Harful Za'y · حَرْفُ الزَّاي

زَمَانِي وَعُمْرِي لَمْ أَرَ الْبَيْتَ خَالِيَــا
خَلاَ لِيَ يَوْمِي بَيْتُ طَـــهَ مُصَافِيَــــا

Zamānī wa ʿumrī lam ara-l bayta khāliyā
khalā liya yawmī baytu Ṭāhā muṣāfiyā

In all my time and my life, I have never seen the House empty; today the House of Taha has become clear and pure for me.

وَكُنْتُ إِذَا مَا جِئْتُ لَيْلَى تَبَرْقَعَــتْ
كَمَا قَالَهُ مَــنْ كَانَ قَبْـــــلُ مُعَانِيَــا

Wa kuntu idhā mā ji’tu Laylā tabarqaʿat
kamā qālahu man kāna qablu muʿāniyā

And whenever I used to come to Layla, she would veil herself—just as was said by those who suffered before me.

وَمَا رَابَنِــي هَـــذَا السُّفُورُ لِأَنَّنِــي
أَرَاهُ قَبُولاً حَيْثُ أَقْبَلْــــتُ دَاعِيَـــا

Wa mā rābanī hādhā-s sufūru li-anninī
arāhu qabūlan ḥaythu aqbaltu dāʿiyā

But this unveiling does not doubt me, for I see it as an acceptance since I have approached as a supplicant.

مُحَمَّدُ يَا كَنْــــزَ الْبَرِيَّــــةِ سَيِّــدِي
وَعَيْنَ مُرَادِي نُورُهُ جَاءَ هَادِيَا

Muḥammadu yā kanza-l bariyyati sayyidī
wa ʿayna murādī nūruhu jā’a hādiyā

Muhammad, O treasure of creation, my master, and the essence of my desire; his light has come as a guide.

تُؤَمِّنُـــــــهُ تُعْلِيـــــهِ تُغْنِيـــهِ إِنَّـــهُ
مَدَى الدَّهْرِ لاَ يُلْفَى لِغَيْرِكَ رَاجِيَا

Tu’amminuhu tuʿlīhi tughnīhi innahu
madā-d dahri lā yulfā li-ghayrika rājiyā

You grant him safety, you elevate him, you enrich him; for throughout time, he is never found hoping in anyone but you.

فَإِنَّكَ بَـــابُ اللّٰهِ خَــازِنُ فَضْلِــهِ
رَؤُوفًا رَحِيمًا طَالَمَا فَكَّ عَانِيَـا

Fa-innaka bābu-llāhi khāzinu faḍlihi
ra’ūfan raḥīman ṭālamā fakka ʿāniyā

For you are the door to Allah, the treasurer of His bounty; most kind, most merciful, who has long released the captive.

فَمَنْ زَارَكُمْ حَقًّا يَنَلْ فَــوْقَ سُؤْلِــهِ
يَؤُبْ غَانِمًا مَرْفُوعَ رَأْسٍ وَعَالِيَا

Fa-man zārakum ḥaqqan yanal fawqa su’lihi
ya’ub ghāniman marfūʿa ra’sin wa ʿāliyā

Whoever visits you truly attains more than his request; he returns with spoils, his head held high and exalted.

وَمَنْ زَارَكُمْ يَظْفَرْ كَــذَا بِشَفَاعَةٍ
تُعِزُّ ذَلِيـــــلاً إِذْ تُقَـــرِّبُ قَاصِيَــا

Wa man zārakum yaẓfar kadhā bi-shafāʿatin
tuʿizzu dhalīlan idh tuqarribu qāṣiyā

And whoever visits you triumphs likewise with an intercession that honors the humiliated and brings near the distant.

عَلَيْــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
أَبَا الْكَوْنِ وَالْأَجْوَادِ فَانْظُرْ لِحَالِيَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
abā-l kawni wa-l ajwādi fa-nẓur li-ḥāliyā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace, O father of the universe and the generous ones; so look upon my state.

