Harful Daal · حَرْفُ الدَّالِ

دَعَوْتُ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ مُذْ عَمَّنَا الْكَـرْبُ
وَسِيَّانِ فِي هَذَاكُمُ الشَّرْقُ وَالْغَرْبُ

Da‘awtu Rasūla Allāhi mudh ‘ammanā al-karbu
Wa-siyyāni fī hādhākumu al-sharqu wal-gharbu

I called upon the Messenger of Allah when distress encompassed us; and in this, the East and the West were equal.

وَلَمْ يَكُ عِنْدَ الْخَلْقِ حَامٍ سِــوَاؤُهُ
وَلَمْ يَنْفَعَنْ بُعْدٌ وَلَمْ يَنْفَعَنْ قُرْبُ

Wa-lam yaku ‘inda al-khalqi ḥāmin siwā’uhu
Wa-lam yanfa‘an bu‘dun wa-lam yanfa‘an qurbu

There was no protector for creation besides him; neither distance nor nearness was of any avail.

فَلَــــــمْ أَرَ حِصْنًــــا مَانِعًــــا يَقْصُدُونَــهُ
سِوَى ظِلِّ خَيْرِ الْخَلْقِ إِذْ جَاءَنَا الرُّعْبُ

Fa-lam ara ḥiṣnan māni‘an yaqṣudūnahu
Siwā ẓilli khayri al-khalqi idh jā’anā al-ru‘bu

I saw no impenetrable fortress for them to seek, except the shadow of the Best of Creation when terror came upon us.

فَزَحْزَحَ عَنَّا كُلَّ كَـــرْبٍ أَنَالَنَــا
مَنَالاً بِــهِ قَـــدْ قَرَّ عَيْنِيَ وَالْقَلْبُ

Fa-zaḥzaḥa ‘annā kulla karbin anālanā
Manālan bihi qad qarra ‘ayniya wal-qalbu

So he removed from us every distress that had afflicted us, granting an attainment through which my eye and heart found rest.

وَشَادَ لَنَا مَجْدًا تَقَاعَــــسَ دُونَــهُ
أَكَاسِرُ فُرْسٍ وَالْقَيَاصِرَةُ النُّجْــبُ

Wa-shāda lanā majdan taqā‘asa dūnahu
Akāsiru fursin wal-qayāṣiratu al-nujbu

He built for us a glory that the Persian Chosroes and the noble Roman Caesars fell short of.

وَلاَ غَرْوَ أَنَّ الْمُصْطَفَى الْقَرْمَ جُودُهُ
بِهِ سَعِدَ الْكَوْنَانِ وَالْعُجْــمُ وَالْعُــرْبُ

Wa-lā gharwa anna al-Muṣṭafa al-qarma jūduhu
Bihi sa‘ida al-kawnāni wal-‘ujmu wal-‘urbu

It is no wonder that the Chosen One, the Chief—through his generosity—both worlds, the non-Arabs, and the Arabs found happiness.

وَلاَ غَرْوَ أَنَّ الْمُصْطَفَى الْقَرْمَ جُودُهُ
بِهِ نُزِّلَ الْفُرْقَانُ وَالْعِلْـــمُ وَالْخِصْـبُ

Wa-lā gharwa anna al-Muṣṭafa al-qarma jūduhu
Bihi nuzzila al-Furqānu wal-‘ilmu wal-khisbu

It is no wonder that the Chosen One, the Chief—through his generosity—the Criterion (Quran), knowledge, and abundance were sent down.

بِهِ آدَمٌ قَدْ تَابَ مِنْ بَعْـــــدِ وَحْشَــةٍ
وَنَالَ مَقَامًا دُونَهُ انْحَطَّتِ الشُّهْبُ

Bihi Ādamun qad tāba min ba‘di waḥshatin
Wa-nāla maqāman dūnahu-nḥaṭṭati al-shuhbu

Through him, Adam repented after his desolation, and attained a station below which the shooting stars fall.

وَيَشْكُرُ إِذْ نَادَاهُ وَالْبَحْرُ زَاخِــرٌ
أَتَاهُ سَلاَمٌ بَانَ عَنْ أَهْلِهِ الرَّيْــبُ

Wa-yashkuru idh nādāhu wal-baḥru zākhirun
Atāhu salāmun bāna ‘an ahlihi al-raybu

And [Noah] thanks him; when he called upon him while the sea was surging, peace came to him and doubt left his people.

