Harful Jiim · حَرْفُ الْجِيم

جَزَى اللّٰهُ رَبُّ النَّاسِ خَيْرًا مُحَمَّدَا
وَيَا لَيْتَ شِعْرِي مَا أَرُومُ لِأَحْمَــدَا

Jazā-llāhu rabbu-n nāsi khayran Muḥammadā
wa yā layta shiʿrī mā arūmu li-Aḥmadā

May Allah, the Lord of mankind, reward Muhammad with goodness; O how I wish my poetry could reach what I aspire for Ahmad.

فَأَفْضَلُ خَلْقِ اللّٰهِ طُــرًّا مُحَمَّــــدٌ
وَأَكْرَمُهُمْ نَفْسًا وَصِهْرًا وَمَحْتِدَا

Fa-afḍalu khalqi-llāhi ṭurran Muḥammadun
wa akramuhum nafsan wa ṣihran wa maḥtidā

For the best of all Allah’s creation is Muhammad, and the noblest of them in soul, lineage, and origin.

وَأَحْسَنُهُمْ خَلْقًا وَخُلْقًا وَمَنْطِقًــا
وَأَكْرَمُهُمْ قَوْمًـــا وَأَنْدَاهُـــمُ يَــدَا

Wa aḥsanuhum khalqan wa khulqan wa manṭiqan
wa akramuhum qawman wa andāhum yadā

The most beautiful of them in form, character, and speech; the noblest in kin and the most generous in hand.

وَأَطْهَرُ خَلْقِ اللّٰهِ جِسْمًا وَمَلْبَسًا
وَأَطْيَبُهُمْ رُوحًا وَأَصْدَقُهُمْ نِـــدَا

Wa aṭharu khalqi-llāhi jisman wa malbasan
wa aṭyabuhum rūḥan wa aṣdaquhum nidā

The purest of Allah’s creation in body and raiment; the most pleasant in spirit and the most truthful in call.

وَأَرْحَمُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْأُخْرَى وَإِنَّهُ
شَفِيعُ الْوَرَى وَالْكُلُّ لِلْخَوْفِ أُرْعِدَا

Wa arḥamu fī-d dunyā wa-l ukhrā wa innahu
shafīʿu-l warā wa-l kullu li-l khawfi urʿidā

The most merciful in this world and the hereafter, and indeed he is the intercessor for all when everyone trembles with fear.

فَكُلُّ نَبِيءٍ قَالَ نَفْسِي ، وَأُمَّتِـــي
يَقُــولُ وَيَدْنُــو حَامِدًا وَمُحَمَّــدَا

Fa-kullu nabī’in qāla nafsī wa ummatī
yaqūlu wa yadnū ḥāmidan wa Muḥammadā

Every prophet will say "Myself, myself," but he will say "My nation," as he approaches praising and being Muhammad.

وَأَيْــــــــنَ خَلِيـــــلُ اللّٰهِ أَيْــــنَ كَلِيمُـــهُ
حَبِيبِي حَبِيبُ اللّٰهِ مُعْطِي الْــوَرَى الْجَـدَا

Wa ayna khalīlu-llāhi ayna kalīmuhu
ḥabībī ḥabību-llāhi muʿṭī-l warā-l jadā

Where is the Friend of Allah (Ibrahim)? Where is the one spoken to (Musa)? My beloved is the beloved of Allah, the giver of gifts to all.

وَأَيْنَ صَفِــيُّ اللّٰهِ وَالرُّوحُ رُوحُــهُ
أُفَضِّـــــلُ طَـــهَ الْهَاشِمِـــيِّ تَعَمُّــدَا

Wa ayna ṣafiyyu-llāhi wa-r rūḥu rūḥuhu
ufaḍḍilu Ṭāhā-l hāshimiyyi taʿammudā

Where is the chosen of Allah and the spirit (Isa)? I intentionally favor Taha the Hashemite above all.

وَأَدْعُوكَ خَيْرَ الرُّسْلِ سَيِّدَ خَلْقِـــهِ
عَلَيْكَ صَلاَةُ اللّٰهِ أَفْضَلَ مَنْ هَــدَى

Wa adʿūka khayra-r rusli sayyida khalqihi
ʿalayka ṣalātu-llāhi afḍala man hadā

I call upon you, O best of Messengers, the master of His creation; may Allah's blessing be upon you, the best of those who guided.

عَلَيْــكَ صَــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
صَلاَةً وَتَسْلِيمًــا يَقُــودَانِ لِلْهُـدَى

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
ṣalātan wa taslīman yaqūdāni li-l hudā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and His peace, a blessing and salutation that lead to true guidance.

عَلَيْــــــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
أُحِبُّكَ شَخْصًا قَبْلَ أَنْ تُجْزِلَ النَّدَى

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
uḥibbuka shakhan qabla an tujzila-n nadā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and His peace; I love you for your essence even before your generosity overflows.

