Harfut Twaa · حَرْفُ الطَّاءِ

طَحَا بِي إِلَى الْبِيضِ الْحِسَانِ وَقَدْ شَمَطْ
لِيَ الرَّأْسُ حُبٌّ جَامِـــحٌ لَيْـــسَ يَرْتَبِــطْ

Ṭaḥā bī ila al-bīḍi al-ḥisāni wa-qad shamaṭ
Liya al-ra’su ḥubbun jāmiḥun laysa yar-tabiṭ

A wild love, unrestricted, has driven me toward the beautiful ones, even as my hair has turned gray.

تَطَوَّفْتُ أَبْغِي الْوَصْلَ وَالْحَـــالُ إِنَّنِــي
عَلَى شِبْهِ يَأْسٍ مِنْ مَــــرَامٍ وَمُلْتَقَــطْ

Taṭawwaftu abghī al-waṣla wal-ḥālu innanī
‘Alā shib-hi ya’sin min marāmin wa-multaqaṭ

I circled around seeking union, while my state was one of near despair in attaining my goal.

فَهِمْتُ غَرَامًا إِذْ فَهِمْتُ وَتَــــمَّ لِي
وِصَالُ الْمُقَفَّى وَهْوَ حَبْلِي بِهِ رَبَطْ

Fahimtu gharāman idh fahimtu wa-tamma lī
Wiṣālu al-Muqaffā wa-huwa ḥablī bi-hi rabaṭ

I fell into ecstatic love once I understood, and my union with the "Followed One" (the Prophet) was completed; he is the rope to which I am tied.

دَنَا فَتَــــدَلَّى لِي وَكِــــدْتُ لِحُبِّــهِ
أَذُوبُ حَيَـاءً وَالْمَقَــــامُ قَدِاغْتُبِــطْ

Danā fa-tadallā lī wa-kidtu li-ḥubbihi
Adhūbu ḥayā’an wal-maqāmu qadi-gh-tubiṭ

He drew near and descended to me; out of love for him, I almost melted from shyness, in a station that is truly enviable.

فَقُلْتُ وَأَيْقَنْــــتُ السَّعَـــادَةَ مُنْشِــدًا
سَمِيرِي رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ وَالْقَلْبُ مُنْتَشِـطْ

Fa-qultu wa-ayqantu al-sa‘ādata munshidan
Samīrī Rasūlu Allāhi wal-qalbu mun-tashiṭ

I said, certain of my happiness, as I sang: my late-night companion is the Messenger of Allah, and my heart is invigorated.

أَهَابُكَ إِجْـــلاَلاً وَعِنْــــدَكَ قُـــدْرَةٌ
أَيَا قَاسِمًا مِنْكَ الْمَنَاصِبُ وَالْخِطَطْ

Ahābuka ij-lālan wa-‘indaka qudratun
Ayā qāsiman minka al-manāṣibu wal-khiṭaṭ

I revere you in awe, for you possess power; O Distributor, from you come all ranks and stations.

وَيَا حَافِظًا مَـــا فِي الْخَزَائِنِ كُلِّهَـا
وَيَا مَنْشَأَ الْفَيْضِ الَّذِي عَمَّ وَانْبَسَطْ

Wa-yā ḥāfiẓan mā fī al-khazā’ini kulli-hā
Wa-yā mansha’a al-fayḍi al-ladhī ‘amma wan-basaṭ

O Guardian of everything within the treasures, O Source of the Spiritual Flood that has encompassed and spread.

عَلَيْـــكَ صَـــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
أَتَاكَ طَرِيدٌ وَهْوَ فِي سِلْكِكَ انْخَرَطْ

‘Alayka ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Atāka ṭarīdun wa-huwa fī sil-kika-nkharat

Upon you be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; an exile has come to you, having joined your ranks.

فَأَمِّنْهُ مَــــنْ أَمَّنْتَــــهُ فَهْــــوَ آمِـــنٌ
وَتَأْمِينُ عَبْدٍ مِنْ سِوَى أَحْمَدٍ غَلَطْ

Fa-ammin-hu man ammantu-hu fahuwa āminun
Wa-ta’mīnu ‘abdin min siwā Aḥmada ghalaṭ

Grant him safety, for whoever you grant safety is truly safe; seeking safety from any besides Ahmad is a mistake.

