Harful Ba · حَرْفُ الْبَاء

بِصَوْمِي وَحَجِّي لَمْ أَثِقْ فَالْوَثَائِــقُ
بِفَضْلِ كَرِيمٍ يَــوْمَ تُبْلَــى الْحَقَائِــقُ

Bi-ṣawmī wa ḥajjī lam athiq fa-l wathā’iqu
bi-faḍli karīmin yawma tublā-l ḥaqā’iqu

In my fasting and pilgrimage I do not trust, for the true reliability is in the grace of the Generous One on the day when inner realities are tested.

أُصَلِّي امْتِثَالاً أَذْكُــــرُ اللّٰهَ تَالِيًــا
وَمَا ثَمَّ شَيْءٌ إِنْ تَبَصَّـــرَ ذَائِــقُ

Uṣallī-mtithālan adhkuru-llāha tāliyan
wa mā thamma shay’un in tabaṣṣara dhā’iqu

I pray in obedience and remember Allah while reciting, yet there is nothing else if a true perceiver looks deeply.

تَغَمَّدْ بِفَضْلٍ عَبْدَ سُوءٍ مُقَصِّـــرًا
فَتُنْقِذُهُ ضَاقَتْ عَلَيْـــهِ الطَّرَائِــقُ

Taghammad bi-faḍlin ʿabda sū’in muqaṣṣiran
fa-tunqidhu-hu ḍāqat ʿalayhi-ṭ ṭarā’iqu

Envelop with grace a sinful and falling servant, and rescue him for the paths have become narrow for him.

فَكَمْ ضَاقَ سُبْلُ الْعَبْدِ بِالْكَرْبِ وَالْأَسَى
وَوَافَى وَإِذْ وَافَـــاكَ زَالَ الْمُضَايِــقُ

Fa-kam ḍāqa sublu-l ʿabdi bi-l karbi wa-l asā
wa wāfā wa idh wāfāka zāla-l muḍāyiqu

How often has the servant's way been constricted by distress and sorrow, but when he came to you, the difficulties vanished.

فَقَدْ جِئْتَ بِالدِّينِ الْحَنِيــــفِ مُهَــدِّدًا
وَدَافَعْتَ عَنْهُ وَالسُّيُــوفُ بَــوَارِقُ

Fa-qad ji’ta bi-d dīni-l ḥanīfi muhaddidan
wa dāfaʿta ʿanhu wa-s suyūfu bawāriqu

You came with the primordial religion as a warner, and you defended it while the swords were flashing.

فَآلَ الْعِدَى مِنْ بِأْسِهِمْ قَدْ تَقَهْقَـــرُوا
وَبَيَّنْتَ نَهْجًا فَازَ مِنْـــهُ الْخَلاَئِــقُ

Fa-āla-l ʿidā min ba’sihim qad taqahqarū
wa bayyanta nahjan fāza minhu-l khalā’iqu

So the enemies retreated due to their might being broken, and you clarified a path through which all creation attained success.

وَإِنِّي مُحِــبٌّ شَــــاعِرٌ خَــادِمٌ لَكُــمْ
وَشَرْحُ وِدَادِي ضَاقَ عَنْهُ الْمَهَارِقُ

Wa innī muḥibbun shāʿirun khādimun lakum
wa sharḥu widādī ḍāqa ʿanhu-l mahāriqu

Indeed I am a lover, a poet, and a servant to you, and the description of my affection is too vast for any scrolls to contain.

تَسَمَّى رِجَــــالٌ بِالْخَدِيــمِ وَإِنَّنِــي
أُسَـــاجِلُهُـــمْ لاَ أَنْثَنِـــي وَأُسَابِــقُ

Tasammā rijālun bi-l khadīmi wa innanī
usājiluhum lā anthanī wa usābiqu

Men have named themselves "The Servant," but I shall compete with them, never turning back and always racing ahead.

