Harfus Swaad · حَرْفُ الصَّادِ

صَفَا وَقْتُ هَذَا الْعَبْدِ أَذْكُــــرُهُ نَصَّــا
لِرَبِّيَ شُكْرًا فَهْوَ بِالشُّكْرِ قَدْ وَصَّـــى

Ṣafā waqtu hādhā al-‘abdi adhkuruhu naṣṣā
Li-rabbī shukran fahuwa bish-shukri qad waṣ-ṣā

The moment of this servant has become pure, and I state this clearly in gratitude to my Lord, for He has commanded us to be grateful.

وَلِمْ لاَ وَمَمْدُوحِــي النَّبِـــيُّ مُحَمَّــدٌ
بِأَمْدَاحِـــهِ يَنْفِـــي عُيُوبِيَ وَالنَّقْصَــا

Wa-lim lā wa-mamdūḥī al-nabiyyu Muḥammadu
Bi-amdāḥihi yanfī ‘uyūbī wal-naq-ṣā

And why not, when the one I praise is the Prophet Muhammad; through his praises, he removes my faults and my deficiencies.

أُحَسِّنُ شِعْــــرًا فِي مَدِيحِــــكَ سَيِّــدِي
وَأَرْقُصُ لَوْ أَنِّي فَتًى يُحْسِنُ الرَّقْصَا

Uḥassinu shi‘ran fī madīḥika sayyidī
Wa-arquṣu law annī fatan yuḥsinu al-raq-ṣā

I beautify my poetry in your praise, my master; and I would dance if I were a youth who knew how to dance.

لِذِكْرَاكَ يَعْرُونِــــــي اهْتِـــزَازُ مَــوَدَّةٍ
فَرُوحِي بِجِسْمِي طَائِرٌ سَكَنَ الْقَفْصَـــا

Li-dhikrāka ya‘rūnī ihtizāzu mawad-datin
Fa-rūḥī bi-jismī ṭā’irun sakana al-qaf-ṣā

At your mention, a vibration of intense love overcomes me; for my soul within my body is but a bird dwelling in a cage.

وَقَدْ جَاءَنِي يَوْمِــي مِــنْ أَحْمَـــدَ أَنَّنِــي
وَمَدْحِــــــيَ مَقْبُـــــولٌ تَلَقَّيْتُـــهُ نَصَّـــا

Wa-qad jā’anī yawmī min Aḥmada annanī
Wa-madḥiya maqbūlun talaq-qaytuhu naṣ-ṣā

And there has come to me this day from Ahmad [the news] that I and my praise are accepted—I have received this as a clear decree.

نَقَصْــــتُ وَإِنْ شَـــاءَ الْأَمِيـــنُ تَقَلَّبَــتْ
نَقَائِـــصُ أَعْمَالِــي كَمَالاً فَـــلاَ نَقْصَــا

Naqaṣ-tu wa-in shā’a al-Amīnu taqal-labat
Naqā’iṣu a‘mālī kamālan falā naq-ṣā

I was deficient, but if the Trustworthy One wills, the deficiencies of my deeds are transformed into perfection, leaving no lack.

فَعَبْــدٌ مُسِـــيءٌ طَالَمَــا صَــارَ مُحْسِنًــا
فَمَا لِي سِوَى الْحُسْنَى تُعَدُّ فَلاَ تُحْصَى

Fa-‘abdun musī’un ṭālamā ṣāra muḥsinan
Famā lī siwā al-ḥusnā tu‘ad-du falā tuḥ-ṣā

Thus, a sinning servant has finally become a doer of good; I have nothing now but beautiful rewards, too many to be counted.

فَإِنَّ اعْتِنَــــاءَ الْمُصْطَفَـــى مُتَصَــرِّفٌ
لِرَفْعٍ وَتَكْثِيــــــرٍ لِمَــا عَــمَّ أَوْ خَصَّــا

Fa-inna-‘tinā’a al-Muṣṭafā mutaṣar-rifun
Li-raf-‘in wa-takthīrin limā ‘amma aw khaṣ-ṣā

For indeed, the concern and care of the Chosen One is transformative, elevating and multiplying both the general and the specific.

عَسَى الْمُصْطَفَى يَوْمًا يَجُودُ بِنَظْــرَةٍ
فَيَجْبُرُ كَسْــرًا مِـــنْ جَنَاحٍ لَنَــا قُصَّــا

‘Asa al-Muṣṭafā yawman yajūdu bi-naẓratin
Fa-yaj-buru kasran min janāḥin lanā quṣ-ṣā

Perhaps the Chosen One will one day grant me a gaze that will mend the break in a wing that has been clipped.

عَلَيْـــــهِ صَـــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــــــهُ
لِطَيْبَةَ بِي نُجْبِـــي لَـــهُ تُعْمِــلُ النَّصَّــا

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Li-Ṭaybata bī nuj-bī lahu tu‘milu al-naṣ-ṣā

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; may my noble camels carry me toward Medina (Tayba) at their swiftest pace.

عَلَيْــــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُـــــهُ
فَتُسْحِتُ أَعْدَائِي وَمَــنْ كَادَ أَوْ لَصَّــا

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Fa-tus-ḥitu a‘dā’ī wa-man kāda aw laṣ-ṣā

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; may it destroy my enemies and whoever plots or steals.

عَلَيْــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــمَّ سَلاَمُـــــــهُ
تُزِيلُ شِكَايَاتِي فَرِيشِــيَ قَـــدْ حُصَّــا

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Tuzīlu shikāyātī fa-rīshiya qad ḥuṣ-ṣā

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; removing my complaints, for my feathers have been stripped away.

عَلَيْـــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــــهُ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ أَصْلَحُوا مَا بِهِ وَصَّى

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ālin wa-ṣaḥbin aṣlaḥū mā bihi waṣ-ṣā

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace, and upon the family and companions who upheld what he commanded.