Ar-Ra'u Aydwan · الرَّاءُ أَيْضًا

لِقَلْبِي مِنَ الْأَشْوَاقِ مَــا حَيَّرَ الْفِكْـرَا
وَأَفْنَيْتُ فِيهِ السَّجْعَ وَالنَّظْمَ وَالنَّثْرَا

Li-qalbī mina al-ashwāqi mā ḥayyara al-fikrā
Wa-afnaytu fīhi al-saj‘a wal-naẓma wal-nathrā

My heart holds longings that have bewildered the mind, and I have exhausted rhymed prose, poetry, and prose in expressing them.

إِلَى أَحْمَدٍ شَوْقِـــي وَوَجْدِي وَلَوْعَتِـي
وَمَا لِي دَوًا فِي غَيْرِ أَنْ أَنْسِجَ الشِّعْرَا

Ilā Aḥmadin shawqī wa-wajdī wa-law‘atī
Wa-mā lī dawan fī ghayri an ansija al-shi‘rā

My longing, ecstasy, and burning passion are for Ahmad; I have no medicine other than weaving poetry for him.

إِذَا ذُكِـــرَ الْمُخْتَارُ حَنَّتْ يَرَاعَتِــي
لِتَزْيِينِ مَدْحٍ دُونَ أَنْ أُعْمِلَ الْفِكْـرَا

Idhā dhukira al-Mukhtāru ḥannat yarā‘atī
Li-tazyīni madḥin dūna an u‘mila al-fikrā

Whenever the Chosen One is mentioned, my pen yearns to beautify his praise without even needing to employ my thought.

لِأَنَّ رَسُـــولَ اللّٰهِ مَـــــدْحٌ وَرُوحُــــهُ
فَقُلْ فِيهِ مَا قَدْ شِئْتَ لاَ تَخْتَشِ الْإِطْرَا

Li-anna Rasūla Allāhi madḥun wa-rūḥuhu
Fa-qul fīhi mā qad shi’ta lā takhtashi al-iṭrā

For the Messenger of Allah is himself a praise and his soul is its essence; so say of him whatever you wish, and do not fear overstatement.

إِذَا قُلْـــتَ عَبْـــدُ اللّٰهِ سَيِّــــــدُ خَلْقِــهِ
لِتَنْسِبْ لَهُ مَا شِــأْتَ لاَ تَخْتَشِ الْكُفْرَا

Idhā qulta ‘abdu Allāhi sayyidu khalqihi
Li-tansib lahu mā shi’ta lā takhtashi al-kufrā

As long as you say he is the servant of Allah and the master of His creation, attribute to him whatever [perfections] you wish and do not fear disbelief.

هُوَ الْكُـــلُّ مِنْهُ الْكُــلُّ حَقًّــا وَإِنَّــهُ
اصْطَفَاهُ وَأَعْطَاهُ قَدِيمًا وَلاَ حَجْرَا

Huwa al-kullu minhu al-kullu ḥaqqan wa-innahu
Iṣṭafāhu wa-a‘ṭāhu qadīman wa-lā ḥajrā

He is the "Total" and from him everything truly flows; God chose him and gave to him since eternity without restriction.

أَتَـــى أَوَّلَ التَّوْحِيـــدِ أَوَّلَ ذَاكِــرٍ
وَأَوَّلَ مَذْكُورٍ وَرَبِّي بِــهِ أَسْرَى

Atā awwala al-tawḥīdi awwala dhākirin
Wa-awwala madhkūrin wa-rabbī bihi asrā

He was the first in monotheism, the first to remember God, and the first to be remembered; and my Lord took him on the Night Journey.

لَهُ وَإِلَيْـــــــهِ كُــلُّ شَــأْنٍ وَإِنَّــهُ
حَبِيبُ إِلَــهِ الْخَلْقِ نَاطَ بِهِ الْأَمْـرَا

Lahu wa-ilayhi kullu sha’nin wa-innahu
Ḥabību ilāhi al-khalqi nāṭa bihi al-amrā

To him and for him is every affair; indeed, he is the Beloved of the God of creation who entrusted all matters to him.

لَــهُ الرَّأْسُ مِنِّــي ثُمَّ وَجْهِي وَلِحْيَتِــي
وَظَهْرِي وَبَطْنِي وَالْوَلاَءُ وَمَا جَرَى

Lahu al-ra’su minnī thumma wajhī wa-liḥyatī
Wa-ẓahrī wa-baṭnī wal-walā’u wa-mā jarā

To him belongs my head, then my face and my beard, my back, my stomach, my loyalty, and all that follows.

