Harful Kaaf · حَرْفُ الْكَافِ

كَتَبْتُ وَلِي اهْتَــــزَّ الْعَوَالِـــمُ وَالْمَلَــكْ
سُرُورًا بِمَا أُثْنِي عَلَى الْعَبْــدِ وَالْمَلِــكْ

Surūran bimā uthnī ‘ala al-‘abdi wal-malik
Wa-amdḥuhu bil-ḥaqqi ghayra mufannadin

I wrote, and for my sake the universes and the angels were shaken with joy for the praise I offer to the Servant and the King.

وَأَمْدَحُـــــهُ بِالْحَــــقِّ غَيْـــــــرَ مُفَنَّــدٍ
مُحَمَّدُ خَيْرُ الْخَلْقِ لاَ تَثْنِ مِـــــنْ مَلَــكْ

Muḥammadu khayru al-khalqi lā tathni min malak
Laqad ‘abada al-mawlā wa-mā thamma ‘ābidun

I praise him with the truth without any error; Muhammad is the best of creation, not to be compared to any angel.

لَقَدْ عَبَــــدَ الْمَــــوْلَى وَمَا ثَــــمَّ عَابِــدٌ
سِوَاهُ فَمِنْ أَنْـــوَارِهِ الْعَـــرْشُ وَالْفَلَــكْ

Siwāhu fa-min anwārihi al-‘arshu wal-falak
Wa-waḥḥada ḥaqqan dhākiran mutanassikan

He worshipped the Master when there was no other worshipper besides him, and from his lights the Throne and the celestial spheres were formed.

وَوَحَّــــــدَ حَقًّــــــــا ذَاكِـــرًا مُتَنَسِّكًــا
لَدَى الْحَضْرَةِ الْعُلْيَا وَمَا ثَمَّ مَنْ نَسَكْ

Lada al-ḥaḍrati al-‘ulyā wa-mā thamma man nasak
Fa-a‘ṭāhu mā a‘ṭāhu dūna munāzi‘in

He affirmed Divine Unity truly, remembering and devout in the High Presence when there was no one else to perform devotion.

فَأَعْطَـــــاهُ مَا أَعْطَـــاهُ دُونَ مُنَــازِعٍ
يُنَازِعُهُ عِنْـــــــدَ الْجَلِيـــلِ وَمَا مَلَــكْ

Yunāzi‘uhu ‘inda al-jalīli wa-mā malak
Fa-kāna nabiyyan ḥīna Ādamu ṭīnatun

So Allah gave him what He gave him without any contender to dispute with him before the Majestic, nor any who possessed what he possessed.

فَكَـــــــانَ نَبِيًّـــــــا حِيــــنَ آدَمُ طِينَــةٌ
سَبِيلُ سَـــــلاَمٍ فِـــي تَتَبُّـــعِ مَا سَلَــكْ

Sabīlu salāmin fī tatabbu‘i mā salak
Fa-dhāka wa-Nūḥun wal-khalīlu wa-Ṣāliḥun

He was a Prophet while Adam was still between water and clay; the path of peace lies in following the way he traversed.

فَذَاكَ وَنُــــــوحٌ وَالْخَلِيــلُ وَصَالِــحٌ
وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى قَدْ قَفَوْهُ كَذَا الْمَلَــكْ

Wa-Mūsā wa-‘Īsā qad qafawhu kadhā al-malak
Fa-akmalu khalqi Allāhi khulqan wa-khilqatan

For he is the one whom Noah, the Friend, Salih, Moses, and Jesus followed, as did the angels.

فَأَكْمَـــــــلُ خَلْــــقِ اللّٰهِ خُلْقًـــا وَخِلْقَــةً
مُحَمَّــــدٌ الْمَاحِي الضَّـــلاَلاَتِ وَالْحُلَـكْ

Muḥammadu al-māḥī al-ḍalālāti wal-ḥulak
Jawādun shujā‘un munfiqun mutawāḍi‘un

He is the most perfect of Allah’s creation in character and form; Muhammad, the eraser of misguidances and darkness.

جَــــــــوَادٌ شُجَــــاعٌ مُنْفِـــقٌ مُتَوَاضِــعٌ
عَلِيمٌ حَلِيــــــمٌ يَـــأْلَفُ الْقَـــوْمَ وَالنُّسُــكْ

‘Alīmun ḥalīmun ya’lafu al-qawma wan-nusuk
Yujālisuhum fī ḥālihim in takallamū

Generous, brave, charitable, and humble; knowledgeable, clement, and intimate with the people and their devotions.

يُجَالِسُهُــــمْ فِـــي حَالِــهِــــمْ إِنْ تَكَلَّمُــوا
تَكَلَّمَ مَعْهُمْ وَهْوَ إِنْ ضَحِكُــوا ضَحِـــكْ

Takallama ma‘hum wa-huwa in ḍaḥikū ḍaḥik
Wa-yajma‘uhum bil-Lāhi fī dhāka kullihi

He would sit with them in their various states; if they spoke, he spoke with them, and if they laughed, he laughed.

وَيَجْمَعُهُـــــمْ بِـــــــاللّٰهِ فِـــي ذَاكَ كُلِّــهِ
فَلَمْ يَشْقَ مِنْ بَعْدِ الْـهُدَى غَيْرُ مَنْ هَلَكْ

Falam yashqa min ba‘di al-hudā ghayru man halak
‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu

He would unite them with Allah in all of that; none has been wretched after receiving guidance except for the one who perished.

عَلَيْـــــــــهِ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
أَكُونُ بِهَا رَأْسًا لَدَى حَضْـــرَةِ الْمَلِكْ

Akūnu bihā ra’san lada ḥaḍrati al-malik
‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; through which I become a leader in the Presence of the King.

عَلَيْـــــــــــهِ صَـــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
بِهَا الْعَبْدُ بِالدِّيـــــنِ الْحَنِيفِيِّ قَــــدْ مَسَــكْ

Bihā al-‘abdu bid-dīni al-ḥanīfiyyi qad masak
‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; through which the servant has held fast to the Upright Religion.

عَلَيْـــــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
تُخَالِطُ لَحْمِي وَالْعُــرُوقَ كَــذَا الْمَسَـــكْ

Tukhāliṭu laḥmī wal-‘urūqa kadhā al-masak
‘Alayhi ma‘a al-āli al-kirāmi wa-ṣaḥbihi

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; may it mingle with my flesh and my veins like musk.

عَلَيْـــهِ مَعَ الْآلِ الْكِــــرَامِ وَصَحْبِــهِ
صَلاَةٌ بِهَا اهْتَــــزَّ الْعَوَالِــمُ وَالْمَلَــكْ

Ṣalātun bihā-htazza al-‘awālimu wal-malak

Upon him, along with the noble family and his companions; a prayer through which the universes and the angels are shaken.