Harful Jiim · حَرْفُ الْجِيمِ

جَعَلْتُ رَجَائِي فِي الَّذِي هُوَ حَاضِــرِي
أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ الْمَاحِي الضَّلاَلَ وَنَاصِرِي

Ja‘altu rajā’ī fī alladhī huwa ḥāḍirī
Abā al-Qāsimi al-Māḥī al-ḍalāla wa-nāṣirī

I have placed my hope in the one who is present with me; Abul Qasim, the eraser of misguidance and my helper.

بِقَبْضٍ وَبَسْطٍ لاَ أُأَمِّلُ غَيْــرَهُ
وَنِعْمَ سِلاَحِي لِلْعَدُوِّ الْمُكَابِـــرِ

Bi-qabḍin wa-basṭin lā u’ammilu ghayrahu
Wa-ni‘ma silāḥī lil-‘aduwwi al-mukābiri

In times of spiritual constriction (qabḍ) and expansion (basṭ), I hope in none but him; he is my best weapon against the arrogant enemy.

إِذَا حَازَ غَيْرِي عُـــدَّةً وَعَرَمْرَمًـــا
فَحَسْبِي رَسُــولُ اللّٰهِ عَنْ كُلِّ نَاصِـرِ

Idhā ḥāza ghayrī ‘uddatan wa-‘aramramā
Fa-ḥasbī Rasūlu Allāhi ‘an kulli nāṣiri

If others possess equipment and a massive army, the Messenger of Allah is sufficient for me against every other helper.

أَلَمْ يَرْفَعَنْ عُرْبَ الْجَزِيرَةِ بَعْـــدَ مَا
حَجَوْا فَارِسًا تَعْلُو الْوَرَى بِالْأَكَاسِرِ

Alam yarfa‘an ‘urba al-jazīrati ba‘da mā
Ḥajaw fārisan ta‘lū al-warā bil-akāsiri

Did he not raise the Arabs of the Peninsula after they had thought the Persian knights and their Caesars to be supreme over all creation?

وَتَحْسِبُ بِالرُّومِ الْقَيَاصِــــرُ أَنَّهَــا
تَسَامَى عَلَى أَهْلِ الْعُلاَ وَالْمَعَاشِــــرِ

Wa-taḥsabu bir-Rūmi al-qayāṣiru annahā
Tasāmā ‘alā ahli al-‘ulā wal-ma‘āshiri

And the Roman Caesars thought they were higher than the people of loftiness and all communities.

فَصَارُوا مُلُوكَ الْأَرْضِ وَالْكُلُّ تَحْتَهُمْ
وَقَدْ أَرْشَــدُوا الْأَقْيَالَ فَــوْقَ الْمَنَابِــرِ

Fa-ṣārū mulūka al-arḍi wal-kullu taḥtahum
Wa-qad arshadū al-aqyāla fawqa al-manābiri

Yet they (the Arabs) became the kings of the earth, with everyone beneath them; and they guided the chieftains from atop the pulpits.

وَفَلُّوا شَبَاةَ الْمَارِدِينَ وَزَعْزَعُـــوا
حُصُونًا وَأَرْكَانَ الْبُغَاةِ الْجَمَاهِـــرِ

Wa-fal-lū shabāta al-māridīna wa-za‘za‘ū
Ḥuṣūnan wa-arkāna al-bughāti al-jamāhiri

They broke the edge of the rebellious ones and shook the fortresses and pillars of the transgressing masses.

أَلَمْ تُعْــــطِ لِلْجَيْلِـــيِّ فَوْقَ مُــرَادِهِ
بِــــلاَ كُلْفَـــةٍ إِذْ جِئْتَـــهُ بِالْبَشَائِــرِ ؟

Alam tu‘ṭi lil-Jayliyyi fawqa murādihi
Bilā kulfatin idh ji’tahu bil-bashā’iri?

Did you not give to the "Jilani" (Sheikh Abdul Qadir) above his desire, without effort, when you came to him with glad tidings?

أَلَمْ تَنْصِبِ الشَّيْخَ التِّجَانِيَّ خَاتِمًا
وَأَعْلَيْتَهُ فَوْقَ الشُّيُـوخِ الْأَكَابِــرِ ؟

Alam tanṣibi al-Shaykha al-Tijāniyya khātiman
Wa-a‘laytahu fawqa al-shuyūkhi al-akābiri?

