Harful Laam · حَرْفُ اللَّامِ

لَكَ اللّٰهُ يَـــا خَيْــــرَ الْبَرِيَّـــةِ لَــمْ أَزَلْ
عَلَى الْعَهْدِ وَالْمِيثَاقِ عُمْرِي وَلَمْ أَحُلْ

Laka Allāhu yā khayra al-bariyyati lam azal
‘Alā al-‘ahdi wal-mīthāqi ‘umrī wa-lam aḥul

Allah is yours, O Best of Creation! I have never ceased—and for all my life shall not turn—from the covenant and the pledge.

أُحِبُّكَ مَا دَامَتْ حَيَاتِي وَإِنْ أَمُــــتْ
أُرَجِّي بَقَاءَ الْحُبِّ عِنْدِي وَلاَ حِــوَلْ

Uḥibbuka mā dāmat ḥayātī wa-in amut
Urajjī baqā’a al-ḥubbi ‘indī wa-lā ḥiwal

I shall love you as long as I live, and if I die, I hope for the permanence of this love within me, without any change.

مُرَادُ حَجِيجِ الْبَاخِــــرَاتِ جَمِيعِهِــمْ
جِنَانٌ وَأَزْوَاجٌ مِنَ الْحُورِ وَالْخَوَلْ

Murādu ḥajīji al-bākhirāti jamī‘ihim
Jinānun wa-azwājun mina al-ḥūri wal-khawal

The desire of all those pilgrims on the steamships is for Gardens, spouses from the Hoor, and servants.

وَحَسْبِــي أَرَى شَيْئًـــا رَآهُ مُحَمَّــدٌ
وَأَنْزِلُ أَرْضًا كَــانَ فِيهَا وَذَا بَجَلْ

Wa-ḥasbī arā shay’an ra’āhu Muḥammadun
Wa-anzilu arḍan kāna fīhā wa-dhā bajal

But it is enough for me to see something that Muhammad saw, and to alight upon a land where he stayed—and that is a great matter.

أَتَيْتُ لِبَيْـــتِ اللّٰهِ وَالْبِئْــرِ وَالصَّفَــــــا
لِأَسْعَى وَقَصْدِي أَنْ أَرَى مَنْزِلاً نَزَلْ

Ataytu li-bayti Allāhi wal-bi’ri wal-Ṣafā
Li-as‘ā wa-qaṣdī an arā manzilan nazal

I came to the House of Allah, to the Well (Zamzam), and to Safa to perform the Sa'y; but my true intent was to see the place where he alighted.

وَأَمْنَيْتُ لاَ أَبْغِي سِوَى الْخَيْفِ إِنَّــهُ
مَحَطُّ حَبِيبِي فِيهِ دَهْرًا وَلَـــمْ يَــزَلْ

Wa-amnaytu lā abghī siwā al-Khayfi innahu
Maḥaṭṭu ḥabībī fīhi dahran wa-lam yazal

I wished for nothing but [Masjid] al-Khayf, for it is the stopping place of my beloved, forever and always.

وَقُمْتُ إِلَى الصَّخْرَاتِ وَالْحَالُ هَكَـــذَا
وَكُــــلٌّ وَلَيْــــلاَهُ وَلَمْ أَقْبَـــلِ الْبَــدَلْ

Wa-qumtu ila al-ṣakhrāti wal-ḥālu hākadhā
Wa-kullun wa-Laylāhu wa-lam aqbali al-badal

I stood at the rocks [of Arafat] in this state; everyone has their "Layla," and I would accept no substitute for mine.

وَجِئْـــتُ قُبَـــاءً وَالْبَقِيـــعَ وَمَنْزِلِــي
لَدَى حَرَمِ الْـهَادِي أَرَى الْكُلَّ مُبْتَهِـــلْ

Wa-ji’tu Qubā’an wal-Baqī‘a wa-manzilī
Lada ḥarami al-Hādī arā al-kulla mubtahil

I came to Quba, to al-Baqi, and to my dwelling in the Sanctuary of the Guide; I saw everyone there in earnest supplication.

أَرَى الْحُجُـــــرَاتِ الْخَالِدَاتِ كَأَنَّمَــا
حَبِيبِي حَبِيــبُ اللّٰهِ لاَ زَالَ مَا انْتَقَــلْ

Arā al-ḥujurāti al-khālidāti ka-annamā
Ḥabībī ḥabību Allāhi lā zāla mā-ntaqal

I see the eternal chambers as if my beloved, the Beloved of Allah, has never moved or passed away.

كَــأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ فِي الْبَيْتِ حَاضِـــرٌ
يُسَامِرُهُ الشَّيْخَانِ وَالْوَصْـــلُ مُبْتَــذَلْ

Ka-anna Rasūla Allāhi fī al-bayti ḥāḍirun
Yusāmiruhu al-shaykhāni wal-waṣlu mubtadhal

It is as if the Messenger of Allah is present in the house, conversed with by the two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and Umar), and union is freely available.

تَرَانِي مَعَ الزُّوَّارِ أَبْغِـــــي وِصَالَــهُ
فَمَنْ لِي بِوَصْلٍ لَسْتُ أَبْغِي بِهِ بَـــدَلْ

Tarānī ma‘a al-zuwwāri abghī wiṣālahu
Faman lī bi-waṣlin lastu abghī bihi badal

You see me among the visitors seeking union with him; who will grant me a union for which I seek no substitute?

تَرَانِي مَـــعَ الْعِــــلاَّتِ يَقْبَـــلُ أَحْمَــدٌ
وِصَالِي أَوْ أَنِّــي بِالْكَبَائِـــرِ مُنْفَصِــلْ

Tarānī ma‘a al-‘illāti yaqbalu Aḥmadun
Wiṣālī aw annī bil-kabā’iri munfaṣil

You see me with all my flaws; will Ahmad accept my union, or am I separated [from him] by my major sins?

أَرَى أَنَّ أَوْسَاخَ الذُّنُـــــوبِ بِبَحْـــرِهِ
إِذَا قُصِدَ الْمَحْمُودُ تُمْحَى وَتَنْغَسِــــلْ

Arā anna awsākha al-dhunūbi bi-baḥrihi
Idhā quṣida al-Maḥmūdu tumḥā wa-tanghasil

I see that the filth of sins, in his ocean—if the Praiseworthy One is sought—is erased and washed away.

فَصِرْتُ طَهُــورًا مَادِحًا خَادِمًــا لَــهُ
مُحِبًّا وَزَوْرًا مَا الَّذِي يَمْنَعُ الْوَصَلْ

Fa-ṣirtu ṭahūran mādiḥan khādiman lahu
Muḥibban wa-zawran mā al-ladhī yamna‘u al-waṣal

So I became pure, a praiser and a servant to him, a lover and a visitor; what then could prevent the union?

عَلَيْــــــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
عَطَائِي لِأَصْحَابِي كَــذَا رُفْقَتِي شَمِلْ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
‘Aṭā’ī li-aṣ-ḥābī kadhā ruf-qatī shamil

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace; may my gift encompass my companions and my fellow travelers.

عَلَيْـــــهِ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
وَآلٍ وَأَصْحَابٍ نُجُومٍ عَلَى السُّبُــلْ

‘Alayhi ṣalātu Allāhi thumma salāmuhu
Wa-ālin wa-asḥābin nujūmin ‘alā al-subul

Upon him be the prayer of Allah and then His peace, and upon the family and companions—stars upon the paths.