أَتَيْتُــكَ عَبْــــدًا إِنْ تَسُمْـــهُ بِبَيْعِــهِ
جِهَارًا يَرَى ذَا مِنْكُــمُ عِنْدَهُ فَخْــرَا

Ataytuka ‘abdan in tasumhu bi-bay‘ihi
Jihāran yarā dhā minkumu ‘indahu fakhrā

I have come to you as a servant; if you were to offer him for sale publicly, he would see that as a source of pride coming from you.

أَتَيْتُكَ لاَ أَرْجُــو سِـــوَاكَ وَإِنَّنِــي
فَقِيرٌ وَقِيرٌ لاَ مَنَـــالَ وَلاَ صَبْـرَا

Ataytuka lā arjū siwāka wa-innanī
Faqīrun waqīrun lā manāla wa-lā ṣabrā

I have come to you seeking none other than you; I am poor, burdened, possessing neither attainment nor patience.

نَزَلْتُ لَــــدَى خَيْـــرِ الْوَرَى مُتَكَفِّفًــا
وَأَرْجُو بِهِ مَا لَمْ يَنَلْ مَنْ أَتَى مِصْرَا

Nazaltu lada khayri al-warā mutakaffifan
Wa-arjū bihi mā lam yanal man atā Miṣrā

I have alighted at the door of the Best of Mankind as a beggar, hoping through him for what even those who traveled to Egypt did not attain.

تُنِيلُ الْمُنَــى وَلْتَدْفَعِ الشَّـرَّ عَاجِــلاً
فَغَيْرُكَ لاَ يُعْطِي نَوَالاً وَلَوْ نَــزْرَا

Tunīlu al-munā wal-tadfa‘i al-sharra ‘ājilan
Fa-ghayruka lā yu‘ṭī nawālan wa-law nazrā

You grant desires, so repel all evil swiftly; for no other besides you gives any bounty, even a small amount.

سَمَوْتَ عَنِ الْأَكْوَانِ بَطْنًا وَظَاهِرًا
فَإِنَّـكَ خَيْــرُ الْمُرْسَلِيـنَ لَنَــــا طُــرَّا

Samawta ‘ani al-akwāni baṭnan wa-ẓāhiran
Fa-innaka khayru al-mursalīna lanā ṭurrā

You have transcended the universes inwardly and outwardly; indeed, you are the best of all Messengers to us.

بِسِــرِّكَ يَــــا خَيْــرَ الْبَرِيَّــةِ أَبْتَغِــي
كَمَالَ الْمُنَى وَلْتُعْطِنِي لِلْعِدَى قَهْـــرَا

Bi-sirrika yā khayra al-bariyyati abtaghī
Kamāla al-munā wal-tu‘ṭinī lil-‘idā qahrā

By your secret, O Best of Creation, I seek the perfection of my desires and that you grant me victory over my enemies.

حِمَايَ رَسُــــولُ اللّٰهِ وَهْوَ تَحَصُّنِــي
بِأَمْدَاحِــــهِ نِلْنَـا الْكَرَامَــةَ وَالسِّتْــرَا

Ḥimāya Rasūlu Allāhi wa-huwa taḥaṣṣunī
Bi-amdāḥihi nilnā al-karāmata wal-sitrā

The Messenger of Allah is my protector and my fortification; through his praises, we attained nobility and concealment of faults.

أَرُدُّ بِهِ كَيْـــدَ الْعِــدَى فِي نُحُورِهِــمْ
وَمَكْرَهُـــمُ لاَ بَأْسَ فِينَــا وَلاَ شَــرَّا

Aruddu bihi kayda al-‘idā fī nuḥūrihim
Wa-makrahumu lā ba’sa fīnā wa-lā sharrā

Through him, I hurl the plots of enemies back at their own throats; their cunning causes us neither distress nor harm.

نَنَــالُ بِــهِ مَـــــا فَـــاتَ عَــدًّا تَفَضُّــلاً
وَلاَ غَرْوَ أَنْ نِلْنَا الَّذِي يُعْجِزُ الْحَصْرَا

Nanālu bihi mā fāta ‘addan tafaḍḍulan
Wa-lā gharwa an nilnā alladhī yu‘jizu al-ḥaṣrā

Through him, we attain what is beyond counting by way of grace; it is no wonder that we attained what defies enumeration.

