Harful Faa · حَرْفُ الْفَاءِ

فَهَـــلْ بِعَقِيـــقٍ لِي بِطَيْبَـــةَ مَوْقِــفُ
يُفَرَّجُ فِيــــهِ الْـهَــمُّ حِينًا وَيُكْشَــفُ

Fa-hal bi-‘Aqīqin lī bi-Ṭaybata mawqifu
Yufar-raju fīhi al-ham-mu ḥīnan wa-yuk-shafu

Will I ever have a standing at al-Aqiq in Medina, where my worries would be relieved and uncovered for a while?

عَقِيقٌ وَبُطْحَـــانٌ وَوَادِي مُذَيْنِــبٍ
إِلَيْهَـــا اشْتِيَاقِـــي وَالْغَـــرَامُ يُكَلِّــفُ

‘Aqīqun wa-Buṭ-ḥānun wa-wādī Mudhaynibin
Ilayhā-shtiyāqī wal-gharāmu yukal-lifu

Al-Aqiq, Buthan, and the valley of Mudhaynib—toward them is my longing, and this infatuation demands much of me.

وَوَادِي قَنَـــــاةٍ وَالنَّقِيـــعُ فَكُلُّهَـــــا
دِيَارِي وَذِكْرَاهَا لِوَجْــدِي يُخَفِّــفُ

Wa-wādī Qanātin wal-Naqī‘u fa-kulluhā
Diyārī wa-dhikrāhā li-waj-dī yukhaf-fīfu

And the valley of Qanat and al-Naqi'—all of them are my homes, and their remembrance lightens my ecstatic passion.

وَهَلْ لِي وُقُوفٌ بِالْبَقِيـــعِ مُسَلِّمًــا
عَلَى أَهْلِهِ وَالدَّمْـعَ مِنِّـــي أُكَفْكِــفُ

Wa-hal lī wuqufun bil-Baqī‘i musalliman
‘Ala ahlihi wad-dam-‘a minnī ukaf-kifu

And will I have a standing at al-Baqi' [cemetery], greeting its inhabitants while I wipe away my flowing tears?

فَإِنِّي وَتَهْيَامِي وَوَجْدِي وَلَوْعَتِي
وَمَا لِي خَلِيلٌ فِي التَّوَلُّهِ يُنْصِـــفُ

Fa-innī wa-tahyāmī wa-waj-dī wa-law‘atī
Wa-mā lī khalīlun fī al-tawal-luhi yun-ṣifu

For indeed, with my wandering mind, my ecstasy, and my burning grief—I have no friend who can do justice to my madness in love.

وَلاَ الشِّعْرُ مِنِّـــي بِالْعِبَارَةِ وَافِيًــا
وَمَا لاَقَ فِي جَنْــــبِ النَّبِيِّ تَكَلُّــفُ

Wa-lā al-shi‘ru minnī bil-‘ibārati wāfiyan
Wa-mā lāqa fī janbi al-nabiyyi takal-lufu

Nor is my poetry sufficient in its expression; for in the presence of the Prophet, artificiality is never appropriate.

فَنَفْثَــــةُ مَصْـــــدُورٍ مَدِيـــحُ نَبِيِّنَــا
فَيَقْبَلُ عُذْرِي بِالْمَدَائِــــحِ مُنْصِــفُ

Fa-naf-thatu maṣdūrin madīḥu nabiyyinā
Fa-yaq-balu ‘udhrī bil-madā’iḥi mun-ṣifu

The praise of our Prophet is but the sigh of one whose chest is constricted; and he, the Just One, will accept my excuse through these odes.

وَسَهْلٌ ثَنَاءُ الْمُصْطَفَى فَطِبَاعُـــهُ
وَأَفْعَالُهُ تُبْــــدِي الثَّنَـــا وَتُعَــرِّفُ

Wa-sahlun thanā’u al-Muṣṭafā fa-ṭibā‘uhu
Wa-af-‘āluhu tub-dī al-thanā wa-tu‘ar-rifu

Praising the Chosen One is easy, for his natural traits and his actions already manifest and declare his praise.

كَمَالٌ وَعِلْمٌ ثُمَّ جُـــــودٌ وَعِصْمَـةٌ
وَعَزْمٌ وَحَزْمٌ بِالشَّجَاعَةِ تُـــرْدَفُ

Kamālun wa-‘ilmun thumma jūdun wa-‘iṣmatun
Wa-‘azmun wa-ḥazmun bish-shajā‘ati tur-dafu

Perfection, knowledge, then generosity and sinlessness; and resolve and firmness, followed by courage.

وَعَقْلٌ وَحِلْمٌ ثُـــمَّ حُسْـــنُ سِيَاسَــةٍ
وَزُهْدٌ وَصَبْرٌ قَدْرُهُ لَيْسَ يُعْـرَفُ

Wa-‘aqlun wa-ḥilmun thumma ḥusnu siyāsatin
Wa-zuhdun wa-ṣabrun qadruhu laysa yu‘-rafu

And intellect, clemency, then excellent statesmanship; and asceticism and patience whose true value can never be known.

عَلَيْــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
أَنَـالُ عَطَــــاءً عِنْـــدَهُ لاَ يُسَــوَّفُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Anālu ‘aṭā’an ‘indahu lā yusaw-wafu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; through which I receive a bounty that is never delayed.

عَلَيْــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
تُقَرِّبُ لِي الْبَيْتَ الْحَـــرَامَ أُطَــوِّفُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Tuqar-ribu lī al-bayta al-ḥarāma uṭaw-wifu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; bringing the Sacred House close to me so that I may perform Tawaf.

عَلَيْـــــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
عَلَى خِدْمَةِ الْمُخْتَارِ دَهْرِيَ أَعْكُـــفُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
‘Ala khidmati al-Mukhtāri dahrī a‘kufu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; that I may devote my entire life to the service of the Chosen One.

عَلَيْـــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
عَنِ السُّنَّـــةِ الْبَيْضَـــاءِ لاَ أَتَعَسَّـــفُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
‘Ani al-sunnati al-bayḍā’i lā ata‘as-safu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; that I may never deviate from the "White Path" of the Sunnah.

عَلَيْـــــهِ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
فَلاَ مَسَّنِي يَوْمًـــا بِعَيْشِــي تَقَشُّــفُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Falā mas-sanī yawman bi-‘ayshī taqash-shufu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; so that I am never touched by hardship in my living.

عَلَيْـــــهِ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
فَلَمْ أَلْقَ مَنْ يَلْحَى وَلاَ مَــنْ يُعَنِّـفُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Falam alqa man yalḥā wa-lā man yu‘an-nifu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; so that I meet no one who blames me or treats me harshly.

عَلَيْــــــهِ صَــــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
وَأَهْرِفُ دَهْرِي بِالَّذِي كُنْتُ أَعْرِفُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ahrifu dahrī bil-ladhī kuntu a‘rifu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; and I spend my life speaking passionately of what I have come to know.

عَلَيْـــــهِ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
فَلَمْ أَكُ عَـــــنْ مَـــدْحِ النَّبِــي أَتَوَقَّــفُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Falam aku ‘an mad-ḥi al-nabiyyi atawaq-qafu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; so that I never cease to praise the Prophet.

عَلَيْـــــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ شَمَّــــرُوا وَتَعَفَّفُــوا

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ālin wa-ṣaḥbin sham-marū wa-ta‘af-fafū

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace, and upon the family and companions who strove and remained chaste.