كَذَلِــــكَ إِبْرَاهِيـــمُ قَـــدْ نَالَ خُلَّــةً
وَمُوسَى كَلاَمًا دُونَهُ الْعَقْلُ وَاللُّبُّ

Kadhalika Ibrāhīmu qad nāla khullatan
Wa-mūsā kalāman dūnahu al-‘aqlu wal-lubbu

Likewise, Abraham attained intimate friendship (Khulla), and Moses attained the Speech that baffles the intellect and mind.

كَذَلِــكَ رُوحُ اللّٰهِ عِيسَى وَإِنَّــهُ
تَرَفَّعَ لِلْمَوْلَى وَإِنْ جَاءَنَا نَرْبُو

Kadhalika Rūḥu Allāhi ‘Īsā wa-innahu
Taraffa‘a lil-mawlā wa-in jā’anā narbū

Likewise, the Spirit of God, Jesus—indeed, he was raised to the Master, and through him we increase.

فَيَا رَبِّ هَبْ لِي بِالْأَمِيـــــنِ وِرَاثَــةً
لَهُمْ كُلِّهِمْ بِالْمُصْطَفَى قُضِيَ النَّحْــبُ

Fa-yā rabbi hab lī bil-Amīni wirāthatan
Lahum kullihim bil-Muṣṭafā quḍiya al-naḥbu

So, O Lord, grant me through the Trustworthy One an inheritance of them all; for through the Chosen One, their terms were fulfilled.

وَتُورِثُنِي يَــا رَبِّ مِنْــــكَ خِلاَفَــةً
وَعِلْمًا وَجُودًا دُونَ أَنْمُلِهِ السُّحْبُ

Wa-tūrithunī yā rabbi minka khilāfatan
Wa-‘ilman wa-jūdan dūna anmulihi al-suḥbu

And grant me, O Lord, from Yourself a succession (Khilafah), knowledge, and a generosity compared to which the rain-clouds are less than fingertips.

وَتَجْعَلُ مِصْرِي هَــذِهِ مُطْمَئِنَّةً
تَسُوسُ بِلاَدَ اللّٰهِ لَمْ يَنْحُهَا كَرْبُ

Wa-taj‘alu miṣrī hādhihi muṭma’innatan
Tasūsu bilāda Allāhi lam yanḥuhā karbu

And make this land of mine peaceful, governing the lands of God without being touched by distress.

وَتَهْدِي بِهَا أَجْنَــــاسَ خَلْقِـــكَ كُلِّهَا
عَلَى رَغْمِ أَنْفٍ مِنْ مُنَاوٍ وَمَنْ يَصْبُو

Wa-tahdī bihā ajnāsa khalqika kullahā
‘Alā raghmi anfin min munāwin wa-man yaṣbū

And guide through it all classes of Your creation, despite the defiance of the hater and the wayward.

وَتَقْضِي إِلَهِــي مَــا أَتَـــاكَ مَطَالِبًــا
مِنَ الْعَبْدِ إِبْرَاهِيـــمَ وَلْيَاتِـــهِ الْجَلْــبُ

Wa-taqḍī ilāhī mā atāka maṭāliban
Mina al-‘abdi Ibrāhīma wal-ya’tihi al-jalbu

And fulfill, O my God, the requests that have come to You from the servant Ibrahim, and let the attraction [of grace] come to him.

وَتَرْزُقُهُ التَّكْوِينَ يَــــــا خَيْرَ سَيِّــدٍ
وَيَذْهَبُ عَنِّي الْهَمُّ وَالشَّكُّ وَالْعَيْـبُ

Wa-tarzuquhu al-takwīna yā khayra sayyidi
Wa-yadh-habu ‘annī al-hammu wal-shakku wal-‘aybu

And grant him the power of "Command over Being" (Al-Takwin), O best of masters; and let anxiety, doubt, and flaw depart from me.

صَلاَةٌ وَتَسْلِيمٌ عَلَـــى النُّورِ سَرْمَــدًا
كَــذَا الْآلُ وَالْأَوْلاَدُ وَالْأَهْلُ وَالصَّحْبُ

Ṣalātun wa-taslīmun ‘ala al-Nūri sarmadan
Kadhalika al-ālu wal-awlādu wal-ahlu wal-ṣaḥbu

Blessings and peace be upon the Light eternally; likewise upon the family, the children, the kin, and the companions.