كَفَانِــــــي انْتِسَابِــي لِلنَّبِــيِّ وَحِزْبِــهِ
إِذَا افْتَخَرُوا يَوْمًا كَفَـانِي بِـــهِ فَخْـــرَا

Kafānī intisābī lil-nabiyyi wa-ḥizbihi
Idhā iftakharū yawman kafānī bihi fakhrā

It is enough pride for me to be attributed to the Prophet and his party; if they ever boast, this is enough of a boast for me.

أَلاَ يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ فَارْفَــعْ شِكَايَتِـــي
لِمَوْلاَكَ مَنْ يُعْطِي الْمَنَافِعَ وَالضُّرَّا

Alā yā Rasūla Allāhi farfa‘ shikāyatī
Li-mawlāka man yu‘ṭī al-manāfi‘a wal-ḍurrā

O Messenger of Allah, raise my complaint to your Master—the One who grants benefits and removes harm.

نَرَى الْبَذْلَ وَالْفَيْضَ الْعَظِيمَ وَضِدُّنَـــا
يَرَى الْبَأْسَ وَالضَّرَّاءَ وَالشَّرَّ وَالْوِزْرَا

Narā al-badhla wal-fayḍa al-‘aẓīma wa-ḍiddunā
Yarā al-ba’sa wal-ḍarrā’a wal-sharra wal-wizrā

We see the bounty and the great overflow, while our opponent sees only hardship, distress, evil, and the weight of sin.

نَرَى الْعِزَّ وَالْفَضْلَ الْجَزِيلَ وَمَنْ يَثِقْ
بِذَيْلِــكَ حَتْــمٌ أَنْ يَنَـــالَ الْمُنَى تَتْــرَى

Narā al-‘izza wal-faḍla al-jazīla wa-man yathiq
Bi-dhaylika ḥatmun an yanāla al-munā tatrā

We see glory and abundant grace; and whoever clings to your cloak-tail is certain to attain his desires in succession.

يَسُوقُ إِلَيَّ الْمُصْطَفَـــــى مَا أَرُومُـــهُ
وَيَسْمَحُ لِي بِالْعَوْدِ مِنْ طَيْبَةَ الْغَــــرَّا

Yasūqu ilayya al-Muṣṭafā mā arūmuhu
Wa-yasmaḥu lī bil-‘awdi min Ṭaybata al-gharrā

The Chosen One drives toward me everything I aim for, and he permits me to return from the radiant city of Tayba (Medina).

كَشَفْتُ بِحُبِّيهِ الْحِجَـــــــابَ وَإِنَّنِـــي
طَوَيْتُ بِذِكْرِ الْمُصْطَفَى مَهْمَهًا قَفْـرَا

Kashaftu bi-ḥubbihi al-ḥijāba wa-innanī
Ṭawaytu bi-dhikri al-Muṣṭafā mahmahan qafrā

Through his love, I have uncovered the veil; and through the remembrance of the Chosen One, I have crossed the desolate wilderness.

نَبَذْتُ بِهِ كُلَّ الْعِـــدَى وَقَصَمْتُهُــمْ
وَقَطَّعْتُهُمْ لاَ خَيْرَ نَالُوا وَلاَ ذُخْرَا

Nabadhtu bihi kulla al-‘idā wa-qaṣamtuhum
Wa-qaṭ-ṭa‘tuhum lā khayra nālū wa-lā dhukhrā

Through him, I have discarded all enemies and broken them; I have cut them off so they attained neither good nor treasure.

تُحَــــــاوِلُ أَبْنَـــاءُ الْبَغَايَا مَكِيـــدَةً
لِخَادِمِ خَيْرِ الْخَلْقِ لاَ حَبَّذَا مَكْــرَا

Tuḥāwilu abnā’u al-baghāyā makīdatan
Li-khādimi khayri al-khalqi lā ḥabbadhā makrā

The sons of immorality attempt to plot against the servant of the Best of Creation—what a wretched plot that is.

مَشَوْا وَافْتَرَوْا بَلْ زَخْرَفُوا فِي نَمِيمَةً
وَرَبِّي بِفَضْلٍ مِنْهُ يُولِي الْعِدَى الْقَهْرَا

Mashaw wa-f-taraw bal zakhrafū fī namīmatan
Wa-rabbī bi-faḍlin minhu yulī al-‘idā al-qahrā

They walked and slandered, even embellishing their gossip; but my Lord, by His grace, grants me victory over the enemies.

