Harful Haa · حَرْفُ الْحَاءِ

حَرِيصٌ عَلَى إِهْدَا الثَّنَا وَالْمَدَائِـحِ
لِجَانِبِ مَنْ سُكْنَاهُ بَيْنَ جَوَانِحِــي

Ḥarīṣun ‘alā ihdā’i al-thanā’i wal-madā’iḥi
Li-jānibi man suknāhu bayna jawāniḥī

I am eager to offer praise and odes to the side of the one whose dwelling is between my ribs.

يُهَيِّـجُ أَشْوَاقِي هِــــــــلاَلُ رَبِيعِـــهِ
رَبِيـعِ الْمُزُونِ الْوَاكِفَاتِ الدَّوَالِـــحِ

Yuhayyiju ashwāqī hilālu rabī‘ihi
Rabī‘i al-muzūni al-wākifāti al-dawāliḥi

The crescent of his spring (Rabi') stirs my longings—the spring of heavy, pouring rain-clouds.

يُنَكِّئُ قَرْحًا كَانَ مِنْ قَبْلُ دَامِيًــــا
وَلِمْ لاَ وَشِمْنَا فِيهِ بَرْقَ الْمَرَابِـحِ

Yunakkī’u qar-ḥan kāna min qablu dāmiyan
Wa-lim lā wa-shimnā fīhi bar-qa al-marābiḥi

It reopens a wound that was previously bleeding; and why not, when we have seen within it the lightning of spiritual profits?

نَبِيٌّ عَظِيمُ الْخُلْقِ مِفْتَاحُ غَيْبِ مَنْ
لَهُ الْأَمْرُ أَوْ لِلْحَقِّ كُــــلُّ الْمَفَاتِــحِ

Nabiyyun ‘aẓīmu al-khul-qi miftāḥu ghaybi man
Lahu al-amru aw lil-ḥaqqi kullu al-mafātiḥi

He is a Prophet of magnificent character, the key to the Unseen of the One to whom belongs the Command—or rather, the True One holds all the keys.

تَخَلَّى عَنِ الْإِيمَانِ مَنْ لَيْسَ صَادِقًا
عَلَى حُبِّهِ مِنْ كُــــلِّ غَــادٍ وَرَائِـحِ

Takhallā ‘an al-īmāni man laysa ṣādiqan
‘Ala ḥubbihi min kulli ghādin wa-rā’iḥi

Whoever is not sincere in his love, in every coming and going, has stripped himself of faith.

كَذَا مُؤْثِرٌ شَيْئًا سِــــــــوَاهُ لَوْ أَنَّـــهُ
حُشَاشَةُ نَفْسِ الْمَرْءِ بَيْنَ الْجَوَانِــــحِ

Kadhā mu’thirun shay’an siwāhu law annahu
Ḥushāshatu naf-si al-mar’i bayna al-jawāniḥi

Likewise is the one who prefers anything over him, even if it were the very last breath of life between his ribs.

فَحُبُّ رَسُولِ اللّٰهِ زَيْنٌ وَمَفْخَــــرٌ
وَأَمْنٌ وَإِيمَانٌ وَبَابُ الْمَصَالِحِ

Fa-ḥubbu Rasūli Allāhi zaynun wa-maf-kharun
Wa-amnun wa-īmānun wa-bābu al-maṣāliḥi

For the love of the Messenger of Allah is an adornment, a pride, a security, a faith, and the door to all benefits.

وَحُبُّ رَسُــــــولِ اللّٰهِ مَالِي وَمَالِكِـــي
وَبَيْعِي وَحَرْثِي وَهْوَ عَيْنُ مَرَابِحِي

Wa-ḥubbu Rasūli Allāhi mālī wa-mālikī
Wa-bay‘ī wa-ḥar-thī wa-huwa ‘aynu marābiḥī

The love of the Messenger of Allah is my wealth and my possessor; it is my trade and my harvest, and the very essence of my profits.

هُوَ الْحُسْنُ وَالْإِحْسَانُ مِنْـــهُ وَإِنَّـــهُ
لَمَصْرِفُ حُبِّي ثُـــمَّ كُـــلِّ مَدَائِحِـي

Huwa al-ḥusnu wal-iḥsānu minhu wa-innahu
La-maṣ-rifu ḥubbī thumma kulli madā’iḥī

He is beauty itself, and all excellence comes from him; he is the destination of my love and all my praises.

حَبَانِي مُرَادِي قَبْلَ عِلْمِي وَنَشْأَتِي
فَمِنِّي نَوَالُ الْكُلِّ وَالْكُـــلَّ مَانِحِـــي

Ḥabānī murādī qabla ‘ilmī wa-nash’atī
Fa-minnī nawālu al-kulli wal-kulla māniḥī

He granted me my desire before my own knowledge or my birth; from me comes the bounty to all, yet he is the one granting all to me.

