بِهِ طُــــولَ الزَّمَانِ قُبُورَا

Khadīmuka hādhā asqihi kulla burhatin
Wa-aḥyi bihi ṭūla az-zamāni qubūrā

This servant of yours—give him to drink at every moment, and through him, revive the "graves" (the spiritually dead) for all time.

خَدِيمُكَ مَلِّكْهُ الْمُلُوكَ وَأَمْرَهَا
خَدِيمُكَ مَخْدُومُ الْمُلُوكِ أَمِيرَا

Khadīmuka mallik-hu al-mulūka wa amrahā
Khadīmuka makhdūmu al-mulūki amīrā

Make this servant of yours a master over kings, so that your servant is seen as the leader served by kings.

مُطَاعًا أَمِينًا فِي الْعَوَالِمِ كُلِّهَا
فَيُرْشِدُهُمْ نَحْوَ الْإِلَهِ بَصِيرَا

Muṭā‘an amīnan fī al-‘awālimi kullihā
Fa-yurshiduhum naḥwa al-ilāhi baṣīrā

One obeyed and trusted in all worlds, guiding them toward God with clear insight.

رَجَائِي وَظَنِّي فِي الْحَبِيبِ وَحُبِّهِ
كَبِيـــــــرٌ أُلَقَّــــاهُ كَبِيــرُ كَبِيـــرَا

Rajā’ī wa-ẓannī fī al-ḥabībi wa-ḥubbihi
Kabīrun ulaqqāhu kabīra kabīrā

My hope and expectation in the Beloved and his love are immense; I shall meet a greatness that is grand beyond measure.

بِجَاهِ عَظِيمِ الْجَــاهِ أَحْمَدَ سَيِّــــدِي
وَمَنْ هَاجَرُوا أَوْ مَنْ رَآهُ نَصِيرَا

Bi-jāhi ‘aẓīmi al-jāhi Aḥmada sayyidī
Wa-man hājarū aw man rāhu naṣīrā

By the rank of the one of magnificent standing, my master Ahmad, and those who migrated or saw him as a helper.

عَلَيْهِ صَلاَةٌ إِذْ يُفَضُّ خِتَامُهَــــا
تَفُوحُ لِمَنْ قَدْ كَانَ مِنْكَ عَشِيرَا

‘Alayhi ṣalātun idh yufaḍḍu khitāmuhā
Tafūḥu li-man qad kāna minka ‘ashīrā

Upon him be a prayer which, when its seal is broken, wafts its fragrance to whoever has become your close companion.