Harful Laam · حَرْفُ اللَّامِ

زَبُورِي وَتَوْرَاتِي وَذَلِـكَ لَمْ يَـزَلْ
مَدِيحُ الْإِمَامِ الْهَاشِمِي مُنْتَهَى الْأَمَلْ

Zabūrī wa-Tawrātī wa-dhālika lam yazal
Madīḥu al-Imāmi al-Hāshimiyyi muntahā al-amal

My Psalms and my Torah—and it remains so—is the praise of the Hashemite Imam, the ultimate of hopes.

قُصُورِي عَنِ الطَّاعَاتِ يُجْبَرُ كَسْرُهُ
بِمَدْحِي هُمَامِي فَالْمَحَبَّــــةُ لِي عَمَــلْ

Quṣūrī ‘ani al-ṭā‘āti yujbaru kasruhu
Bi-madḥī humāmī fal-maḥabbatu lī ‘amal

My shortcomings in acts of obedience are mended in their brokenness by my praise for my hero; for love, to me, is my primary deed.

قُصُورِي مَدِينَ الشَّامُ كُوسٌ وَطَيْبَةٌ
وَكَوْلَخُ قَدْ تَحْيَا بِذِكْــــرِ الَّذِي كَمُـلْ

Quṣūrī Madīna al-Shāmi Kūsu wa-Ṭaybatu
Wa-Kawlakhu qad taḥyā bi-dhikri alladhī kamul

My palaces are Medina, the Levant, Taiba (Medina), and Kous; and Kaolack lives through the remembrance of the one who is perfect.

أُجَـــــاوِرُهُ بِكُـــوسِ وَهْـــوَ بِطَيْبَــةٍ
وَأُبْصِرُهُ بِالنُّورِ وَالْقَلْــبِ لاَ الْمُقَــلْ

Ujāwiruhu bi-Kūsi wa-huwa bi-Ṭaybatu
Wa-ubṣiruhu bin-nūri wal-qalbi lā al-muqal

I reside as his neighbor in Kous while he is in Medina; I behold him with the light of the heart, not with the physical eyes.

أُحَـــــاوِرُهُ بِالْمَــــدْحِ وَالْقَلَـــمِ الَّــذِي
يُزَخْرِفُ أَمْدَاحِي لَهُ نَهْجُ مَنْ وَصَـلْ

Uḥāwiruhu bil-madḥi wal-qalami alladhī
Yuzakhrifu amdāḥī lahu nahju man waṣal

I converse with him through praise and with the pen that embellishes my panegyrics for him—the path of those who have arrived.

شَفِيعَ الْوَرَى كُنْ لِي حَيَاتِي وَإِنْ أَمُتْ
وَذَلِكَ حَسْبِي وَهْـــوَ لِي بُغْيَتِي شَمِــلْ

Shafī‘a al-warā kun lī ḥayātī wa-in amut
Wa-dhālika ḥasbī wa-huwa lī bughyatī shamil

O Intercessor of creation, be with me in my life and when I die; that is sufficient for me, and he is my comprehensive desire.

أَيَا سَيِّدِي نَجْــــلَ الْعَوَاتِــكِ خَيْرَ مَــنْ
يُجَابُ إِلَيْهِ الْبِيـــدُ يَا خَيْــرَ مَنْ نَحَــلْ

Ayā sayyidī najla al-‘awātiki khayra man
Yujābu ilayhi al-bīdu yā khayra man naḥal

O my master, descendant of the noble grandmothers, the best of those for whom the vast deserts were traversed; O best of those who became lean (from devotion).

فَمِنْ مَبْدَإِ الْكَوْنَيْنِ لَـــمْ يَعْـــلُ نَاقَــةً
أَبَرُّ وَأَوْفَى مِنْكَ يَا خَيْرَ مَـنْ بَــذَلْ

Fa-min mabda’i al-kawnayni lam ya‘lu nāqatan
Abarru wa-awfā minka yā khayra man badhal

Since the beginning of the two universes, no one has ever mounted a camel who was more righteous or faithful than you, O best of those who gave.

فَفِيكَ مَدِيحِي وَهْوَ فِيــــكَ مَطَامِعِــي
وَأَرْجُو غِنَى الدَّارَيْنِ وَالْعِلْمَ وَالْعَمَلْ

Fa-fīka madīḥī wa-huwa fīka maṭāmi‘ī
Wa-arjū ghina al-dārayni wal-‘ilma wal-‘amal

My praise is for you, and in you are my aspirations; I hope for the wealth of both worlds, for knowledge, and for righteous action.