طَوَيْتُ مَقَامَاتِ الرِّجَــــالِ بِحُبِّـــهِ
دَنَا فَتَدَلَّى لِـــي بِرَغْـــمِ قَبَائِحِـــي

Ṭawaytu maqāmāti al-rijāli bi-ḥubbihi
Danā fa-tadallā lī bi-ragh-mi qabā’iḥī

I traversed the spiritual stations of the great men through his love; he drew near and descended to me despite my unworthiness.

وَأَتْحَفَنِي مَــا لاَ أَبُـــــــوحُ بِسِـــرِّهِ
بِسُكْرٍ وَصَحْوٍ عِنْدَ صَاحٍ وَصَائِـحِ

Wa-at-ḥafanī mā lā abūḥu bi-sirrihi
Bi-suk-rin wa-ṣaḥ-win ‘inda ṣāḥin wa-ṣā’iḥi

He gifted me that whose secret I shall not reveal—in states of intoxication and sobriety, amidst the silent and the shouting.

وَفِي الْحَجِّ يَوْمَ الْعِيدِ بِالْخَيْفِ مِنْ مِنًى
جِهَارًا أَتَانِي الْمُصْطَفَـــــى بِالْمَنَائِـــحِ

Wa-fī al-ḥajji yawma al-‘īdi bil-khayfi min Minan
Jihāran atānī al-Muṣṭafā bil-manā’iḥi

And during the Hajj, on the Day of Eid, at al-Khayf in Mina, the Chosen One came to me openly with gifts.

وَإِنِّي لَتَعْرُونِـــي لِذِكْــــرَاهُ هِـــزَّةٌ
بِحُسْـــنِ مُحَيًّــا بَاهِرِ الْحُسْنِ وَاضِحِ

Wa-innī la-ta‘rūnī li-dhikrāhu hiz-zatun
Bi-ḥusni muḥayyan bāhiri al-ḥusni wāḍiḥi

Indeed, a tremor seizes me at his mention, due to the beauty of a countenance that is dazzling and clear.

وَإِنِّي لَتَعْرُونِي لِذِكْــــــرَاهُ هِـــزَّةٌ
جَوَادٌ يُنَسِّي السُّحْبَ أَثْرَ اللَّوَاقِـــحِ

Wa-innī la-ta‘rūnī li-dhikrāhu hiz-zatun
Jawādun yunassī al-suḥba athra al-lawāqiḥi

Indeed, a tremor seizes me at his mention—a generosity that makes one forget the clouds after they have been fertilized with rain.

وَإِنِّي لَتَعْرُونِي لِذِكْرَاهُ هِــــــزَّةٌ
بِعَرْفٍ يُنَسِّي كُلَّ طِيبٍ وَفَائِــحِ

Wa-innī la-ta‘rūnī li-dhikrāhu hiz-zatun
Bi-‘ar-fin yunassī kulla ṭībin wa-fā’iḥi

Indeed, a tremor seizes me at his mention, due to a fragrance that makes one forget every other perfume or scent.

مَعَ الْحَقِّ حَــــالاَتُ الْأَمِينِ كَحَالَتِــــي
مَعَ الْمُصْطَفَى الْمُخْتَارِ نُورِ الْأَبَاطِــحِ

Ma‘a al-ḥaqqi ḥālāti al-Amīni ka-ḥālatī
Ma‘a al-Muṣṭafā al-Mukhtāri nūri al-abāṭiḥi

The states of the Trustworthy One (the Prophet) with the Truth are like my own states with the Chosen One, the light of the valleys.

يُوَحِّدُهُ وَالْحَقُّ يُهْـــــدِي صَلاَتَــهُ
عَلَيْهِ وَأُهْدِي نَحْــــوَهُ بِمَدَائِحِــي

Yuwaḥ-ḥiduhu wal-ḥaqqu yuhdī ṣalātahu
‘Alayhi wa-uhdī naḥwahu bi-madā’iḥī

He affirms the Oneness of God while the Truth sends His blessings upon him; and I direct my praises toward him.

وَذَا الْمَدْحُ ذَاكَ الْحَمْدُ وَالشُّكْرُ حِينَمَا
يَقِـــلُّ شَكُــــورٌ لِلْأَلَـــى وَالْمَنَــائِـــحِ

Wa-dhā al-mad-ḥu dhāka al-ḥam-du wash-shuk-ru ḥīnamā
Yaqillu shakūrun lil-alā wal-manā’iḥi

This praise is that very Laudation and Thanks, at a time when those who are grateful for favors and gifts are few.

لَكَ الْحَمْدُ حَمْدَ الذَّاتِ لِلذَّاتِ دَائِمًــــا
عَلَى أَحْمَدَ الْمُخْتَارِ أَفْضَلِ نَاصِــحِ

Laka al-ḥam-du ḥam-da al-dhāti lidh-dhāti dā’iman
‘Alā Aḥmada al-Mukhtāri af-ḍali nāṣiḥi

To You belongs the praise—the praise of the Essence for the Essence eternally—upon Ahmad the Chosen, the best of counselors.

عَلَيْهِ صَـــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
وَآلٍ وَأَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ الْمَنَاصِــحِ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ālin wa-asḥābi al-nabiyyi al-manāṣiḥi

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace, and upon the family and the companions of the sincere Prophet.