Harful Alif · حَرْفُ الأَلِفِ

أَلاَ يَا رَسُــــولَ اللّٰهِ يَا أَوْثَقَ الْعُـــرَى
وَيَا مُصْطَفَى الْأَكْوَانِ يَا سَيِّدَ الْوَرَى

Alā yā Rasūla Allāhi yā awthaqa al-‘urā
Wa-yā Muṣṭafa al-akwāni yā sayyida al-warā

O Messenger of Allah, O firmest of handles! O chosen of the universes, O master of creation!

بِسِرِّكَ يَا سِـــرَّ الْإِلَـــهِ وَنُــــورَهُ
وَجَاهِكَ يَا يَاسِينُ أَحْمَدُ مُصْطَفَى

Bi-sirrika yā sirra al-ilāhi wa-nūruhu
Wa-jāhika yā Yāsīnu Aḥmadu Muṣṭafā

By your secret—the secret and light of the Divine—and your high standing, O Yasin, Ahmad, the Chosen One!

جَزَاكَ إِلَـــهُ الْعَرْشِ يَا خَيْرَ مُرْسَـــلٍ
وَسِيلَتَــهُ الْعُلْيَــــا وَأَنْـــتَ بِهَــا أَوْلَى

Jazāka ilāhu al-‘arshi yā khayra mursalin
Wasīlatahu al-‘ulyā wa-anta bihā awlā

May the Lord of the Throne reward you, O best of Messengers; his ultimate means (Wasila), and you are most worthy of it.

دَعَوْتُ بِكَ الْمَولَى الْعَلِــــي جَلَّ شَأْنُــهُ
لِكَيْ يَكْشِفَ الْبَلْوَى وَيُتْحِفَ لِي الْبُغْيَـا

Da‘awtu bika al-mawlā al-‘aliyya jalla sha’nuhu
Li-kay yakshifa al-balwā wa-yutḥifa liya al-bughyā

Through you, I have called upon the Most High Master—Majestic is His state—to lift the affliction and gift me my desire:

هُــدًى وَجَدًى أَمْرًا وَنَهْيًا وَرَحْمَـــةً
وَعَافِيَةَ الدَّارَيْنِ دُنْيًا مَـــــعَ الْأُخْــرَى

Hudan wa-jadan amran wa-nahyan wa-raḥmatan
Wa-‘āfiyata al-dārayni dunyā ma‘a al-ukhrā

Guidance, bounty, command, prohibition, and mercy; and well-being in both abodes, this world and the hereafter.

وَيَعْلُـــو بِيَ التَّوْحِيـدُ وَالسُّنَّــــةُ الَّتِـــي
عَفَاهَا ارْتِفَاعُ الْجَهْلِ فِي السِّرِّ وَالنَّجْوَى

Wa-ya‘lū biya al-tawḥīdu wal-sunnatu al-latī
‘Afāhā-rtifā‘u al-jahli fī al-sirri wal-najwā

And that Monotheism (Tawhid) and the Sunnah may rise through me—those which were obscured by the rise of ignorance in private and in public.

زَعِيمٌ يَقُودُ النَّــــاسَ أَجْهَـــلُ طَالِــبٍ
وَقَدْ بَلَغَ السَّيْلُ الزُّبَى عَمَّتِ الْبَلْـــوَى

Za‘īmun yaqūdu al-nāsa ajhalu ṭālibin
Wa-qad balagha al-saylu al-zubā ‘am-mati al-balwā

An "ignorant seeker" is a leader who guides the people; indeed, the flood has reached the heights and affliction has become universal.

حَزِنْتُ لِمَـــــا أَلْقَــــى وَرَبِّيَ كَاشِـــفٌ
جَمِيـعَ كُرُوبِي وَاغْتِرَابِ الْـهُدَى الْأَعْلَى

Ḥazintu limā alqā wa-rabbī kāshifun
Jamī‘a kurūbī wa-ghtirābi al-hudā al-a‘lā

I am saddened by what I encounter, yet my Lord is the remover of all my distresses and the "estrangement" of the highest guidance.

طَمِعْتُ لِدَرْكِــــــي لِلتَّــــدَارُكِ لَيْتَنِــي
أَرَى رَايَةَ الْإِسْلاَمِ تَعْلُو عَلَى الْعُلْيَـــا

Ṭami‘tu li-darkī lit-tadāruki laytanī
Arā rāyata al-islāmi ta‘lū ‘ala al-‘ulyā

I craved to reach a state of remedy; would that I could see the banner of Islam rising to the highest heights.

