Harful Qaaf · حَرْفُ الْقَافِ

جَمِيعُ غَرَامِي وَالْكِتَابِ وَخَالِقِي
لِأَحْمَدَ نُورِ الْحَقِّ سِــرِّ الْحَقَائِــقِ

Jamī‘u gharāmī wal-kitābi wa-khāliqī
Li-Aḥmada nūri al-ḥaqqi sirri al-ḥaqā’iqi

All of my passion, my book, and my Creator [know that I] belong to Ahmad—the Light of Truth and the Secret of all Realities.

جَفَانِي وَلَمْ أَجْفُ الْأَخِلاَّ وَلَمْ أَخَفْ
إِذَا مَا صَفَا وَقْتِي لِخَيْــــرِ الْخَلاَئِــقِ

Jafānī wa-lam ajfu al-akhillā’a wa-lam akhaf
Idha mā ṣafā waqtī li-khayri al-khalā’iqi

My intimate friends have shunned me, but I did not shun them, nor did I fear; for my time has become pure for the Best of Creation.

أَرِقْــــــتُ وَنَـــامَ الْأَقْرَبُـــونَ مُهَيَّمًـــا
سَمِيرِي سُطُورِي فَوْقَ بِيضِ الْمَهَارِقِ

Ariqtu wa-nāma al-aqrabūna muhayyiman
Samīrī suṭūrī fawqa bīḍi al-mahāriqi

I remained awake while my kinsmen slept, enslaved by love; my nighttime companion is my writing upon the white pages.

أُخَاطِبُ خَيْرَ النَّاسِ سِرِّي وَمَرْكَــزِي
غِيَاثِي وَتُرْسِي فِي الْوَغَى وَالْمَضَائِقِ

Ukhāṭibu khayra al-nāsi sirrī wa-markazī
Ghiyāthī wa-tursī fī al-waghā wal-maḍā’iqi

I address the Best of Mankind, my secret and my center; my succor and my shield in battle and in times of distress.

يُقَرِّبُنِــــي حَقًّـــــا لَدَيْـــهِ فَأَنْثَنِـــي
بِنُورٍ يُضِي لِلْقَلْبِ كُــــلَّ الرَّقَائِــقِ

Yuqarribunī ḥaqqan ladayhi fa-anthanī
Bi-nūrin yuḍī lil-qalbi kulla al-raqā’iqi

He truly brings me near to him, and I return with a light that illuminates all the subtleties of the heart.

فَسِرْتُ بِهِ أَطْـــوِي الْمَقَامَاتِ رَاحِـلاً
إِلَى اللّٰهِ رَبِّ النَّاسِ مُعْطِي الْخَوَارِقِ

Fa-sirtu bihi aṭwī al-maqāmātī rāḥilan
Ila Allāhi rabbi al-nāsi mu‘ṭī al-khawāriqi

Through him, I traveled, folding up the spiritual stations as a wayfarer toward Allah, the Lord of Mankind, the Giver of miracles.

وَإِنْ دَهِــــشَ الْأَقْطَــــابُ يَوْمًا بِمَشْهَـدٍ
فَلِي الْوَصْلُ وَالتَّمْكِينُ مِنْ فَضْلِ خَالِقِي

Wa-in dahi-sha al-aqṭābu yawman bi-mashhadin
Falī al-waṣlu wal-tamkīnu min faḍli khāliqī

And if the Poles (Aqtab) are ever dazed by a spiritual vision, for me there is Union and Empowerment by the grace of my Creator.

سَرَى السِّرُّ فِي سِرِّي فَكُلِّـيَ سِــرُّهُ
بِيُمْــــنِ رَسُـــــولٍ قَاطِـــعٍ لِلْعَلاَئِــقِ

Sarā al-sirru fī sirrī fa-kulliya sirruhu
Bi-yumni rasūlin qāṭi‘in lil-‘alā’iqi

The Secret flowed into my secret until my entire being became his secret, through the blessing of a Messenger who cuts off all worldly attachments.

عَلَيْــهِ صَـــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
صَلاَةً بِهَــا أَسْمُو عَلَــى كُلِّ فَائِـــقِ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Ṣalātan bihā asmū ‘alā kulli fā’iqi

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; a prayer through which I rise above every person of excellence.

عَلَيْــــــهِ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
صَلاَةً تَقِينِي الشَّرَّ مِــنْ كُلِّ طَــارِقِ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Ṣalātan taqīnī al-sharra min kulli ṭāriqi

Upon you be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; a prayer that protects me from the evil of every nocturnal visitor.

عَلَيْـــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــمَّ سَلاَمُــــهُ
بِهَا الدَّهْرَ سَبْقِي لِلْعُــــلاَ كُلَّ سَابِــقِ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Bihā al-dahra sabqī lil-‘ulā kulla sābiqi

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; through it, I surpass every competitor in the race for high ranks.

عَلَيْـــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
سَلاَمَ مُحِبٍّ شَفَّــهُ الْحُـــبُّ عَاشِـــقِ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Salāma muḥibbin shaffahu al-ḥubbu ‘āshiqi

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; the greeting of a lover whose love has made him transparent.

عَلَيْــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
سَلاَمَ خَدِيـــمٍ ضَــرَّهُ وَجْـــدُ وَامِــقِ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Salāma khadīmin darrahu wajdu wāmiqi

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; the greeting of a servant who has been affected by the ecstasy of an intense lover.

عَلَيْهِ مَــعَ الْآلِ الْكِـــرَامِ وَصَحْبِــهِ
صَلاَتِي عَلَيْهِ الدَّهْرَ أَقْوَى وَثَائِقِــي

‘Alayhi ma‘a al-āli al-kirāmi wa-ṣaḥbihi
Ṣalātī ‘alayhi al-dahra aqwā wathā’iqī

Upon him, along with the noble family and his companions; my prayer upon him is forever my strongest of bonds.