LI-QALBĪ MINA-L ASHWĀQ MĀ HAYRA-L FIKRĀ

IN MY HEART IS A YEARNING!

لِقَلْبِي مِنَ الْأَشْوَاقِ مَــا حَيَّرَ الْفِكْـرَا

A Poem by Shaykh-al-Islam Ibrahim Niasse (RA)

(From his Diwan Salwat al-Shujun: Harf al-Ra)

لِقَلْبِي مِنَ الْأَشْوَاقِ مَــا حَيَّرَ الْفِكْـرَا

وَ أَفْنَيْتُ فِيهِ السَّجْعَ وَالنَّظْمَ وَالنَّثْرَا

In my heart is a Yearning that has baffled my mind!

And to it, I have devoted my rhymes, poems & prose!

إِلَى أَحْمَدٍ شَوْقِـــي وَ وَجْدِي وَ لَوْعَتِـي

وَمَا لِي دَوًا فِي غَيْرِ أَنْ أَنْسِجَ الشِّعْرَا

For Ahmad (SAW) is my yearning, my passion & my grieving…

And I have no other medicine (for my grief) but the composing of poetry!

إِذَا ذُكِـــرَ الْمُخْتَارُ حَنَّتْ يَرَاعَتِــي

لِتَزْيِينِ مَدْحٍ دُونَ أَنْ أُعْمِلَ الْفِكْـرَا

So whenever the Chosen One (SAW) is mentioned, my pen moves…

to praise him…without any need to activate my mind!

لِأَنَّ رَسُـــولَ اللّٰهِ مَـــــدْحٌ وَ رُوحُــــهُ

فَقُلْ فِيهِ مَا قَدْ شِئْتَ لاَ تَخْتَشِ الْإِطْرَا

Because the Messenger of Allah (SAW) is the essence of all praiseworthiness!

So say in his praise what you wish & do not fear any exaggeration!

إِذَا قُلْـــتَ عَبْـــدُ اللّٰهِ سَيِّــــــدُ خَلْقِــهِ

لِتَنْسِبْ لَهُ مَا شِــأْتَ لاَ تَخْتَشِ الْكُفْرَا

As long as you say that he is the Servant of Allah & the Master of His Creation…

Attribute to him (thereafter) whatever you wish…without fearing Kufr (Blasphemy)!

هُوَ الْكُـــلُّ مِنْهُ الْكُــلُّ حَقًّــا وَ إِنَّــهُ

اصْطَفَاهُ وَ أَعْطَاهُ قَدِيمًا وَ لاَ حَجْرَا

For truly he is everything & everything is from him (i.e. his light)

Chosen eternally (by God) and granted blessings without limit!

أَتَـــى أَوَّلَ التَّوْحِيـــدِ أَوَّلَ ذَاكِــرٍ

وَ أَوَّلَ مَذْكُورٍ وَ رَبِّي بِــهِ أَسْرَى

He was the first one to affirm the Oneness of Allah & the first one to praise Him!

And the first one to be mentioned by our Lord…Who took him on the Nightly Ascent!

لَهُ وَ إِلَيْـــــــهِ كُــلُّ شَــأْنٍ وَ إِنَّــهُ

حَبِيبُ إِلَــهِ الْخَلْقِ نَاطَ بِهِ الْأَمْـرَا

For him and towards him move all Divine Affairs…

For he is the Beloved of the Lord of Creation, Who attached the matter to him!

لَــهُ الرَّأْسُ مِنِّــي ثُمَّ وَجْهِي وَ لِحْيَتِــي

وَ ظَهْرِي وَ بَطْنِي وَالْوَلاَءُ وَ مَا جَرَى

To him belongs my head, my face and my beard…

My outward & my inward…and the whole of my loyalty!

أَتَيْتُــكَ عَبْــــدًا إِنْ تَسُمْـــهُ بِبَيْعِــهِ

جِهَارًا يَرَى ذَا مِنْكُــمُ عِنْدَهُ فَخْــرَا

I come to you as a slave, and if you wish to sell me in the market…

Then I will only consider it an honour for me (to be sold by you)!

أَتَيْتُكَ لاَ أَرْجُــو سِـــوَاكَ وَ إِنَّنِــي

فَقِيرٌ وَقِيرٌ لاَ مَنَـــالَ وَ لاَ صَبْـرَا

For I come to you seeking none but you…

And I am but a pitiable beggar devoid of any fortune or patience!

