Harful Haa · حَرْفُ الْحاء

حَبَانِيَ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ بِرًّا وَلاَ غَــرْوَى
أَلَمْ يَكُ خَيْرَ الْعَالَمِيـــنَ وَلاَ شَــرْوَى

Ḥabāniya khayru-n nāsi birran walā gharwā
alam yak khayra-l ʿālamīna walā sharwā

The best of people endowed me with righteousness, and it is no wonder; for is he not the best of the worlds, without equal?

وَقَدْ جِئْتُهُ وَهْنًا وَشِبْلِي وَمَا جَثَا
سِوَانَا لَدَى أَعْتَابِهِ وَفْقَ مَا أَهْوَى

Wa qad ji’tuhu wahnan wa shiblī wa mā jathā
siwānā ladā aʿtābihi wafqa mā ahwā

I came to him in the late night, and my cub (son/young companion) and I were the only ones kneeling at his threshold, just as I desired.

فَخَاطَبْتُ مَحْبُوبِي وَكِدْتُ لِقُرْبِــهِ
إِخَالُ لِقَا خَيْرِ الْوَرَى نِلْتُهُ صَفْوَا

Fa-khāṭabtu maḥbūbī wa kidtu li-qurbihi
ikhālu liqā khayri-l warā niltuhu ṣafwā

I addressed my beloved, and due to his proximity, I almost imagined that I had attained the union with the best of mankind in purity.

فَقُلْـــــتُ وَإِنِّـــــي مُغْــــرَقٌ فِــي وِدَادِهِ
سَلاَمٌ عَلَى مَنْ يَرْكَبُ الطِّرْفَ وَالْقَصْوَا

Fa-qultu wa inniya mughraqun fī widādihi
salāmun ʿalā man yarkabu-ṭ ṭirfa wa-l Qaṣwā

I said, while I was immersed in his affection: Peace be upon the one who rides the noble horse and al-Qaswa (the she-camel).

تَوَهَّمْتُ أَنِّي قَــدْ مَسَسْـــتُ مُحَمَّــدًا
وَعَانَقَنِي جَهْرًا وَطَابَ لِيَ الْمَثْوَى

Tawahhamtu annī qad masastu Muḥammadā
wa ʿānaqanī jahran wa ṭāba liya-l mathwā

I felt as though I had touched Muhammad, and that he embraced me openly, and my final abode became pleasant for me.

صَلاَةٌ عَلَى خَيْرِ الْخَلاَئِــقِ مُصْطَفَى
الْبَرَايَا الَّذِي قَدْ حَطَّمَ الظُّلْمَ وَالْبَلْــوَى

Ṣalātun ʿalā khayri-l khalā’iqi muṣṭafā
al-barāyā-l ladhī qad ḥaṭṭama-ẓ ẓulma wa-l balwā

Blessings be upon the best of creation, the Chosen of all beings, who has shattered oppression and trials.

سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْــــــهِ مِــــنْ خَدِيــــــمٍ مُتَيَّـــمٍ
مِنْ أَقْصَى بِلاَدِ الْغَرْبِ لِلْمُصْطَفَى الْمَأْوَى

Salāmun ʿalayhi min khadīmin mutayyamin
min aqṣā bilādi-l gharbi li-l muṣṭafa-l ma’wā

Peace be upon him from an infatuated servant; from the furthest lands of the West, toward the Chosen one is the refuge.

عَلَيْــــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
حَيَاتِــيَ لاَ تَأْثِيـــمَ فِيهَــا وَلاَ لَغْــوَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
ḥayātiya lā ta’thīma fīhā walā laghwā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace; may my life contain no sin or idle talk.

عَلَيْــــكَ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
فَحُبِّي دَوَامًــــا لِلْأَمِيــنِ وَلاَ لَهْــوَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
fa-ḥubbī dawāman li-l amīni walā lahwā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace; for my love is eternally for the Trustworthy one, without any diversion.

