Harful Miim · حَرْفُ الْمِيمِ

حَبِيبِي رَسُـــولُ اللّٰهِ وَهْـــوَ الْمُتَيِّـــمُ
مَدَى الدَّهْرِ فِيهِ خَاطِرِي يَتَجَمْجَـــمُ

Ḥabībī Rasūlu Allāhi wa-huwa al-mutayyamu
Madā al-dahri fīhi khāṭirī yatajamjamu

My beloved is the Messenger of Allah, and he is the one I am enslaved by; throughout all time, my thoughts revolve around him.

فَقَدْ حَلَّ فِـــي سَــوْدَاءِ قَلْبِــي وِدَادُهُ
وَهَلْ ثَــــمَّ لِلْخِنْذِيــــذِ فِيـــهِ تَكَلُّــمُ

Fa-qad ḥalla fī sawdā’i qalbī widāduhu
Wa-hal thamma lil-khindhīdhi fīhi takallumu

His affection has settled in the black core of my heart; and can a masterful poet even find words to describe him?

فَمَا تَـرَكَ الْبُوصِيـــرِ قَــوْلاً لِقَائِـــلٍ
وَكَعْبٌ وَحَسَّـــانُ الْمَدِيحِ تَكَلَّمُــوا

Fa-mā taraka al-Būṣīrī qawlan li-qā’ilin
Wa-Ka‘bun wa-Ḥassānu al-madīḥi takallamū

Al-Busiri left no word for any other speaker to say, and Ka'b and Hassan have already spoken their praises.

وَقَدْ نَطَقَ الْقُرْآنُ بِالْحَــقِّ مَادِحًــا
سَجَايَا رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ وَالذِّكْــرُ أَحْكَــمُ

Wa-qad naṭaqa al-Qur’ānu bil-ḥaqqi mādiḥan
Sajāyā Rasūli Allāhi wal-dhikru aḥkamu

But the Quran has spoken the truth in praising the character of the Messenger of Allah, and the Reminder is the most wise.

وَتَكْفِيهِ مَدْحًـــــا ذَاتُـــهُ وَسُمَاتُــهُ
مُحَمَّدُ وَصْفٌ جَامِعُ الْمَــدْحِ مُبْـرِمُ

Wa-takfīhi madḥan dhātuhu wa-sumātuhu
Muḥammadun waṣfun jāmi‘u al-madḥi mubrimu

His own essence and attributes are sufficient praise; "Muhammad" is a description that encompasses all praise decisively.

تَذَكَّرْتُهُ وَسْطَ الْفَيَافِـي وَقَدْ جَـــرَى
بِنَا هَيْكَــــلٌ يَفْـــرِي الْفَلاَ وَيُهَيْنِــمُ

Tadhakkartuhu wasṭa al-fayāfī wa-qad jarā
Binā haykalun yafrī al-falā wa-yuhaynimu

I remembered him in the midst of the deserts while a vehicle was carrying us, cutting through the wasteland and humming.

وَقَدْ طَرِبَ الرُّكْبَانُ وَالْبَعْضُ رَاقِدٌ
وَنَارُ اشْتِيَاقِي وَالْـهَــوَى تَتَضَـرَّمُ

Wa-qad ṭariba al-rukbānu wal-ba‘ḍu rāqidun
Wa-nāru ishtiyāqī wal-hawā tataḍarramu

The riders were moved by song while some were asleep, but the fire of my longing and passion was blazing.

يُذَكِّرُنِي الْبَحْرُ الْمُحِيـــــطُ مُفِيضَــهُ
أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْبَحْرُ الْخِضَمُّ الْغَطَمْطَـمُ

Yudhakkirunī al-baḥru al-muḥīṭu mufīḍahu
Abū al-Qāsimi al-baḥru al-khiḍammu al-ghaṭamṭamu

The encompassing ocean reminds me of the one who pours it out: Abu al-Qasim, the vast, surging, and bottomless sea.

يُذَكِّرُنِــــــي وَادِي النَّقَـا وَعَقِيقَـــهُ
وَلِلصَّخْرَةِ الْمَلْسَــا وِدَادٌ وَمَغْـرَمُ

Yudhakkirunī wādī al-naqā wa-‘aqīqahu
Wa-lil-ṣakhrati al-malsā widādun wa-maghramu

The valley of Naqa and its Aqiq remind me of him; even for the smooth rock, there is affection and infatuation.

فَهَلْ تَسْمَـــحُ الْأَيَّامُ يَوْمًــا بِعَــوْدَةٍ
إِلَيْهَـــا فَــإِنَّ الْقَلْـــبَ مِنِّــيَ أَسْقَــمُ

Fa-hal tasmaḥu al-ayyāmu yawman bi-‘awdatin
Ilayhā fa-inna al-qalba minniya asqamu

Will the days ever permit a return to those lands? For indeed, my heart is deeply ailing [from separation].

عَسَاهَا وَلَيْتِي وَالْمُحِبُّ مُسَامَــحٌ
إِذَا مَا تَمَنَّـــى هَــلْ لَدَيْهَــا أُخَيِّــمُ

‘Asāhā wa-laytī wal-muḥibbu musāmaḥun
Idhā mā tamannā hal ladayhā ukhay-yimu

Perhaps "maybe" and "if only" [will come true]—for a lover is excused when he wishes—shall I ever pitch my tent there?

فَأَشْفِي عَلِيلَ الْقَلْـــبِ عِنْــدَ نَبِيِّنَــا
وَأُرْوِي غَلِيلاً وَالذُّنُــوبُ تُـهَــدَّمُ

Fa-ashfī ‘alīla al-qalbi ‘inda Nabiyyinā
Wa-urwī ghalīlan wal-dhunūbu tuhad-damu

So that I may heal my sick heart in the presence of our Prophet, quench my thirst, and watch my sins be demolished.

سَلاَمٌ عَلَى خَيْــرِ الْأَنَــامِ مُحَمَّــدٍ
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى مَنْ حُبُّهُ الْقَلْبَ يَكْلَـــمُ

Salāmun ‘alā khayri al-anāmi Muḥammadin
Salāmun ‘alā man ḥubbuhu al-qalba yaklamu

Peace be upon the best of mankind, Muhammad; peace be upon the one whose love pierces the heart.

سَلاَمٌ عَلَى خَيْرِ الْقُبُورِ جَمِيعِهَــا
سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْهِ وَهْوَ أَبْهَــى وَأَفْخَـمُ

Salāmun ‘alā khayri al-qubūri jamī‘ihā
Salāmun ‘alayhi wa-huwa abhā wa-afkhamu

Peace be upon the best of all graves; peace be upon him, for he is the most radiant and magnificent.

سَلاَمٌ عَلَى هَـــــادِي الْعِبَــادِ مُحَمَّــدٍ
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى خَيْرِ الْوَرَى وَهْوَ أَعْظَـمُ

Salāmun ‘alā Hādī al-‘ibādi Muḥammadin
Salāmun ‘alā khayri al-warā wa-huwa a‘ẓamu

Peace be upon the Guide of the servants, Muhammad; peace be upon the best of creation, and he is the greatest.

عَلَيْهِ مَعَ الْآلِ الْكِــــــرَامِ وَصَحْبِــهِ
صَــــلاَةٌ وَتَسْلِيـــــمٌ بِذَيْنِـــكَ أَخْتِــمُ

‘Alayhi ma‘a al-āli al-kirāmi wa-ṣaḥbihi
Ṣalātun wa-taslīmun bi-dhaynika akhtimu

Upon him, along with the noble family and his companions, be prayer and peace; with these two, I conclude.