أُسَابِقُهُمْ مَا عِشْتُ فِيكَ وَإِنْ أَمُـــتْ
يُسَاجِلُهُمْ فَرْعِــــي وَفِيــكَ يُسَابِــقُ

Usābiquhum mā ʿishtu fīka wa in amut
yusājiluhum farʿī wa fīka usābiqu

I will outrace them as long as I live for you, and if I die, my progeny will continue the competition and race for your sake.

لِحُبِّــكَ يَدْعُونِـــي دَوَاعٍ عَدِيــــدَةٌ
جَمَالٌ وَإِحْسَانٌ وَطَبْــعٌ مُوَافِــقُ

Li-ḥubbika yadʿūnī dawāʿin ʿadīdatun
jamālun wa iḥsānun wa ṭabʿun muwāfiqu

Many reasons call me to your love: beauty, excellence, and a nature that is perfectly agreeable.

شَجَاعَةُ نَفْسٍ ثُمَّ عَــزْمٌ وَعِفَّــــةٌ
وَحِلْمٌ وَجُودٌ حَارَ فِيهِ الطَّوَارِقُ

Shajāʿatu nafsin thumma ʿazmun wa ʿiffatun
wa ḥilmun wa jūdun ḥāra fīhi-ṭ ṭawāriqu

Courage of the soul, then determination and chastity, with forbearance and a generosity that leaves even the nightly visitors bewildered.

وَعَقْلٌ وَزُهْدٌ ثُمَّ حَزْمٌ وَحِكْمَــةٌ
وَصَبْرٌ مَتَى شَاءَ الْبَلِيَّاتِ خَالِــقُ

Wa ʿaqlun wa zuhdun thumma ḥazmun wa ḥikmatun
wa ṣabrun matā shā’a-l baliyyāti khāliqu

Intelligence and asceticism, then resolve and wisdom, and patience whenever the Creator decrees trials.

وَآيَاتُ صِدْقٍ بَــانَ جَهْــرًا بِأَنَّهَا
مِنَ اللّٰهِ كُلُّ الْأَمْرِ رَاقٍ وَرَائِـــقُ

Wa āyātu ṣidqin bāna jahran bi-annahā
mina-llāhi kullu-l amru rāqin wa rā’iqu

Signs of truthfulness appeared openly, proving that all your affairs from Allah are sublime and pure.

إِذْ أَنْتَ الَّذِي قَدْ جِئْتَ بِالصِّدْقِ صَادِقًا
فَإِنَّــــــكَ مَصْـــــدُوقٌ وَإِنَّكَ صَــادِقُ

Idh anta-l ladhī qad ji’ta bi-ṣ ṣidqi ṣādiqan
fa-innaka maṣdūqun wa innaka ṣādiqu

Since you are the one who brought the truth truthfully, you are indeed the one whose truth is confirmed and you are the truthful one.

عَلَيْـــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
فَبَرْهَـــامُ حِبٌّ عَاشِقٌ فِيـــكَ وَامِـقُ

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
fa-Barhāmu ḥibbun ʿāshiqun fīka wāmiqu

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and His peace, for Barham is a lover, infatuated and devoted to you.

أَتَعْرِفُ مَنْ أَهْــــوَاهُ حَقًّا مُحَمَّـــدٌ
نَبِيٌّ لِكُـــلِّ الْأَنْبِيَا وَهْــــوَ سَابِــقُ

A-taʿrifu man ahwāhu ḥaqqan Muḥammadun
nabiyyun li-kulli-l anbiyā wa huwa sābiqu

Do you know the one I truly love? It is Muhammad, the Prophet of all prophets and he is the foremost.

أَتَعْرِفُـــــهُ ذَاكَ الشَّفِيـــــعُ وَإِنَّــهُ
لِوَا الْحَمْدِ فِي كَفَّيْهِ وَالْكُلُّ رَامِــقُ

A-taʿrifuhu dhāka-sh shafīʿu wa innahu
liwā-l ḥamdi fī kaffayhi wa-l kullu rāmiqu

Do you know him? He is that Intercessor, and the Banner of Praise is in his hands while everyone looks on longingly.