وَلِمْ لاَ وَقَدْ أَوْلاَكَ لَوْلاَكَ حَامِــدًا
قُبَيْلَ وُجُودِ الْكَوْنِ وَالْكَوْنُ أَنْتَ قَطْ

Wa-lim lā wa-qad awlāka lawlāka ḥāmidan
Qubayla wujūdi al-kawni wal-kawnu anta qaṭ

And why not, when the Praiseworthy One favored you—"were it not for you"—before the existence of the universe? For the universe is you entirely.

أَيَـــا أَوَّلاً لِلْأَوَّلِيــــــــنَ مُحَمَّـــدًا
وَأَحْمَدُ مَحْمُودٌ بِكَ الْحَمْدُ يَنْبَسِطْ

Ayā awwalan lil-awwalīna Muḥammadan
Wa-Aḥmadu maḥmūdun bika al-ḥamdu yan-basaṭ

O First of the foremost, Muhammad; and Ahmad is praised—through you, praise itself expands.

لِوَا الْحَمْـــــدِ فِي كَفَّيْـــكَ وَالْكُلُّ لاَئِــذٌ
بِحِقْوَيْكَ يَوْمَ الْعَرْضِ وَالْكُلُّ مَا غَلَــطْ

Liwā al-ḥamdi fī kaffayka wal-kullu lā’idhun
Bi-ḥiq-wayka yawma al-‘ar-ḍi wal-kullu mā ghalaṭ

The Banner of Praise is in your hands, and everyone shall seek refuge in your protection on the Day of Presentation; no one is mistaken in this.

بِحَقِّكَ فَاشْفَعْ فِي فَإِنِّـــي كَمَا تَـرَى
طَرِيدُ جِنَايَاتٍ وَلِي الْحَالُ مُخْتَلِطْ

Bi-ḥaqqika fash-fa‘ fī fa-innī kamā tarā
Ṭarīdu jināyātin wa-lī al-ḥālu mukhtaliṭ

By your right, intercede for me, for as you see, I am an exile of my own crimes and my state is confused.

فَبَدِّلْ وَقَلِّبْ حَالَتِي لَسْــتُ رَاضِيًــا
لِنَفْسِيَ ذَاكَ الْحَالَ وَالْقَلْبُ مَا انْتَشَطْ

Fa-baddil wa-qallib ḥālatī lastu rāḍiyan
Li-naf-siya dhāka al-ḥāla wal-qalbu mā-n-tashaṭ

So change and transform my condition; I am not satisfied with my current state, and my heart is not yet at ease.

تَفَلْتَ لِعَيْــــنٍ فَاسْتَحَـــالَ أُجَاجُــهَا
فُرَاتًا زُلاَلاً دَارِكِ الْعَبْــدَ إِذْ سَقَــطْ

Tafalta li-‘aynin fas-taḥāla ujāju-hā
Furātan zulālan dāriki al-‘abda idh saqaṭ

You spat into a well and its salty water turned into sweet, fresh water; so reach this servant who has fallen.

فَإِنِّي أَرَانِي لَيْـــسَ حَـــظٌّ لِغَيْــرِهِ
بِقَلْبِي وَأَعْمَالِي كَعَشْــوَاءَ تَخْتَبِـطْ

Fa-innī arānī laysa ḥaẓ-ẓun li-ghayrihi
Bi-qalbī wa-a‘mālī ka-‘ashwā’a takhtabiṭ

For I see that no one else has a portion of my heart; yet my actions are like a blind camel stumbling in the dark.

حَجَجْتُ وَمَا أَخْلَصْتُ أَبْغِي رُبُوعَهُ
وَزُرْتُ اشْتِيَاقًا لاَ امْتِثَالاً وَذَا فَرَطْ

Ḥajajtu wa-mā akh-laṣtu abghī rubū‘ahu
Wa-zurtu-sh-tiyāqan lā-m-tithālan wa-dhā faraṭ

I performed Hajj but was not sincere, seeking only his dwellings; I visited out of longing, not out of [mere] obedience, and that was an excess.

كَــذَاكَ صَلاَتِي ثُمَّ صَوْمِي كَرَقْدَتِــي
وَذِكْرِي وَإِنْفَاقِي كَأَعْمَالِ مَنْ قَسَطْ

Kadhalika ṣalātī thumma ṣawmī ka-raqdatī
Wa-dhikrī wa-infāqī ka-a‘māli man qasaṭ

Likewise my prayer and my fasting are like my sleep; my remembrance and my spending are like the deeds of the unjust.

