Harful Faa · حَرْفُ الْفَاءِ

لِقَاءُ نَبِـــــيِّ اللّٰهِ وَهْــوَ مُلاَطِـــفُ
مَرَامِي وَمِنْ دُونِ الْمَرَامِ مَتَالِفُ

Liqā'u Nabiyyi Allāhi wa-huwa mulāṭifu
Marāmī wa-min dūni al-marāmi matālifu

Meeting the Prophet of Allah while he is being kind to me is my ultimate goal; anything short of that goal is but destruction.

فَلَوْ كُنْتُ نَعْلاً لِلْأَمِيـــنِ لَـتَمَّ لِـي
مُرَادِي وَإِلاَّ فَالصَّدِيقُ الْمُلاَطِـفُ

Fa-law kuntu na‘lan lil-Amīni la-tamma lī
Murādī wa-illā fal-ṣadīqu al-mulāṭifu

If only I were a sandal for the Trustworthy one, my desire would be complete; or at least to be his kind friend.

فَمَا الْحُلْوُ فِي الدَّارَيْنِ إِلاَّ وِصَالُهُ
وَكُلٌّ سِوَى هَذَا رِيَاحٌ عَوَاصِفُ

Fa-mā al-ḥulwu fī al-dārayni illā wiṣāluhu
Wa-kullun siwā hādhā riyāḥun ‘awāṣifu

There is nothing sweet in both worlds except for union with him; everything else besides this is but stormy winds.

فَإِنْ لَمْ أَجِدْ تَقْبِيـلَ كَــــفِّ مُحَمَّـــدٍ
فَمَا لَذَّ لِي عَيْشِي وَعُمْرِيَ تَالِــفُ

Fa-in lam ajid taqbīla kaffi Muḥammadin
Fa-mā laddha lī ‘ayshī wa-‘umriya tālifu

If I do not find the chance to kiss the hand of Muhammad, then my life has no deliciousness and my years are wasted.

وَرَبِّي وَرَبُّ الْمُصْطَفَى وَهْوَ كَامِلٌ
أَفَاضَ إِلَيْـــهِ مِنْـــهُ وَهْــوَ يُلاَطِـــفُ

Wa-rabbī wa-rabbu al-Muṣṭafā wa-huwa kāmilun
Afāḍa ilayhi minhu wa-huwa yulāṭifu

My Lord and the Lord of the Chosen One—who is perfect—poured out [graces] upon him from Himself while being most kind.

لِذَا هَامَ مَنْ قَدْ هَامَ فِي الْحُبِّ بَيْنَ مَنْ
بِلَيْلَى وَمَيْلَـــــى أَوْرَثَتْــهُ الطَّوَائِــفُ

Li-dhā hāma man qad hāma fī al-ḥubbi bayna man
Bi-Laylā wa-Maylā awrathat-hu al-ṭawā’ifu

For this reason, those who wandered in love did so among those whose groups bequeathed them the love of "Layla" and "Mayla."

يُحَيِّــــجُ حُبِّيـــــهِ هِــــلاَلُ رَبِيعِـــــهِ
فَفِيهِ تُنَـــادِي بِالسُّــرُورِ الْـهَـوَاتِـفُ

Yuḥayyiju ḥubbayhi hilālu Rabī‘ihi
Fa-fīhi tunādī bis-surūri al-hawātifu

The crescent moon of his month (Rabi' al-Awwal) stirs up the two loves; in it, the unseen voices call out with joy.

وَإِنِّي لَتَعْرُونِـــــــي إِذَا لاَحَ هِـــزَّةٌ
كَذَلِكَ إِنْ يَنْطِقْ بِوَصْفِـــكَ وَاصِــفُ

Wa-innanī la-ta‘rūnī idhā lāḥa hizzatun
Kadhalika in yanṭiq bi-waṣfika waṣifu

Indeed, a tremor seizes me whenever his light appears; and likewise whenever a describer speaks of your description.

جَمَالُكَ يُنْسِينِي حُلَــــى كُــلِّ بَهْجَــةٍ
وَإِنِّيَ عُمْرِي عِنْدَ بَابِـــــكَ عَاكِــفُ

Jamāluka yunsīnī ḥulā kulli bahjatin
Wa-inniya ‘umrī ‘inda bābika ‘ākifu

Your beauty makes me forget the ornaments of every other joy; and I have spent my life in devotion at your door.

وَجُودُكَ يُنْسِينِــــــي نَوَالاً سِـــوَاءَهُ
وَمَا الْجُودُ إِلاَّ مِنْكَ وَالكُلُّ غَـــارِفُ

Wa-jūduka yunsīnī nawālan siwā’ahu
Wa-mā al-jūdu illā minka wal-kullu ghārifu

Your generosity makes me forget any other bounty; for there is no true generosity except from you, and everyone else is just scooping from your sea.

عَلَيْــــــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
صَلاَةً بِهَا تَنْحُو لِنَحْــوِي الْعَوَاطِــفُ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Ṣalātan bihā tanḥū li-naḥwī al-‘awāṭifu

Upon you be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; a prayer through which his affections turn toward me.

عَلَيْــــكَ صَـــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
صَلاَةً بِهَا تَنْحُو لِقَصْرِي اللَّطَائِــفُ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Ṣalātan bihā tanḥū li-qaṣrī al-laṭā’ifu

Upon you be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; a prayer through which divine subtleties turn toward my palace.

عَلَيْـــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
صَلاَةً بِهَا أُهْـــدَى وَإِنِّيَ عَــارِفُ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Ṣalātan bihā uhdā wa-inniya ‘ārifu

Upon you be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; a prayer through which I am guided while I am a knower.

عَلَيْــــكَ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ كُلُّهُمْ مِنْكَ خَـارِفُ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ālin wa-ṣaḥbin kulluhum minka khārifu

Upon you be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; and upon the family and companions, all of whom gather the fruits of your bounty.