عَلَيْــــــــكَ صَــــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــهُ
وَتَحْفَظُ نَسْلِي عَنْ ضَلاَلٍ وَعَنْ إِغْوَا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
wa taḥfaẓu naslī ʿan ḍalālin wa ʿan ighwā

Upon you be the blessings of Allah and then His peace; may You preserve my lineage from misguidance and from seduction.

وَوَدَّعْتُــــهُ وَالدَّمْــــعُ يَجْرِي صَبَابَــةً
عَلَى حِينَ لاَ يُجْدِي بُكَاءُ الْفَتَى جَدْوَى

Wa waddaʿtuhu wa-d damʿu yajrī ṣabābatan
ʿalā ḥīna lā yujdī bukā’u-l fatā jadwā

I bid him farewell while tears were flowing out of intense longing, at a time when a youth's weeping is of no avail.

وَوَدَّعْتُــــــهُ أَسْتَـــوْدِعُ اللّٰهَ عِنْــــدَهُ
شَهَادَةَ حَقٍّ أَرْفُضُ الشِّرْكَ وَالْأَهْوَا

Wa waddaʿtuhu astawdiʿu-llāha ʿindahu
shahādata ḥaqqin arfuḍu-sh shirka wa-l ahwā

I bid him farewell, entrusting to Allah in his presence my testimony of Truth, rejecting polytheism and whims.

فَأَشْهَـــــــدُ أَنَّ اللّٰهَ لاَ رَبَّ غَيْـــــــــرَهُ
وَطَهَ إِمَامِي الْمُصْطَفَى سَنَدِي الْأَقْوَى

Fa-ashhadu anna-llāha lā rabba ghayruhu
wa Ṭāhā imāmī-l muṣṭafā sanadi-l aqwā

So I bear witness that Allah—there is no Lord but Him; and Taha is my Imam, the Chosen one, my strongest support.

فَمَا شَاقَنِــــــي رَبْـــعٌ بُعَيْــدَ فِرَاقِــهِ
وَلاَ شَاقَنِي نَجْدٌ وَلاَ شَاقَنِـــي أَرْوَى

Famā shāqanī rabʿun buʿayda firāqihi
walā shāqanī najdun walā shāqanī Arwā

No dwelling has moved me since departing from him; neither the highlands of Najd nor the beauty of Arwa.

وَمَا بِرِيَاضٍ مِنْ جَمَالٍ وَخُضْــــرَةٍ
وَطِيبِ هَوَاءٍ وَهْيَ فِي الرُّتْبَةِ الْقُصْوَى

Wamā bi-riyāḍin min jamālin wa khuḍratin
wa ṭībi hawā’in wa hiya fī-r rutbati-l quṣwā

Nor anything in gardens of beauty and greenery, or pleasant air, even if they were of the highest rank.

فَهَلْ هِيَ تُسْلِي عَنْ عَقِيقٍ وَخَنْدَقٍ
وَأُحْدٍ وَسَلْعٍ أَوْ أَرِيسٍ وَمَا أَرْوَى

Fahal hiya tuslī ʿan ʿAqīqin wa khandaqin
wa Uḥudin wa Salʿin aw Arīsin wa mā arwā

Can they ever console me for (the loss of) Aqiq, the Trench, Uhud, Sal', or the well of Aris and its waters?

وَطَابَ مُقَامِـــي بَعْـــدَ ذَاكَ بِمَكَّــةٍ
خَلاَ لِي حَطِيــمٌ وَالْمَقَامُ لَنَا أَقْـــوَى

Wa ṭāba muqāmī baʿda dhālika bi-Makkatin
khalā liy Ḥaṭīmun wa-l maqāmu lanā aqwā

And my stay in Mecca thereafter was pleasant; the Hatim and the Maqam became clear and strong for me.

حَلاَ لِي سُجُودٌ عِنْدَ بَابِكَ خَاشِعًــا
أُسَائِلُ رَبًّا جَـــلَّ شَأْنًا لَنَــا عَفْـوَا

Ḥalā liy sujūdun ʿinda bābika khāshiʿā
usā’ilu rabban jalla sha’nan lanā ʿafwā

Prostration at Your door became sweet for me while I was humble, asking a Lord whose status is majestic for His pardon.