يَلُومُونَنِي إِذْ شَابَ فَوْدِي وَلَمْ أَزَلْ
أَسِيـــرَ غَـــرَامٍ لَمْ أُبَــلْ بِمَلاَمِيَــا

Yalūmūnanī idh shāba fawdī wa lam azal
asīra gharāmin lam ubal bi-malāmiyā

They blame me as the hair at my temples has turned gray, yet I remain a prisoner of infatuation, unbothered by my censurers.

فَشَيْبٌ وَتَهْيَــامٌ وَوَجْـــدٌ وَلَوْعَــةٌ
عَلَى غَيْرِ مَحْبُوبِي تُعَــدُّ مَسَـاوِيَــا

Fa-shaybun wa tahyāmun wa wajdun wa lawʿatun
ʿalā ghayri maḥbūbī tuʿaddu masāwiyā

Gray hair, dazed yearning, ecstasy, and burning passion—if for other than my beloved, they would be counted as faults.

عَلَيْـــــكَ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــــمَّ سَلاَمُـــــهُ
بِبَابِكَ ضَيْفٌ قَدْ طَوَى الْأَرْضَ سَارِيَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
bi-bābika ḍayfun qad ṭawa-l arḍa sāriyā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace; at your door is a guest who has traversed the earth, traveling by night.

عَلَيْــــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ الْمَنْصُورَ مَنْ جَاءَ مَاحِيَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
abā-l Qāsimi-l manṣūra man jā’a māḥiyā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace, O father of Qasim, the victorious one, who came as the eraser (of misguidance).

عَلَيْــكَ أَمِيــــنَ اللّٰهِ عَاقِــبَ رُسْلِــهِ
بَشِيرًا نَذِيرًا نَاصِرَ الْحَــقِّ حَامِيَـا

ʿAlayka amīna-llāhi ʿāqiba ruslihi
bashīran nadhīran nāṣira-l ḥaqqi ḥāmiyā

Upon you, O trustworthy one of Allah, the final successor of His messengers; a bringer of glad tidings, a warner, a helper of Truth, and a protector.

عَلَيْـــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
صَبَاحِي لِطَـــهَ الْهَاشِمِي وَمَسَائِيَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
ṣabāḥī li-Ṭāhā-l hāshimiyyi wa masā’iyā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace; my morning is for Taha the Hashemite, and so is my evening.

عَلَيْـــــكَ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
وَجِئْتُ بِمَدْحِي مُنْشِئًا بَاتَ حَاكِيَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
wa ji’tu bi-madḥī munshi’an bāta ḥākiyā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace; I have come with my praise, composing and narrating.

عَلَيْـــــكَ صَــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُــمَّ سَلاَمُـهُ
لَكَ اللّٰهُ لاَ أُلْفَـــى لِعَهْــدِكَ نَاسِيَــا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
laka-llāhu lā ulfā li-ʿahdika nāsiyā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace; by Allah, I shall never be found forgetting your covenant.

خَلاَ لِيَ وَجْهُ الْمُصْطَفَى الْقَرْمِ هَلْ تَرَى
يَجُــــــودُ بِسُؤْلِــــي الْهَاشِمِــيُّ مُحَابِيَــا

Khalā liya wajhu-l muṣṭafa-l qarmi hal tarā
yajūdu bi-su’li-l hāshimiyyu muḥābiyā

The countenance of the noble Mustafa has become clear for me; do you see the Hashemite granting my request with favor?

عَلَيْكَ مَدَى الْأَيَّامِ مَا قَالَ عَاشِــــقٌ
خَلاَ لِيَ يَوْمِي بَيْتُ طَــــهَ مُصَافِيَا

ʿAlayka madā-l ayyāmi mā qāla ʿāshiqun
khalā liya yawmī baytu Ṭāhā muṣāfiyā

Upon you throughout the days, as long as a lover says: Today the House of Taha has become clear and pure for me.