هَوًى قَادَ لاَ أَدْرِي هُدًى أَمْ ضَلاَلَــةٌ
كَفَاهُ كَفَـــــافٌ لاَ رَجَـــاءٌ وَلاَ قَنَــطْ

Hawan qāda lā adrī hudan am ḍalālatun
Kafāhu kafāfun lā rajā’un wa-lā qanaṭ

A passion has led me—I know not if it be guidance or misguidance—and its sufficiency is enough; there is neither [false] hope nor despair.

فَفِعْلِيَ لاَ لِـــــي بَـــلْ عَلَــيَّ فَــلاَ أَرَى
لِنَفْسِي وَأَحْبَابِي سِوَى فَضْلِ مَنْ بَسَطْ

Fa-fi‘liya lā lī bal ‘alayya falā arā
Li-naf-si wa-aḥbābī siwā faḍli man basaṭ

My actions are not for me but against me; I see nothing for myself or my beloveds except the grace of the One who provides.

وَأَنْ يَشْفَعَ الْمَحْمُـــودُ فِينَـــا فَإِنَّــهُ
شَفِيعٌ لَنَا لَوْ كَانَ فِي أَمْرِنَا شَطَـــطْ

Wa-an yash-fa‘a al-Maḥmūdu fīnā fa-innahu
Shafī‘un lanā law kāna fī amrinā shaṭaṭ

And if the Praiseworthy One (the Prophet) intercedes for us, then he is our intercessor even if there be excess in our affairs.

فَكُـــنْ لِي شَفِيعًا يَوْمَ لاَ ذُو شَفَاعَةٍ
بِمُغْــنٍ عُبَيْدًا فِـــي يُدَيَّتِـــهِ سُقِـــطْ

Fakun lī shafī‘an yawma lā dhū shafā‘atin
Bi-mugh-nin ‘ubaydan fī yudayyatihi suqiṭ

So be an intercessor for me on the Day when no possessor of intercession can avail a small servant who has fallen into his own hands.

فَحُبِّـــي صَحِيـــحٌ ثَابِــــتٌ مُتَمَكِّــــــنٌ
وَهَــذَا قُصُورِي كَذَّبَ الْحِسَّ فَاخْتَلَـطْ

Fa-ḥubbī ṣaḥīḥun thābitun mutamakkinun
Wa-hādā quṣūrī kadhdhaba al-ḥissa fā-khtalaṭ

My love is authentic, firm, and established; and this shortcoming of mine has confused the senses and made them collide.

بِيُمْنِ الْمُقَفَّى أَرْتَجِي الْعَفْــوَ وَالتُّقَــى
وَعَافِيَةً بَعْدَ الصِّيَانَةِ عَــــنْ غَلَــطْ

Bi-yumni al-Muqaffā artajī al-‘afwa wat-tuqā
Wa-‘āfiyatan ba‘da al-ṣiyānati ‘an ghalaṭ

Through the blessing of the "Followed One," I hope for forgiveness, piety, and well-being after being protected from error.

وَهَــبْ لِيَ نُــورًا فِي فُــؤَادِي وَلَقْلَقِي
وَتَحْتِي وَفَوْقِـــي وَالْأَمَامَ كَذَا الْوَسَـطْ

Wa-hab lī nūran fī fu’ādī wa-laqlaqī
Wa-taḥtī wa-fawqī wal-amāma kadhalika al-wasaṭ

Grant me a Light in my heart and in my tongue; beneath me, above me, in front of me, and in the center.

وَهَبْ لِيَ نُــــورًا فِي يَــدَيَّ وَنَاظِــرِي
وَسَمْعِي وَرِجْلِي وَاهْدِنِي مَفْرَقِي شَمِطْ

Wa-hab lī nūran fī yadayya wa-nāẓirī
Wa-sam‘ī wa-rijlī wa-hdinī maf-raqī shamaṭ

Grant me a Light in my hands, in my sight, in my hearing, and in my feet; and guide me, even as the parting of my hair has turned gray.

عَلَيْـــــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُـــــهُ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ نَاصَرُوا الدِّينَ فَانْبَسَطْ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ālin wa-ṣaḥ-bin nāṣarū al-dīna fan-basaṭ

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace, and upon the family and companions who supported the religion until it spread.