أُقَبِّلُ يُمْنَــــــــى الْحَــــقِّ جَــــلَّ جَلاَلُــهُ
لِأَحْذُوَ سُبْلَ الْهَاشِمِي الْمُصْطَفَى حَــذْوَا

Uqabbilu yumnā-l ḥaqqi jalla jalāluhu
li-aḥdhuwa subla-l hāshimiyyi-l muṣṭafā ḥadhwā

I kiss the "Right Hand" of Truth—majestic is His glory—so that I may follow the paths of the Hashemite Chosen one exactly.

لِزَمْزَمَ لِلْمِيزَابِ لِلْحِجْــــرِ لِلصَّفَــا
صَفَا لِيَ أَوْقَاتِي بِجَهْرِيَ وَالنَّجْوَى

Li-Zamzama li-l mīzābi li-l ḥijri li-ṣ Ṣafā
ṣafā liya awqātī bi-jahrī wa-n najwā

At Zamzam, at the water-spout, at the Hijr, and at Safa; my times became pure in my open and secret prayers.

أُرَدِّدُ ذِكْــــــــرَ اللّٰهِ لاَ شَـــيْءَ غَيْـــرُهُ
أَمَامِي وَخَلْفِي مِثْلَ مَنْ حَقَّقَ الْمَحْوَا

Uraddidu dhikra-llāhi lā shay’a ghayruhu
amāmī wa khalfī mithla man ḥaqqaqa-l maḥwā

I repeat the Remembrance of Allah—there is nothing but Him—before me and behind me, like one who has achieved total annihilation (of self).

وَأَسْأَلُــــهُ سَتْـــرًا وَعَفْـــوًا وَتَوْبَــةً
وَهَدْيًا وَتَوْفِيقًا وَصَوْنًا عَنِ الْأَسْوَا

Wa as’aluhu satran wa ʿafwan wa tawbatan
wa hadyan wa tawfīqan wa ṣawnan ʿani-l aswā

I ask Him for concealment, pardon, and repentance; and for guidance, success, and protection from the worst.

وَنَيْلَ قَبُولٍ مِنْهُ وَالْفَوْزَ وَالرِّضَــى
وَرُؤْيَتَهُ وَسْطَ الْجِنَانِ كَمَا أَهْــوَى

Wa nayla qabūlin minhu wa-l fawza wa-r riḍā
wa ru’yatahu wasṭa-l jināni kamā ahwā

And for the attainment of acceptance from Him, triumph, and pleasure; and the vision of Him in the midst of the gardens as I desire.

وَإِنَّ الَّذِي قَــــــدْ رَدَّ طَـــهَ لِمَكَّـــةٍ
سَيُرْجِعُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِلْمُصْطَفَى الْمَأْوَى

Wa inna-l ladhī qad radda Ṭāhā li-Makkata
sayurjiʿu Ibrāhīma li-l muṣṭafa-l ma’wā

And indeed, the One who returned Taha to Mecca shall return Ibrahim to the Chosen one, the refuge.

عَلَى أَحْمَدَ الْمُخْتَارِ مِنْ عِنْدِ رَبِّهِ
صَلاَةٌ وَتَسْلِيمٌ يَطِيبُ بِهَا الْمَثْوَى

ʿAlā Aḥmada-l mukhtāri min ʿindi rabbihi
ṣalātun wa taslīmun yaṭību bihā-l mathwā

Upon Ahmad, the Chosen one from his Lord, be blessings and peace through which the final abode becomes pleasant.

عَلَيْهِ مَــعَ الْآلِ الْكِـــرَامِ وَصَحْبِــهِ
صَــلاَةٌ وَتَسْلِيمٌ يَفِيضُ بِهَا الْجَدْوَى

ʿAlayhi maʿa-l āli-l kirāmi wa ṣaḥbihi
ṣalātun wa taslīmun yafīḍu bihā-l jadwā

Upon him, along with the noble Family and his Companions, be blessings and peace through which the benefit overflows.