Harfur Raa · حَرْفُ الرَّاءِ

مُقَامِــي بِانْدَكَــارَ بِــــهِ ادِّكَـــارِي
يَزِيــــدُ كَــذَا اشْتِيَاقِــي وَاعْتِبَارِي

Muqāmī bi-Andakāra bihi-ddikārī
Yazīdu kadhā-shtiyāqī wa-’tibārī

My stay in Dakar (Andakāra) is a cause for my remembrance; it increases my longing and my contemplation.

قَلَوْتُ سِــوَى الْأَمِيــنِ وَهُوَ حِبِّــي
مَحَبَّتُـــــهُ شِعَــارِي وَادِّثَــــــارِي

Qalawtu siwā al-Amīni wa-huwa ḥibbī
Maḥabbatuhu shi‘ārī wa-ddithārī

I have turned away from all but the Trustworthy One (the Prophet), for he is my beloved; his love is my inner garment and my outer cloak.

أَلاَ لَيْتِــــــي أُجَـــاوِرُهُ زَمَانِـــــي
فَلاَ سُعْــــدَى أَرُومُ وَلاَ نَــــوَارِي

Alā laytī ujāwiruhu zamānī
Falā Su‘dā arūmu wa-lā Nawārī

Oh, how I wish to reside in his neighborhood for all time! I seek neither [the worldly beauties] Su'da nor Nawar.

مَحَا حُـــبُّ الْأَمِيـــنِ مَتَى تَقَــوَّى
وِدَادًا مَّــــا عَلَــى بُعْـــدِ الْمَــزَارِ

Maḥā ḥubbu al-Amīni matā taqawwā
Widādan mā ‘alā bu‘di al-mazārī

The love of the Trustworthy One has erased, as it grew strong, every other affection despite the distance of the visit.

يَطِيرُ إِلَيْــهِ رُوحِــــي كُلَّ وَقْــتٍ
وَآثَامِي كَبَـــتْ بِي عَـنْ سِفَارِي

Yaṭīru ilayhi rūḥī kulla waqtin
Wa-āthāmī kabat bī ‘an sifārī

My spirit flies toward him at every moment, while my sins have hindered me from my physical travel.

بِهِ رَبِّــي أُسَائِــــلُ نَيْـــلَ عَفْــوٍ
وَسَتْرًا مَانِعًـــا مِــنْ كُلِّ عَــارِ

Bihi rabbī usā’ilu nayla ‘afwin
Wa-satran māni‘an min kulli ‘āri

Through him, I ask my Lord to attain forgiveness and a covering that prevents every shame.

دَرَأْتُ بِــــــهِ عَنِــي كَيْــدَ الْأَعَادِي
فَيَرْفَعُنِــــي وَيَخْفَضُهُـــــــمْ لِنَــــارِ

Dara’tu bihi ‘annī kayda al-a‘ādī
Fa-yarfa‘unī wa-yakhfiḍuhum li-nāri

Through him, I have repelled the plots of the enemies from me; thus He raises me and lowers them toward the Fire.

إِلَهِــي فَاكْفِنِـــي وَلْتَكْـــفِ عَنِّــــي
مَكَائِدَهُــــــمْ وَحَلُّـــــوا لِلْبَــــــوَارِ

Ilāhī fa-kfinī wal-takfi ‘annī
Makā’idahum wa-ḥallū lil-bawārī

O my God! Suffice me, and turn away from me their schemes, for they have settled in destruction.

رَأَيْنَاهُـــــــمْ بِـــــذُلٍّ وَانْخِفَــاضٍ
وَنَحْـــنُ عُـــلاً إِلَــى دَارِ الْقَـرَارِ

Ra’aynāhum bi-dhullin wa-nkhifāḍin
Wa-naḥnu ‘ulan ilā dāri al-qarārī

We have seen them in humiliation and debasement, while we are in high ranks leading to the Abode of Stability.

أَلَيْـــــــسَ اللّٰهُ مَوْلاَنَـــا بِكَـــــــافٍ
لَـــــهُ عَبْـــدًا فَهُــو رَبٌّ وَبَــــارِي

Alaysa Allāhu mawlānā bi-kāfin
Lahu ‘abdan fahuwa rabbun wa-bārī

"Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?" For He is the Lord and the Creator.