يَقِينًــــا بِأَنَّ الْمُصْطَفَـــى قَـــالَ صَادِقًـــا
لَيُدْرِكُ عِيسَى خَيْرَ صَحْبٍ عَلَى الْمُثْلَى

Yaqīnan bi-anna al-Muṣṭafā qāla ṣādiqan
La-yudriku ‘Īsā khayra ṣaḥbin ‘ala al-muthlā

With certainty that the Chosen One spoke truthfully: "Jesus shall reach [the time of] the best of companions upon the ideal [path]."

كَفَى كُلَّ مَنْ هَـــذِي الْحَنِيفَـــــةُ دِينُـــهُ
بِأَنْ يُشْبِهَ الْقَرْنَ الْمُزَكَّى فَتِي بُشْـــرَى

Kafā kulla man hādhī al-ḥanīfatu dīnuhu
Bi-an yushbiha al-qarna al-muzakkā fatī bushrā

It is enough for anyone whose religion is this upright faith (Hanifiyya) to resemble the "Purified Century" (the Companions)—what glad tidings!

لَئِنْ بَدَأَ الْإِسْلاَمُ فِي طَـــــوْرِ غُرْبَــةٍ
عَسَانَا نَرَى أَمْرًا يَطِيبُ لَــــهُ الْمَحْيَا

La’in bada’a al-islāmu fī ṭawri ghurbatin
‘Asānā narā amran yaṭību lahu al-maḥyā

If Islam began in a stage of "estrangement" (Ghurba), perhaps we shall see an era in which life becomes pleasant again.

مَتَــى جَاءَ دِينُ الْحَــــقِّ أَصْبَحَ دَامِغًــا
فَعَادَ غَرِيبًا وَهْوَ فِي الْعُدْوَةِ الْقُصْــوَى

Matā jā’a dīnu al-ḥaqqi aṣbaḥa dāmighan
Fa-‘āda gharīban wa-huwa fī al-‘udwati al-quṣwā

When the religion of Truth came, it became triumphant; then it returned to being a "stranger" even in the furthest horizons.

نُسَائِــــلُ رَبًّــــا جَـــلَّ عِزَّةَ دِينِنَـــا
وَيَدْمَغُ أَيْضًا جَهْــــرَةً آخِرَ الدُّنْيَــا

Nusā’ilu rabban jalla ‘izzata dīninā
Wa-yadmaghu ayḍan jahratan ākhira al-dunyā

We ask a Lord—Majestic is His power—for the might of our religion, and that He crushes [falsehood] openly at the end of time.

صَلاَةٌ وَتَسْلِيــــــمٌ عَلَيْــــهِ أَرَى بِهَـــا
سَرِيعًا بِجَاهِ الْمُصْطَفَى السَّنَدَ الْأَقْوَى

Ṣalātun wa-taslīmun ‘alayhi arā bihā
Sarī‘an bi-jāhi al-Muṣṭafa al-sanada al-aqwā

A prayer and salutation be upon him, through which I see—swiftly, by the standing of the Chosen—the strongest support.

عَلَيْــهِ صَـــلاَةٌ مِـــنْ سَنَاهَـــا أَرَى بِهَــا
جَمِيعَ الَّذِي أَهْوَى عَلَى وَفْقِ مَا أَهْـــوَى

‘Alayhi ṣalātun min sanāhā arā bihā
Jamī‘a al-ladhī ahwā ‘alā wafqi mā ahwā

Upon him be a prayer from whose brilliance I see all that I love, according to how I wish to see it.

فَمَــنْ لِــي بِتَبْلِيــــغِ السَّـــلاَمِ إِلَى النَّقَـــا
فَيَا جِسْمُ مَا أَضْنَى وَيَا الدَّمْعُ مَا أَجْــرَى

Fa-man lī bi-tablīghi al-salāmi ila al-Naqā
Fa-yā jismu mā aḍnā wa-yā al-dam‘u mā ajrā

Who will convey my greetings to the Valley of Naqa? O body, how emaciated you are! O tears, how you flow!

ضَمِنْتُ لَهُ سَـــرْدَ الْمَدَائِــحِ رَاجِيًــا
قَبُولَ ثَنَائِي وَالزِّيَـــــادَةَ وَالْحُسْنَــى

Ḍamintu lahu sarda al-madā’ihi rājiyan
Qabūla thanā’ī wal-ziyādata wal-ḥusnā

I have committed to the constant recitation of his praises, hoping for the acceptance of my praise, and for increase and the ultimate good.