وَمَغْفِرَةً مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ وَسَتْرَ مَا
تَضَمَّنَ سِرِّي وَالْـهِدَايَةَ وَالْجَـــذَلْ

Wa-maghfiratan min kulli dhanbin wa-satra mā
Taḍammana sirrī wal-hidāyata wal-jadhal

And for forgiveness of every sin, and the veiling of what my secret contains, and for guidance and overflowing joy.

وَبَارَكَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ فِي كُلِّ مَا لَنَا
مِنْ أَهْلٍ وَأَوْلاَدٍ وَكُلِّ الَّذِي وَصَلْ

Wa-bāraka rabbu al-‘arshi fī kulli mā lanā
Min ahlin wa-awlādin wa-kulli alladhī waṣal

And may the Lord of the Throne bless all that we have, of family, children, and everything that has reached us.

وَإِنْ لَمْ تُدَارِكْنِي فَعَرْشِــــيَ سَاقِــطٌ
فَإِنِّيَ قَدْ أَكْثَرْتُ فِي الذَّنْـــبِ وَالزَّلَـلْ

Wa-in lam tudāriknī fa-‘arshiya sāqiṭun
Fa-inniya qad akthartu fī al-dhanbi wal-zalal

If you do not reach out to save me, then my throne (status) is fallen; for I have indeed increased in sin and in slipping.

وَلَــــــمْ أَرْجُ إِلاَّ أَنَّ أَحْمَـــدَ شَافِـــعٌ
لِمَنْ قَالَ شَطْرًا فِي ثَنَـاهُ وَمَا عَمِــلْ

Wa-lam arju illā anna Aḥmada shāfi‘un
Li-man qāla shaṭran fī thanā’uhu wa-mā ‘amil

I have no hope except that Ahmad is an intercessor for the one who composed even a half-verse in his praise, even if he did not act.

فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَدْ صَحَّ عَنْكَ لَقَدْ جَرَى
بِهِ مَثَلٌ وَالْعُرْبُ مَا غَيَّـرُوا الْمَثَـــــلْ

Fa-in lam yakun qad ṣaḥḥa ‘anka la-qad jarā
Bihi mathalun wal-‘urbu mā ghayyarū al-mathal

Even if that had not been authentically reported from you, it has become a proverb, and the Arabs never change a proverb.

وَإِنِّي عَلَى مَا قَـــدْ جَنَيْـــتُ مُتَيَّــمٌ
أَسِيرُ غَــــرَامٍ فَالفُــؤَادُ بِكُـــمْ قُتِــلْ

Wa-inniya ‘alā mā qad janaytu mutayyamun
Asīru gharāmin fal-fu’ādu bikum qutil

Despite the sins I have gathered, I am enslaved by love; a captive of passion, for the heart has been slain by you.

وَلَمْ تَدُمِ الطَّاعَاتُ مِنِّي تَكَاسُـــلاً
وَلَكِنَّ لِي عَزْمًا عَلَيْهِ وَلاَ حِـوَلْ

Wa-lam tadumi al-ṭā‘ātu minnī takāsulan
Wa-lākin lī ‘azman ‘alayhi wa-lā ḥiwal

Obedience has not been constant from me due to laziness; however, I have a firm resolve toward it and no turning away.

عَزَمْتُ عَلَى فِعْلِ الْأَوَامِرِ تَارِكًـــا
جَمِيعَ النَّوَاهِي وَالْفُؤَادُ بِــكَ اتَّكَــلْ

‘Azamtu ‘alā fi‘li al-awāmiri tārikan
Jamī‘a al-nawāhī wal-fu’ādu bika ittakal

I have resolved to carry out the commands and leave all prohibitions, while my heart relies entirely upon you.

وَثِقْتُ بِرَبِّــــي وَالْأَمِيـــنُ وَسِيلَتِــي
أَجِرْنِي غَرِيبًا فِي جِوَارِكَ قَدْ نَزَلْ

Wathiqtu bi-rabbī wal-Amīnu wasīlatī
Ajirnī gharīban fī jiwārika qad nazal

I have trusted in my Lord, and the Trustworthy one is my means; grant refuge to a stranger who has alighted in your neighborhood.

عَلَيْـــــكَ صَـــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
وَآلٍ وَأَصْحَابٍ هُــدَاةٍ إِلَى السُّبُــلْ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ālin wa-asḥābin hudātin ila al-subul

Upon you be the prayer of Allah and then His peace, and upon the family and companions, the guides to the paths.