Harful Khaa · حَرْفُ الْخَاءِ

خَيَالٌ سَرَى أَمْ حَلَّ طَيْبَةَ كَوْلَــخُ
شَمَمْتُ أَرِيجَ الْهَاشِمِيِّ فَأَرِّخُـــوا

Khayālun sarā am ḥalla Ṭaybata Kawlakhu
Shamamtu arīja al-Hāshimiyyi fa-ar-rikhū

Was it a passing vision, or did Kaolack settle within Medina? I have smelled the fragrance of the Hashemite, so record this date.

خِتَامَ نُبُووَّاتِ النَّبِيِّيــــنَ لاَ تَـــرَى
بُعَيْدَ الْمُقَفَّى وَهْوَ بِالْمِسْكِ يَضْمَخُ

Khitāma nubuwwāti al-nabiyyīna lā tarā
Bu‘ayda al-Muqaffā wa-huwa bil-miski yaḍ-makhu

He is the Seal of the Prophethood of all Prophets; you shall see none after the "Followed One," who is drenched in musk.

خَلِيلِي خَلِيلِي أَحْمَدُ الْخَاتِمُ الَّــذِي
أَتَانَا بِدِينٍ ثَابِـــتِ الْأُسِّ يَرْسَـــخُ

Khalīlī khalīlī Aḥmadu al-Khātimu al-ladhī
Atānā bi-dīnin thābiti al-ussi yar-sakhu

My intimate friend, my intimate friend is Ahmad, the Final One, who brought us a religion with a firm and deep-rooted foundation.

فَأَرْكَانُهُ التَّوْحِيدُ هَلْ مَانَ قَائِلٌ
بِأَنَّ إِلَهِي بَارِئِي مَــــنْ يُوَبِّــخُ

Fa-arkānuhu al-tawḥīdu hal māna qā’ilun
Bi-anna ilāhī bāri’ī man yuwab-bikhu

Its pillars are Divine Unity; can any speaker lie by saying my God and Creator is one who deserves reproach?

كَذَاكَ نُصَلِّي مَــــا دَرَيْنَا شَرِيعَـــةً
خَلَتْ مِنْ صَلاَةٍ قَطُّ فَالشَّأْنُ أَشْمَخُ

Kadhāka nuṣallī mā daraynā sharī‘atan
Khalat min ṣalātin qaṭṭu fal-sha’nu ash-makhu

Likewise, we pray; for we have never known a Sacred Law that was ever devoid of prayer—indeed, its status is most lofty.

نَصُومُ كَمَـــا صَامَ النَّبِيئُــونَ قَبْلَنَـــا
وَهَلْ عَابَ صَوْمًا عَاقِلٌ أَوْ مُؤَرِّخُ

Naṣūmu kamā ṣāma al-nabiyyūna qablanā
Wa-hal ‘āba ṣawman ‘āqilun aw mu’ar-rikhu

We fast just as the Prophets fasted before us; has any rational person or historian ever found fault in fasting?

كَــــــــذَاكَ زَكَـــاةٌ ثُـــــمَّ حَـــجٌّ فَكُلُّهَــا
مِنَ الشَّمْسِ أَضَوَا بَلْ مِنَ الشُّمِّ أَرْسَخُ

Kadhāka zakātun thumma ḥajjun fa-kulluhā
Mina al-shamsi aḍwā bal mina al-shummi ar-sakhu

Likewise Zakat and then Hajj; all of them are brighter than the sun, nay, more firmly established than the high mountains.

وَلَوْ مُنِعَ التَّزْوِيجُ مَا كَانَ عَابِــدٌ
وَلاَ عُمِّرَ الدَّارَانِ أَيْنَ الْمُوَبِّــــخُ

Wa-law muni‘a al-tazwīju mā kāna ‘ābidun
Wa-lā ‘ummira al-dārāni ayna al-muwab-bikhu

If marriage were forbidden, there would be no worshipper, nor would the two abodes (this world and the next) be populated—so where is the critic?

وَتَعْدَادُ زَوْجِ الشَّرْعِ جَاءَ لِحِكْمَةٍ
تَعُـــــودُ لِنِسْـــوَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ يُنْفَــخُ

Wa-ta‘dādu zawji al-shar‘i jā’a li-ḥikmatin
Ta‘ūdu li-niswānin ila yawmi yunfakhu

The plurality of wives in the Sacred Law came for a wisdom that benefits women until the Day the Trumpet is blown.

فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ تُلْفِي جُمُوعًا عَوَانِسًا
تُخَالِفُ أَحْكَامًا وَكَيْــــفَ تُوَبِّــخُ

Fa-in lam yakun tulfī jumū‘an ‘awānisan
Tukhālifu aḥkāman wa-kayfa tuwab-bikhu

For if it were not so, you would find crowds of unmarried women violating the laws—so how then can you reproach [this wisdom]?

نَعَمْ وَغَزَا رَدَّ اعْتِدَاءً وَمَـــا عَـــدَا
فَطَــهَ عَلَى الْأَكْوَانِ يَسْمُو وَيَشْمَخُ

Na‘am wa-ghazā radda i‘tidā’in wa-mā ‘adā
Fa-Ṭāhā ‘ala al-akwāni yasmū wa-yash-makhu

Yes, and he fought only to repel aggression and never transgressed; for Taha rises and towers above all the universes.

عَلَيْهِ صَـــــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ مَا الْمُحِبُّ يُــؤَرِّخُ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ālin wa-ṣaḥbin mā al-muḥibbu yu’ar-rikhu

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace, and upon the family and companions, as long as the lover records his history.