Harful Kaaf · حرف الكاف

حَمَامَةَ وَادِي الــدَّوِّ وَيْلَكِ مَــا لَـكِ
فَقَدْ هِجْتِ لِي تَذْكَارَ نَجلِ الْعَوَاتِكِ

Ḥamāmata wādī al-dawwi waylaki mā laki
faqad hijti lī tadhkāra najli al-ʿawātiki

O dove of the desert valley, woe to you! What is the matter with you, for you have stirred in me the memory of the son of the noble ladies?

سَلاَمٌ عَلَى قَبْرِ الْأَمِينِ الْمُبَـــارَكِ
فَكَنْزٌ لِأَحْيَاءٍ وَذُخْــــرُ الْهَـوَالِـكِ

Salāmun ʿalā qabri al-Amīni al-mubāraki
fa-kanzun li-aḥyā’in wa-dhukhru al-hawāliki

Peace be upon the blessed grave of the Trustworthy One, a treasure for the living and a store for those who perish.

سَلاَمٌ عَلَى فَخْرٍ لِنَضْرٍ وَمَالِكِ
وَغُنْيَةِ أَيْتَامٍ وَمَأْوَى الْمَمَالِـكِ

Salāmun ʿalā fakhrin li-Naḍrin wa-Māliki
wa-ghunyati aytāmin wa-ma’wā al-mamāliki

Peace be upon the pride of the tribes of Nadir and Malik, the enrichment of orphans and the refuge of the lands.

سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْهِ مِـــنْ خَدِيمٍ مُتَيَّـــمٍ
يُبَشِّرُهُ مِنْ كُلِّ حَاكٍ وَحَائِــكِ

Salāmun ʿalayhi min khadīmin mutayyamin
yubashshiruhu min kulli ḥākin wa-ḥā’iki

Peace be upon him from a captivated servant, bringing him glad tidings from every weaver and storyteller.

فَإِنْ يَكُ جُثْمَانِــــي بِسِنْغَالَ إِنَّنِـــي
بِرُوحِي لَدَى ذَاكَ الْحَبِيبِ الْمُبَارَكِ

Fa-in yaku juthmānī bi-Singhāla innanī
bi-rūḥī ladā dhāka al-ḥabībi al-mubāraki

For if my body is in Senegal, truly my soul resides with that blessed Beloved.

أَحَضْرَةَ خَيْرِ الْخَلْقِ حَضْــرَةَ سَيِّدِي
وَيَا حَضْرَةَ الْمُخْتَارِ مُبْدِي الْمَنَاسِكِ

A-ḥaḍrata khayri al-khalqi ḥaḍrata sayyidī
wa-yā ḥaḍrata al-mukhtāri mubdī al-manāsiki

O Presence of the Best of Creation, the Presence of my Master; O Presence of the Chosen One, who demonstrated the sacred rites.

أُحِبُّكِ حُبًّا تَــــامَ قَلْبِــــي وَقَــادَهُ
وَمَا ذَا عَلَيَّ فِي امْتِدَاحِ جَنَابِـــكِ

Uḥibbuki ḥubban tāma qalbī wa-qādahu
wa-mā dhā ʿalayya fī imtidāḥi janābiki

I love you with a love that has consumed my heart and led it; what blame is there upon me for praising your high station?

فَآيُكِ لاَ تُحْصَى وَقَدْرُكِ فَوْقَهَـــــا
وَمِقْدَارُكِ السَّامِي الْعَلِي فَوْقَ ذَلِكِ

Fa-āyuki lā tuḥṣā wa-qadruki fawqahā
wa-miqdāruki al-sāmī al-ʿalī fawqa dhāliki

Your signs cannot be counted, and your worth is above them, and your high, exalted measure is far above even that.

فَأَنْتَ حَبِيــــبُ اللّٰهِ جَلَّ جَلاَلُـــهُ
وَأَوْلاَكَ مَا أَوْلاَكَ غَيْرَ مُشَارَكِ

Fa-anta ḥabību Allāhi jalla jalāluhu
wa-awlāka mā awlāka ghayra mushāraki

For you are the Beloved of Allah, Majestic is His Glory, and He has bestowed upon you what He bestowed without partner.

سَرَى بِكَ لَيْلاً ثُمَّ أَدْنَاكَ جَاذِبًـــا
وَفُزْتَ بِسِرٍّ فَاتَ خَاطِـرَ سَالِكِ

Sarā bika laylan thumma adnāka jā dhiban
wa-fuzta bi-sirrin fāta khāṭira sāliki

He took you by night and drew you close to Him, and you won a secret that surpassed the imagination of any seeker.

خَرَجْتَ مِنَ الْأَكْوَانِ وَالسِّرِّ سَامِيًا
وَفُتَّ اعْتِلاَءً كُلَّ حَــــيٍّ وَهَالِــكِ

Kharajta min al-akwāni wa-l-sirri sāmiyan
wa-futta iʿtilā’an kulla ḥayyin wa-hāliki

You transcended the universes and the mysteries, rising high and surpassing every living and perishing being in elevation.

وَ غِبْتَ عَنِ الْمَكْنُونِ وَالْغَيْبِ رَاقِيًا
وَفُتَّ لَعَمْــــرِي كُــلَّ دَارٍ وَدَارِكِ

Wa-ghibta ʿan al-maknūni wa-l-ghaybi rāqiyan
wa-futta la-ʿamrī kulla dārin wa-dāriki

You vanished into the Hidden and the Unseen, ascending and surpassing—by my life—every home and dwelling.

أَيَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّـــومُ يَا رَبِّ هَبْ لَنَــا
نَصِيبًا مِنَ السِّرِّ الْعَزِيزِ الْمَــدَارِكِ

Ayā ḥayyu yā qayyūmu yā rabbi hab lanā
naṣīban min al-sirri al-ʿazīzi al-madāriki

O Ever-Living, O Self-Sustaining, O Lord, grant us a portion of that precious, perceivable secret.