نَــــــدُومُ بِحَمْـــدِ اللّٰهِ فِي ظِـــلِّ رَاحَــةٍ
وَأَمْنٍ عَلَى رَغْمِ الَّذِي يَقْصِدُ الضَّيْرَا

Nadūmu bi-ḥamdi Allāhi fī ẓilli rāḥatin
Wa-amnin ‘alā raghmi alladhī yaqṣidu al-ḍayrā

By the praise of Allah, we remain in the shade of comfort and safety, despite those who intend us harm.

إِذَا اشْتَغَلُوا بِالْمَكْــرِ وَالزُّورِ إِنَّنِــي
بِمَدْحِ حَبِيبِ اللّٰهِ شُغْلِي كَذَا دَهْــــرَا

Idhā ishtaghalū bil-makri wal-zūri innanī
Bi-madḥi ḥabībi Allāhi shughlī kadhā dahrā

While they occupy themselves with plotting and falsehood, my occupation for all time is the praise of the Beloved of Allah.

لَهُ كُلَّ وَقْتٍ مِنْ قَرِيضِي قَصِيــــدَةٌ
أَفُوزُ بِهِ فِي هَــذِهِ الدَّارِ وَالْأُخْــرَى

Lahu kulla waqtin min qarīḍī qaṣīdatun
Afūzu bihi fī hadhihi al-dāri wal-ukhrā

In every moment, there is a poem from my composition for him; through it, I triumph in this world and the next.

ظَلَمْتُ كَثِيرًا كُــــــلَّ ظُلْمٍ وَإِنَّنِــــي
أُوَحِّــــدُ حَقًّـــا دُونَ أَنْ أُشْـــرِكَ الــذَّرَّا

Ẓalamtu kathīran kulla ẓulmin wa-innanī
Uwaḥ-ḥidu ḥaqqan dūna an ushrika al-dharrā

I have wronged myself greatly with every kind of wrong; yet I truly declare the Oneness of God without associating even an atom with Him.

أُحِبُّ كَذَا خَيْـــــــرَ الْأَنَــامِ مُحَمَّـــدًا
وَلَمْ أَنْسَهُ مَا دُمْتُ بَرًّا وَلاَ بَحْـــــرَا

Uḥibbu kadhalika khayra al-anāmi Muḥammadan
Wa-lam ansahu mā dumtu barran wa-lā baḥrā

I also love the Best of Mankind, Muhammad, and I have not forgotten him as long as I remain on land or sea.

لَجَأْتُ إِلَيْــــهِ مِنْـــهُ جَلْبِــي مَسَرَّتِــي
وَدَفْعِي بِهِ لاَ زَيْدَ أَرْجُو وَلاَ عَمْــرَا

Laja’tu ilayhi minhu jalbī masarratī
Wa-daf‘ī bihi lā Zayda arjū wa-lā ‘Amrā

I have taken refuge in him; through him is the bringing of my joy and the repelling of harm—I seek neither "Zayd" nor "Amr."

مَحَا حُبُّــهُ حُـــبَّ السِّــــوَى إِنَّ حُبَّـــهُ
مَتَى يَرْسَخَنْ فِي الْقَلْبِ يَنْفِ السِّوَى جَهْرَا

Maḥā ḥubbuhu ḥubba al-siwā inna ḥubbahu
Matā yarsakhan fī al-qalbi yanfi al-siwā jahrā

His love has erased the love of all others; for his love, when it becomes rooted in the heart, openly expels all else.

يَؤُمُّ جَنَــابَ الْمُصْطَفَــى كُلَّ بُرْهَــةٍ
صَــــلاَةٌ وَتَسْلِيـــــمٌ تُنَاسِبُهُ قَـــدْرَا

Ya’ummu janāba al-Muṣṭafā kulla burhatin
Ṣalātun wa-taslīmun tunāsibuhu qadrā

In every moment, toward the presence of the Chosen One, go prayers and peace that befit his immense worth.

نَكُـــــونُ بِهَا فِي كُــــلِّ عِزٍّ وَمَنْعَـــةٍ
وَيُجْرِي لَنَا مِنْ جُودِهِ الْمَجْدَ وَالسَّتْرَا

Nakūnu bihā fī kulli ‘izzin wa-man‘atin
Wa-yujrī lanā min jūdihi al-majda wal-satrā

Through them, we remain in every glory and protection; and from his generosity, He pours out glory and concealment of faults for us.