نَزَلْتُ لَــــدَى خَيْـــرِ الْوَرَى مُتَكَفِّفًــا

وَ أَرْجُو بِهِ مَا لَمْ يَنَلْ مَنْ أَتَى مِصْرَا

I have come to the Best of Creation (SAW), seeking his benevolence…

Hoping to receive more than (what Yusuf) gained in Egypt (of wealth & authority)!

تُنِيلُ الْمُنَــى وَلْتَدْفَعِ الشَّـرَّ عَاجِــلاً

فَغَيْرُكَ لاَ يُعْطِي نَوَالاً وَلَوْ نَــزْرَا

So grant me my wishes and ward off all evil speedily…

For none other than you can grant anything of value. Not a bit!

سَمَوْتَ عَنِ الْأَكْوَانِ بَطْنًا وَ ظَاهِرًا

فَإِنَّـكَ خَيْــرُ الْمُرْسَلِيـنَ لَنَــــا طُــرَّا

Indeed you’re exalted above all the worlds, inwardly & outwardly!

And you’re the greatest of all Prophets of God absolutely!

بِسِــرِّكَ يَــــا خَيْــرَ الْبَرِيَّــةِ أَبْتَغِــي

كَمَالَ الْمُنَى وَلْتُعْطِنِي لِلْعِدَى قَهْـــرَا

By your (Divine) secret O Best of Creation I seek the complete fulfilment…

Of all my aspirations…and that make me to subdue all my enemies!

حِمَايَ رَسُــــولُ اللّٰهِ وَهْوَ تَحَصُّنِــي

بِأَمْدَاحِــــهِ نِلْنَـا الْكَرَامَــةَ وَالسِّتْــرَا

For my protection & fortification lies in the Messenger of Allah (SAW)

Through praising him we attained all honour & safety!

أَرُدُّ بِهِ كَيْـــدَ الْعِــدَى فِي نُحُورِهِــمْ

وَ مَكْرَهُـــمُ لاَ بَأْسَ فِينَــا وَلاَ شَــرَّا

Through him I ward off every machination of the enemy, back towards them

And their evil devises do no damage or harm to us all!

نَنَــالُ بِــهِ مَـــــا فَـــاتَ عَــدًّا تَفَضُّــلاً

وَ لاَ غَرْوَ أَنْ نِلْنَا الَّذِي يُعْجِزُ الْحَصْرَا

Through his grace we gained that which is beyond calculation…

And it’s not surprising (for his bounty) that we attain what is beyond count!

كَفَانِــــــي انْتِسَابِــي لِلنَّبِــيِّ وَ حِزْبِــهِ

إِذَا افْتَخَرُوا يَوْمًا كَفَـانِي بِـــهِ فَخْـــرَا

It is enough honour for me that I belong to the Prophet (SAW) & his faction...

When people boast of their factions…..for my pride is in him (SAW) only!

أَلاَ يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ فَارْفَــعْ شِكَايَتِـــي

لِمَوْلاَكَ مَنْ يُعْطِي الْمَنَافِعَ وَالضُّرَّا

O Messenger of Allah (SAW)! Please raise my grievances to Your Lord …

The One who possesses all benefits & harms!

نَرَى الْبَذْلَ وَالْفَيْضَ الْعَظِيمَ وَ ضِدُّنَـــا

يَرَى الْبَأْسَ وَالضَّرَّاءَ وَالشَّرَّ وَالْوِزْرَا

May we see His great Bounty & Outpouring of Generosity…

And may our opponents see injury, harm, evil and misery!

نَرَى الْعِزَّ وَالْفَضْلَ الْجَزِيلَ وَ مَنْ يَثِقْ

بِذَيْلِــكَ حَتْــمٌ أَنْ يَنَـــالَ الْمُنَى تَتْــرَى

May we see great honour & blessings…

For whoever holds on to you must attain his wishes always!

يَسُوقُ إِلَيَّ الْمُصْطَفَـــــى مَا أَرُومُـــهُ

وَ يَسْمَحُ لِي بِالْعَوْدِ مِنْ طَيْبَةَ الْغَــــرَّا

May the Chosen One (SAW) grant to me all that I seek…

And permit me to return to the illuminated (city of) Taybah!

كَشَفْتُ بِحُبِّيهِ الْحِجَــابَ وَ إِنَّنِـــي

طَوَيْتُ بِذِكْرِ الْمُصْطَفَى مَهْمَهًا قَفْـرَا

For by his love I have uncovered the Veil (between God & His creation)…

And by his praises I’ve traversed the harshest deserts (of the spiritual path)!