وَتَجْعَلُنِي دَهْرِي خَدِيـــــــمَ جَنَابِــهِ
بِنَفْسِي وَرُوحِي مُخْلِصًا عِنْدَ مَالِكِي

Wa-tajʿalunī dahrī khadīma janābihi
bi-nafsī wa-rūḥī mukhliṣan ʿinda mālikī

And make me, throughout my life, a servant of his presence, with my self and soul, sincere before my Master.

أَرَانِيَ عَبْدًا سَاءَهُ سُــــوءُ حَالِـــهِ
فَلَمْ يَكُ يَرْجُو غَيْرَ مَحْضِ تَدَارُكِ

Arāniya ʿabdan sā’ahu sū’u ḥālihi
falam yaku yarjū ghayra maḥḍi tadāruki

I see myself as a servant saddened by his poor state, hoping for nothing but pure divine intervention.

يَظُنُّونَ بِي خَيْرًا وَلاَ خَيْـــــرَ إِنَّمَــا
رَأَوْا حَضْرَةَ الْمَحْبُوبِ سَتْرَ جَمَالِكِ

Yaẓunnūna bī khayran wa-lā khayra innamā
ra’aw ḥaḍrata al-maḥbūbi satra jamāliki

People think well of me, but there is no goodness in me; they have only seen the Presence of the Beloved as a veil over your beauty.

فَلاَ تَفْضَحَنْ يَوْمَ الْوُقُــوفِ مُقَصِّرًا
وَكُنْ لِيَ يَا مَوْلاَيَ مُنْجِي الْمَمَالِكِ

Falā tafḍaḥan yawma al-wuqūfi muqaṣṣiran
wa-kun lī yā mawlāya munjī al-mamāliki

So do not disgrace a negligent one on the Day of Standing, and be for me, O my Master, the savior of the realms.

فَقَدْ ضَاعَ عُمْرِي وَالسَّفَاهَةُ كَاسْمِهَا
فَهَلْ مِنْ شَفِيـعٍ فِي وَهَلْ مِنْ مُدَارِكِ

Faqad ḍāʿa ʿumrī wa-l-safāhatu ka-ismihā
fahal min shafīʿin fiyya wa-hal min mudāriki

My life has been wasted—and foolishness is exactly as its name implies—so is there any intercessor for me, or any to help?

وَضَيَّعْتُ عُمْرِي فِي التَّكَاسُلِ وَالْوَنَى
فَوَيْلَكِ هَــذِي النَّفْسُ أَعْظِـــــمْ بِدَائِــكِ

Wa-ḍayyaʿtu ʿumrī fī al-takāsuli wa-l-wanā
fa-waylaki hadhī al-nafsu aʿẓim bi-dā’iki

I wasted my life in laziness and lethargy; woe to you, O soul, how great is your malady!

وَصَفْتِ لِمَرْضَى النَّاسِ كُلَّ دَوَائِهِمْ
فَوَيْلَكِ شَــرَّ النَّفْـــسِ مَــنْ لِدَوَائِـــكِ

Waṣafti li-marḍā al-nāsi kulla dawā’ihim
fa-waylaki sharra al-nafsi man li-dawā’iki

You prescribed for sick people all their remedies; woe to you, O evil soul, who is there to remedy you?

فَــــآهٍ لِإِبْرَاهِيــــمَ إِنْ دَامَ هَـــكَــــذَا
وَآهٍ لِإِبْـــرَاهِيــــمَ إِنْ لَـــمْ تُـــدَارِكِ

Fa-āhin li-Ibrāhīma in dāma hakadhā
wa-āhin li-Ibrāhīma in lam tudāriki

So, alas for Ibrahim if he remains like this, and alas for Ibrahim if you do not intervene.

عَلَى أَنَّهُ مِنْ حُسْنِ ظَـــــنٍّ بِرَبِّــــهِ
لَيَرْجُو مَنَالاً فَــــوْقَ كُـــلِّ سَوَالِــكِ

ʿAlā annahu min ḥusni ẓannin bi-rabbihi
la-yarjū manālan fawqa kulli sawāliki

Yet, out of his good opinion of his Lord, he hopes for an attainment beyond that of all other seekers.

وَيَشْهَدُ لِلْمَوْلَى عَظِيــــمَ امْتِنَانِـــهِ
بِتَفْوِيضِ أَمْرٍ لِلْعَظِيـــــمِ التَّــدَارُكِ

Wa-yashhadu lil-mawlā ʿaẓīma imtinānihi
bi-tafwīḍi amrin lil-ʿaẓīmi al-tadāruki

He bears witness to the Lord's great favor, delegating his affairs to the One of Great Intervention.

بِحُبِّ رَسُـــولِ اللّٰهِ حَقًّا وَذِكْـــرِهِ
عَلَيْهِ صَـــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ رَبِّ الْمَلاَئِــكِ

Bi-ḥubbi Rasūli Allāhi ḥaqqan wa-dhikrihi
ʿalayhi ṣalātu Allāhi rabbi al-malā’iki

Through the true love of the Messenger of Allah and his remembrance; upon him be the blessings of Allah, the Lord of the Angels.

عَلَيْهِ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ فِـــي كُلِّ لَحْظَةٍ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ وَالْمُقِيمِي الْمَنَاسِكِ

ʿAlayhi ṣalātu Allāhi fī kulli laḥẓatin
wa-ālin wa-ṣaḥbin wa-l-muqīmī al-manāsiki

Upon him be the blessings of Allah in every moment, and upon his Family, his Companions, and those who perform the sacred rites.