بِكَوْلَخَ وَهْنًا قَـــدْ أَرِقْـــــتُ لِذِكْـــرِهِ
وَقَــدْ نَــامَ جَارَاتِــي وَحُبِّي تَوَقَّـدَا

Bi-Kawlakha wahnan qad ariqtu li-dhikrihi
wa qad nāma jārātī wa ḥubbī tawaqqadā

In Kaolack, during the late night, I remained awake at his mention, while my neighbors slept, my love was set ablaze.

أُسَامِـــرُهُ لَيْلِــي وَقَدْ حَــالَ دُونَهُ
مَهَامِــهُ أَطْــوِي فَدْفَــدًا ثُــمَّ فَدْفَدَا

Usāmiruhu laylī wa qad ḥāla dūnahu
mahāmihu aṭwī fadfadan thumma fadfadan

I converse with him through my night, though vast deserts stand in the way; I traverse wasteland after wasteland.

أَطِيـــرُ بِـــهِ مِنْــهُ لَـــهُ مُتَرَنِّمًـــا
سَرَيْنَا وَنَجْمٌ قَــدْ أَضَاءَ فَمُذْ بَــدَا

Aṭīru bihi minhu lahu mutaranniman
saraynā wa najmun qad aḍā’a fa-mudh badā

I fly by him, from him, to him, chanting melodies; we traveled as a star shone and appeared.

بِرَوْحِيَ لاَ رُوحِي وَجِسْمِي وَلَيْتَنِي
بِجِسْمِيَ فِــي دُورِي أَتَيْـــتُ مُحَمَّــدَا

Bi-rawḥī lā rūḥī wa jismī wa laytanī
bi-jismī fī dūrī ataytu Muḥammadā

With my soul, not just my spirit and body, I wish that in my physical form I had come to Muhammad in his dwellings.

أُوَاجِـــهُ طَـــهَ الْهَاشِمِــيِّ بِبَيْتِـــهِ
أُبَلِّغُــهُ تَسْلِيمَ قَوْمِي الْأُلَى هَـــدَى

Uwājihu Ṭāhā-l hāshimiyyi bi-baytihi
uballighuhu taslīma qawmī-l ulā hadā

To face Taha the Hashemite in his house, and convey to him the greetings of my people whom he guided.

أَنَالُ مَرَامِــــي فَــوْقَ مَــا كُنْتُ آمِــلاً
إِذَا طِرْتُ لِلْهَــادِي الَّذِي الْكُلَّ أَرْشَدَا

Anālu marāmī fawqa mā kuntu āmilā
idh ṭirtu li-l hādī-l ladhī-l kulla arshadā

I would attain my desire beyond what I had hoped for, when I fly to the Guide who directed everyone.

عَلَيْـــــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
لِتَقْبَــلَ بُنْيَانِــــي وَتُبْقِيـــهِ مَسْجِــدَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
li-taqbala bunyānī wa tubqī-hu masjidā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and His peace, so that You may accept my building and keep it as a mosque.

عَلَيْـــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
لِتَرْفَعَ مَـــنْ يُعْلِـــي بِنَاهُ وَتُسْعِـدَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
li-tarfaʿa man yuʿlī bināhu wa tusʿidā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and His peace, to elevate those who raise its structure and make them prosperous.

وَيَاوِي لَـــهُ كُـــلُّ الْمَسَاجِدِ وَاحْمِــهِ
مِنَ الْمُحْدَثَاتِ السُّودِ لِلذِّكْرِ سَرْمَـــدَا

Wa ya’wī lahu kullu-l masājidi wa-ḥmihi
mina-l muḥdathāti-s sūdi li-dh dhikri sarmadā

May all mosques seek refuge in it; protect it from dark innovations, dedicated to eternal remembrance.

وَتَجْمَعَ فِيــهِ الْخَيْرَ وَالْعِلْمَ وَالتُّقَى
إِلَى أَبَـــدِ الْآبَـــادِ لَـمْ يَلْــقَ مُلْحِدَا

Wa tajmaʿa fīhi-l khayra wa-l ʿilma wa-t tuqā
ilā abadi-l ābādi lam yalqa mulḥidā

May You gather within it goodness, knowledge, and piety, until the end of time, never meeting an atheist.

يَسِيــرُ بِنَـــا نَحْوَ التَّقَدُّمِ دَائِمًـــا
بِدِينٍ وَدُنْيًا بَــاهِرَ السِّرِّ مُفْرَدَا

Yasīru binā naḥwa-t taqaddumi dā’iman
bi-dīnin wa dunyā bāhira-s sirri mufradā

It leads us toward progress always, in religion and worldly life, with a brilliant and unique secret.

عَلَيْــــكَ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
مَدِينَةُ تَبْقَى مَعْقِلَ الْأَمْــنِ وَالْهُــدَى

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
madīnatun tabqā maʿqila-l amni wa-l hudā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and His peace; may the city remain a fortress of security and guidance.

عَلَيْــــكَ صَــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــمَّ سَلاَمُـــهُ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ كُلُّهُـمْ لِيَ مُقْتَــدَى

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
wa ālin wa ṣaḥbin kulluhum lī muqtadā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and His peace, and upon the Family and Companions, all of whom are my models.