أَتَعْرِفُ طَـــهَ مَــنْ يَلُـــوذُ بِحِقْوِهِ
أَبُو الْبَشَرِ الْعَالِي وَبَرْهَامُ لاَحِقُ

A-taʿrifu Ṭāhā man yalūdhu bi-ḥiqwihi
Abū-l bashari-l ʿālī wa Barhāmu lāḥiqu

Do you know Taha, the one at whose waist-wrap the exalted Father of Mankind seeks refuge, and Barham follows behind.

وَنُوحٌ وَمُوسَى ثُـــمَّ عِيسَى وَكُلُّهُمْ
يَـــرَى أَنَّ هَـــذَا بِالشَّفَاعَــةِ لاَئِــــقُ

Wa Nūḥun wa Mūsā thumma ʿĪsā wa kulluhum
yarā anna hādhā bi-sh shafāʿati lā’iqu

Noah, Moses, and then Jesus—all of them see that he is the one worthy of the station of intercession.

فَيَشْفَـــعُ مَحْمُـــودُ الْمَقَـــامِ مُشَفَّعًــا
وَمُعْطًا سُؤَالاً وَهْوَ بِالْحَقِّ وَاثِــقُ

Fa-yashfaʿu Maḥmūdu-l maqāmi mushaffaʿan
wa muʿṭan su’ālan wa huwa bi-l ḥaqqi wāthiqu

So the one of the Praised Station intercedes and his intercession is accepted, and he is granted his request as he trusts in the Truth.

أَرَانِي مَـــعَ الْعِلاَّتِ أَرْمُقُ نَحْــوَهُ
أُرَجِّي الْتِفَاتًا مِنْهُ تَبْدُ الْخَـــــوَارِقُ

Arānī maʿa-l ʿillāti armuqu naḥwahu
urajjī-ltifātan minhu tabdu-l khawāriqu

I see myself, despite my flaws, gazing toward him, hoping for a glance from him through which miracles appear.

إِذَا الْتَفَـــتَ الْهَــــدِي إِلَـــيَّ فَـــإِنَّهُ
يُغَطِّي ظَلاَمِــي نُورُهُ وَالْحَقَائِــــقُ

Idha-ltafata-l hadī ilayya fa-innahu
yughaṭṭī ẓalāmī nūruhu wa-l ḥaqā’iqu

If the Guidance (the Prophet) glances toward me, his light and the ultimate realities will cover my darkness.

وَيُلْحِقُنِــــي بِالسَّابِقِيـــنَ تَكَرُّمًــا
يُبَاسِطُنِي فِي جَمْعِــــهِ وَيُعَانِــقُ

Wa yulḥiqunī bi-s sābiqīna takarruman
yubāsiṭunī fī jamʿihi wa yuʿāniqu

He will join me to the foremost ones as an act of nobility; he will be informal with me in his gathering and embrace me.

وَيَسْمَـــعُ مِنِّــي ذِكْــرَهُ وَمَدِيحَهُ
يُفَاخِرُ بِي فِـــي الْأَنْبِيَا وَيُرَافِــقُ

Wa yasmaʿu minnī dhikrahu wa madīḥahu
yufākhiru bī fī-l anbiyā wa yurāfiqu

He will hear from me his remembrance and his praise; he will boast of me among the prophets and keep my company.

أَقُـــولُ لَـــهُ صَحْبِي وَأَهْلَ مَوَدَّتِي
فَقَالَ ادْخُلُوا صَحْبَ الْخَدِيمِ تَسَابَقُوا

Aqūlu lahu ṣaḥbī wa ahla mawaddatī
fa-qāla-dukhulū ṣaḥba-l khadīmi tasābaqū

I say to him, "My companions and the people of my affection," and he replies, "Enter, O companions of the Servant, and race ahead."

عَلَيْـــــهِ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ سَاجَلُوا وَتَسَابَقُوا

ʿAlayhi ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
wa ālin wa ṣaḥbin sājalū wa tasābaqū

Upon him be the blessings of Allah and His peace, and upon the Family and Companions who competed and raced toward him.