Did you not appoint the "Tijani" (Sheikh Ahmad) as a Seal, and raise him above the greatest of masters?

فَهَلْ لَكَ فِي ذَا الْعَبْــــدِ دُونَ تَأَهُّــلٍ
مَنَالٌ فَيُمْسِــــي عَـــدُّهُ بِالْخَنَاصِــرِ

Fa-hal laka fī dhā al-‘abdi dūna ta’ah-hulin
Manālun fa-yumsī ‘adduhu bil-khanāṣiri

So, is there for this servant—without any merit of his own—an attainment such that he would be counted among the elite?

فَهَلْ لَكَ فِي بَرْهَامَ يَا خَيْرَ مُرْسَلٍ
مُسَاعَدَةٌ فِي كُلِّ بَطْـــنٍ وَظَــاهِرِ

Fa-hal laka fī Barhāma yā khayra mursalin
Musā‘adatun fī kulli baṭnin wa-ẓāhiri

Is there for "Barham," O best of messengers, assistance in every inward and outward state?

فَهَلْ لَكَ فِيهِ وَهْـــوَ أَصْغَرُ خَــادِمٍ
تُسَوِّدُهُ فَـــوْقَ الْمُلُــوكِ الْأَوَاخِــرِ

Fa-hal laka fīhi wa-huwa aṣgharu khādimin
Tusaw-widuhu fawqa al-mulūki al-awākhiri

Is there for him—and he is the smallest servant—a lordship that makes him master over the latter-day kings?

فَهَلْ لَكَ فِيهِ وَهْوَ عَبْــــــدٌ مُتَيَّــمٌ
عَطَاءٌ فَيُرْوِي كُلَّ آتٍ وَصَـادِرِ

Fa-hal laka fīhi wa-huwa ‘abdun mutayyamun
‘Aṭā’un fa-yurwī kulla ātin wa-ṣādiri

Is there for him—and he is a lover enslaved by passion—a gift through which he may quench the thirst of all who come and go?

فَأَنْتَ أَمِيــــــنُ اللّٰهِ خَازِنُ سِـــرِّهِ
وَأَنْتَ الَّذِي أَوْلاَكَ كُـلَّ الذَّخَائِــرِ

Fa-anta amīnu Allāhi khāzinu sirrihi
Wa-anta alladhī awlāka kulla al-dhakhā’iri

For you are the Trustworthy one of Allah, the treasurer of His secret; and you are the one whom He endowed with all treasures.

فَإِنَّكَ يَــــا يَاسِيـنُ عَاقِـــبُ حَاشِـــرُ
الْمُقَفَّى مَلاَذِي فِي الْخُطُوبِ الدَّوَائِرِ

Fa-innaka yā Yāsīnu ‘āqibu ḥāshiru
Al-Muqaffā malādhī fī al-khuṭūbi al-dawā’iri

Indeed you, O Yasin, are the Successor, the Assembler; the Final One is my refuge in the face of circling calamities.

فَإِنَّكَ يَـــــا خَيْــــرَ الْأَنَـــامِ مُحَمَّــدًا
رَجَائِي وَسِرِّي فِي جَمِيعِ الْمَظَاهِرِ

Fa-innaka yā khayra al-anāmi Muḥammadan
Rajā’ī wa-sirrī fī jamī‘i al-maẓāhiri

For you, O best of mankind, Muhammad, are my hope and my secret in all outward manifestations.

وَأَوْلَيْتَنِي مَا لَسْتُ أَهْــــلاً لِبَعْضِــهِ
عَلَيْـــكَ صَــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ يَا خَيْــرَ حَاشِـرِ

Wa-awlaytanī mā lastu ahlan li-ba‘ḍihi
‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi yā khayra ḥāshiri

And you have endowed me with that of which I am not worthy even a part; upon you be the prayer of Allah, O best of assemblers.

عَلَيْــــــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
مَعَ الْآلِ وَالْأَصْحَابِ أُولِي الْبَصَائِــرِ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Ma‘a al-āli wal-asḥābi ulī al-baṣā’iri

Upon you be the prayer of Allah and then His peace, along with the family and the companions, the possessors of insight.