قِلاَمِي وَأَنْقَاسِي وَطِرْسِي وَلَقْلَقِي
تَحِنُّ لِأَمْدَاحِي حَنِينِـــي إِلَى اللُّقْيَـــا

Qilāmī wa-anqāsī wa-ṭirsī wa-laqlaqī
Taḥinnu li-amdāḥī ḥanīnī ila al-luqyā

My pens, my inks, my parchment, and my tongue all yearn for my odes, just as I yearn for the meeting.

رَجَوْتُ مِنَ الْمَمْدُوحِ فَـــوْزِيَ بِالَّتِــي
تَقَاصَرَ عَنْهَا الْمَادِحُــونَ وَلاَ غَــرْوَا

Rajawtu mina al-mamdūḥi fawziya bil-latī
Taqāṣara ‘anhā al-mādiḥūna wa-lā gharwā

I hoped from the one being praised for a success that other praisers have fallen short of—and no wonder.

سَلاَمٌ عَلَــى الْـهَادِي بِبَـــدْءٍ وَمَخْتَــمٍ
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى الْمُخْتَارِ قِدْمًا وَلاَ شَـرْوَى

Salāmun ‘ala al-hādī bi-bad’in wa-makhtamin
Salāmun ‘ala al-mukhtāri qidman wa-lā sharwā

Peace be upon the Guide at the beginning and the end; peace be upon the Chosen One from of old—there is no equal to him.

تَيَمَّمَ قَلْبِـــي نَحْـــوَ أَحْمَـــدَ ظَاعِنًـــا
وَجِسْمِي مَعَ الْأَجْسَامِ أَشْدِدْ بِمَا أَلْقَى

Tayammama qalbī naḥwa Aḥmada ẓā‘inan
Wa-jismī ma‘a al-ajsāmi ash-did bi-mā alqā

My heart has turned toward Ahmad, departing [on a journey], while my body remains with other bodies—how intense is what I face!

ثَنَائِـــــي عَلَيْـــهِ قُـــوتُ قَلْبِـــي فَإِنَّنِــي
حَيَاتِي عَلَى التَّهْيَامِ وَالشَّوْقِ وَالذِّكْــرَى

Thanā’ī ‘alayhi qūtu qalbī fa-innanī
Ḥayātī ‘ala al-tehyāmi wash-shawqi wal-dhikrā

My praise of him is the food of my heart; for indeed, my life is built upon infatuation, longing, and remembrance.

خَلِيــلٌ سِــــوَى مَـــنْ حَبَّنِـــي لِـــوِدَادِهِ
جَفَانِي جِهَـــارًا فَالشَّقِــيُّ إِلَى الْأَشْقَــى

Khalīlun siwā man ḥabbanī li-widādihi
Jafānī jihāran fal-shaqiyyu ila al-ashqā

Any friend who did not love me for his sake has shunned me openly—the wretched one goes toward the most wretched.

ذَكَـــرْتُ الَّــذِي مِـــنْ ذِكْـــرِهِ وَوِدَادِهِ
صَفَــا لِيَ وَقْتِــي وَالْمَدِينَــةُ وَالْبَطْحَــا

Dhakartu al-ladhī min dhikrihi wa-widādihi
Ṣafā liya waqtī wal-madīnatu wal-baṭḥā

I remembered the one through whose remembrance and love my time, Medina, and the valley of Makkah became pure for me.

ظَـــــــلاَمٌ وِدَادٌ غَيْــرُ حُـــبِّ مُحَمَّــدٍ
عَلَيْهِ صَلاَةٌ آخِرَ الدَّهْــرِ لَنْ تُمْحَــى

Ẓalāmun widādun ghayru ḥubbi Muḥammadin
‘Alayhi ṣalātun ākhira al-dahri lan tumḥā

Any love other than the love of Muhammad is darkness; upon him be a prayer that shall never be erased until the end of time.

غَرَامٌ إِلَـــى غَيْــرِ الْأَمِيـــنِ سَفَاهَــةٌ
عَلَيْهِ صَلاَةٌ كُـــلَّ وَقْــتٍ بِهَـا نَحْيَــا

Gharāmun ila ghayri al-Amīni safāhatun
‘Alayhi ṣalātun kulla waqtin bihā naḥyā

Any passion for other than the Trustworthy One is foolishness; upon him be a prayer through which we live at every moment.

شِفَائِي صَلاَتِي مَعْ سَلاَمِي كِلاَهُمَــا
عَلَيْهِ وَأَصْحَابٍ هُمُ الدَّوْلَةُ الْكُبْرَى

Shifā’ī ṣalātī ma‘ salāmī kilāhumā
‘Alayhi wa-asḥābin humu al-dawlatu al-kubrā

My healing is my prayer and my peace together upon him, and upon the companions—they are the Great State.