Harful Qaaf · حَرْفُ الْقَاف

قَضَى لِيَ قَاضِي الْحُبِّ قِدْماً مَتَى قَضَى
مَحَبَّةَ طَــــهَ الْهَاشِمِــــيِّ وَقَــدْ مَضَــى

Qaḍā liya qāḍī-l ḥubbi qidman matā qaḍā
maḥabbata Ṭāhā-l hāshimiyyi wa qad maḍā

The Judge of Love decreed for me long ago—whenever He decrees—the love of Taha the Hashemite, and that decree has come to pass.

فَأَحْبَبْتُ طَـــهَ الْمُصْطَفَـى بِطَبِيعَتِـــي
وَقَدْ زَادَ حُبِّي أَنْ بَــدَا كَامِلاً رِضَــى

Fa-aḥbabtu Ṭāhā-l muṣṭafā bi-ṭabīʿatī
wa qad zāda ḥubbī an badā kāmilā riḍā

So I loved Taha the Chosen one by my very nature, and my love increased as his perfect pleasure became manifest.

وَأَحْبَبْتُــــهُ مَـــا دُمْـــتُ حَيّاً وَإِنَّنِــي
لِيَ الْحُبُّ حَتَّى يُمْسِيَ الْجَفْنُ مُغْمَضَا

Wa aḥbabtuhu mā dumtu ḥayyan wa innanī
liya-l ḥubbu ḥattā yumsī-l jafnu mughmaḍā

And I have loved him as long as I have lived, and indeed, this love is mine until my eyelids are closed (in death).

وَلِمْ لاَ وَرَبُّ النَّاسِ طُرًّا يُحِبُّـــهُ
وَأَعْطَاهُ حَتَّى عَادَ عَنْــهُ مُفَوَّضَـا

Walim lā wa rabbu-n nāsi ṭurran yuḥibbuhu
wa aʿṭāhu ḥattā ʿāda ʿanhu mufawwaḍā

And why not? Since the Lord of all mankind loves him, and He gave to him until he became His authorized representative.

فَمَنْ بَايَعَ الْمُخْتَــارَ بَايَــعَ رَبَّنَـــــا
وَذَلِكَ حُكْمٌ فِي الْأَوَامِــرِ وَالْقَضَـا

Fa-man bāyaʿa-l mukhtāra bāyaʿa rabbanā
wa dhālika ḥukmun fī-l awāmiri wa-l qaḍā

For whoever pledges allegiance to the Chosen one has pledged allegiance to our Lord; and that is a ruling among the commands and the Divine Decree.

تَذَكَّرْتُ مُخْتَـــارَ الْخَلاَئِــقِ مَوْهِنــاً
لَدَى لِيبِيَا الْغَرَّا وَأَرْضَى بِمَا قَضَى

Tadhakkartu mukhtāra-l khalā’iqi mawhinā
ladā Lībiyā-l gharrā wa arḍā bi-mā qaḍā

I remembered the Chosen one of creation in the late night, while in noble Libya, and I am satisfied with what He has decreed.

بِلَيْلَــةِ مِعْرَاجِ الرَّسُــــولِ فَهَــاجَ لِي
دَفَائِنَ مِنْهَا أَرْتَجِي الْفَوْزَ وَالرِّضَـى

Bi-laylati miʿrāji-r rasūli fa-hāja lī
dafā’ina minhā artajī-l fawza wa-r riḍā

On the night of the Prophet’s Ascension, hidden yearnings were stirred within me, through which I hope for triumph and pleasure.

وِدَادُكَ يُلْهِينِـــــي أَبِيـــــتُ مُؤَرَّقــــــاً
وَقَدْ شَابَ فَوْدِي وَهْوَ لِي الْحُبُّ مَا انْقَضَى

Widāduka yulhīnī abītu mu’arraqā
wa qad shāba fawdī wa huwa liy al-ḥubbu mā-nqaḍā

Your affection occupies me; I spend the night awake, and though the hair at my temples has turned gray, my love for you has never ended.

لَـــكَ اللّٰهُ لاَ أُلْفَى لِعَهْدِكَ نَاسِيــــاً
فَعَهْدَ أَمِينِ اللّٰهِ رَبِّي لَنَا ارْتَضَـى

Laka-llāhu lā ulfā li-ʿahdika nāsiyā
fa-ʿahda amīni-llāhi rabbī lanā-rtaḍā

By Allah, I shall never be found forgetting your covenant; for the covenant of the Trustworthy one of Allah is what my Lord has approved for us.

جَزَى اللّٰهُ شَيْخـــاً قَــادَنِي لِــوِدَادِهِ
جَزَاءَ كَرِيمٍ نِعْمَ شَيْخاً وَمُرْتَضَى

Jazā-llāhu shaykhan qādanī li-widādihi
jazā’a karīmin niʿma shaykhan wa murtaḍā

May Allah reward the Shaykh who led me to his affection—the reward of a Generous One; what an excellent and pleasing Shaykh he is.

عَلَيْـــكَ صَـــلاَةُ اللّٰهِ ثُـــمَّ سَلاَمُــــهُ
وَآلٍ وَصَحْبٍ كُلُّهُـــمْ قُدْوَةٌ رِضَـا

ʿAlayka ṣalātu-llāhi thumma salāmuhu
wa ālin wa ṣaḥbin kulluhum qudwatun riḍā

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

عَلَيْـــــكَ مَـــدَى الْأَيَّامِ مَـــا قَالَ مُغْــرَمٌ
قَضَى لِيَ قَاضِي الْحُبِّ قِدْماً مَتَى قَضَى

ʿAlayka madā-l ayyāmi mā qāla mughramun
qaḍā liya qāḍī-l ḥubbi qidman matā qaḍā

Upon you throughout the days, as long as an infatuated one says: The Judge of Love decreed for me long ago.