لَـــــهُ شَــــأْنٌ وَيُبْدِيـــــهِ دَوَامًـــــا
سَوَاءٌ فِي الْبِحَـارِ وَفِي الْبَــرَارِي

Lahu sha’nun wa-yubdīhi dawāman
Sawā’un fī al-biḥāri wa-fī al-barārī

He has a grand affair which He manifests constantly, equally in the oceans and in the deserts.

حَنَنْــتُ إِلَيْــــهِ أَذْكُـــرُهُ بِشِعْــرِي
وَأَحْمَـــدُهُ بِسِــرِّي أَوْ جِهَــــارِي

Ḥanantu ilayhi adhkuruhu bi-shi‘rī
Wa-aḥmaduhu bi-sirrī aw jihārī

I have yearned for him, mentioning him in my poetry, and praising him in my secret or in my public life.

أُنَاجِيهِ عَلَــــى الْأَوْقَــاتِ أَدْعُــو
كَرِيمًا وَاهِبًــــا مَوْلَـــى الْيَسَــارِ

Unājīhi ‘alā al-awqāti ad‘ū
Karīman wāhiban mawlā al-yasārī

I converse with Him at all times, calling upon a Generous Giver, the Master of Ease.

جَرَى قَلَمُ الْمُصَــوِّرِ لِي بِحُبِّــي
إِمَامَ الْمُرْسَلِيــــنَ أَخَــا الْفَخَـارِ

Jarā qalamu al-muṣawwiri lī bi-ḥubbī
Imāma al-mursalīna akhā al-fakhārī

The Pen of the Fashioner has decreed for me my love for the Imam of the Messengers, the possessor of glory.

جَمِيلُ الْوَجْهِ مِعْطَاءُ الْعَطَايَـــا
فَيُعْطِــــي لِلْكِبَــارِ وَلِلصِّغَــارِ

Jamīlu al-wajhi mi‘ṭā’u al-‘aṭāyā
Fa-yu‘ṭī lil-kibāri wa-lil-ṣighārī

Beautiful of face, giver of gifts; he gives to the great and to the small.

عُمُومًا فَهْوَ غَيْثٌ وَهْوَ غَـوْثٌ
عَطَاءً يَزْدَرِي فَيْضَ الْبِحَــارِ

‘Umūman fahuwa ghaythun wa-huwa ghawthun
‘Aṭā’an yazdarī fayḍa al-biḥārī

Universal in his nature—he is a rain and he is a rescue; a giving that puts to shame the overflowing of the oceans.

مَرَامِي الْيَوْمَ أَنْ أَبْقَى عُبَيْــدًا
لِرَبِّ الْخَلْقِ يُسْبِلُ لِي سِتَارِي

Marāmī al-yawma an abqā ‘ubaydan
Li-rabbi al-khal-qi yusbilu lī sitārī

My quest today is to remain a small servant to the Lord of creation, that He may lower my protective veil over me.

رِمَاحِي ثُمَّ أَسْفَـــارِي بِرَبِّــي
وَرَبِّي لِي يُرَاعِي لِي جِوَارِي

Rimāḥī thumma asfārī bi-rabbī
Wa-rabbī lī yurā‘ī lī jiwārī

My spears and my travels are through my Lord; and my Lord watches over my neighbourhood for me.

كَمَا يَرْعَى رِجَـــالَ اللّٰهِ طُـرًّا
وَيَحْفَظُهُمْ وَلَــوْ وَسْــطَ الْقِفَـارِ

Kamā yar‘ā rijāla Allāhi ṭurran
Wa-yaḥfaẓuhum wa-law was-ṭa al-qifārī

Just as He watches over all the "Men of Allah," and protects them even in the midst of the wastelands.

نُسَلِّمُ إِذْ نُصَلِّــــي كُــلَّ وَقْــتٍ
عَلَى خَيْرِ الْأَنَامِ عَلَى النِّجَــارِ

Nusallimu idh nuṣallī kulla waqtin
‘Alā khayri al-anāmi ‘alā al-nijārī

We offer peace as we pray at every moment upon the Best of Mankind, of noble lineage.