نَبَذْتُ بِهِ كُلَّ الْعِـــدَى وَ قَصَمْتُهُــمْ

وَ قَطَّعْتُهُمْ لاَ خَيْرَ نَالُوا وَ لاَ ذُخْرَا

By his (SAW) support I have warded off & crushed all enemies…

And I have destroyed them…for they shall attain no goodness or gain!

تُحَــــــاوِلُ أَبْنَـــاءُ الْبَغَايَا مَكِيـــدَةً

لِخَادِمِ خَيْرِ الْخَلْقِ لاَ حَبَّذَا مَكْــرَا

The sons of dishonourable women deploy every ploy to hurt …

this Servant of the Best of Creation (SAW)…may their ploys be disgraced!

مَشَوْا وَافْتَرَوْا بَلْ زَخْرَفُوا فِي نَمِيمَةً

وَ رَبِّي بِفَضْلٍ مِنْهُ يُولِي الْعِدَى الْقَهْرَا

So they go around everywhere slandering & backbiting me

But my Lord subjugates my enemies, through His Bounty!

نَــــــدُومُ بِحَمْـــدِ اللّٰهِ فِي ظِـــلِّ رَاحَــةٍ

وَ أَمْنٍ عَلَى رَغْمِ الَّذِي يَقْصِدُ الضَّيْرَا

And we remain in peace, ease & safety…thanks be to Allah!

Despite all those who wish to harm (us)!

إِذَا اشْتَغَلُوا بِالْمَكْــرِ وَالزُّورِ إِنَّنِــي

بِمَدْحِ حَبِيبِ اللّٰهِ شُغْلِي كَذَا دَهْــــرَا

If they busy themselves with plots & fabrications (against me)…

I busy myself with praising the Beloved of Allah (SAW), for that’s my task forever!

لَهُ كُلَّ وَقْتٍ مِنْ قَرِيضِي قَصِيــــدَةٌ

أَفُوزُ بِهِ فِي هَــذِهِ الدَّارِ وَالْأُخْــرَى

He shall continue receiving from me poems (in his praise)…

Through which I will attain success in this World & the Hereafter!

ظَلَمْتُ كَثِيرًا كُــــــلَّ ظُلْمٍ وَإِنَّنِــــي

أُوَحِّــــدُ حَقًّـــا دُونَ أَنْ أُشْـــرِكَ الــذَّرَّا

And though I haver transgressed a lot for sure.…

I truly believe in the Oneness of the Real (God), not ascribing any partner to Him!

أُحِبُّ كَذَا خَيْـــــــرَ الْأَنَــامِ مُحَمَّـــدًا

وَ لَمْ أَنْسَهُ مَا دُمْتُ بَرًّا وَ لاَ بَحْـــــرَا

And I also love the Best of Creation Muhammad (SAW)

And I do not forget him ever, on land or at sea!

لَجَأْتُ إِلَيْــــهِ مِنْـــهُ جَلْبِــي مَسَرَّتِــي

وَ دَفْعِي بِهِ لاَ زَيْدَ أَرْجُو وَ لاَ عَمْــرَا

I seek refuge in him (SAW), and from him is derived my joy…

And from him is my safety, for I seek not Zayd or Amr (i.e. anyone else)!

مَحَا حُبُّــهُ حُـــبَّ السِّــــوَى إِنَّ حُبَّـــهُ

مَتَى يَرْسَخَنْ فِي الْقَلْبِ يَنْفِ السِّوَى جَهْرَا

His love has erased the love of all others (in my heart)…

For when his love is established in the heart, it visibly negates all others!

يَؤُمُّ جَنَــابَ الْمُصْطَفَــى كُلَّ بُرْهَــةٍ

صَــــلاَةٌ وَ تَسْلِيـــــمٌ تُنَاسِبُهُ قَـــدْرَا

So may towards the court of the Chosen One (SAW)… always proceed

Blessings & Salutations (of God) in accordance with his sublime rank!

نَكُـــــونُ بِهَا فِي كُــــلِّ عِزٍّ وَ مَنْعَـــةٍ

وَ يُجْرِي لَنَا مِنْ جُودِهِ الْمَجْدَ وَالسَّتْرَا

Through which we remain fully honoured & protected…

And may he grant us glory & safety, through his Grace!

*

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ

الْفَاتِحِ لِمَا أُغْلِقَ وَالْخَاتِمِ لِمَا سَبَقَ

نَاصِرِ الْحَقِّ بِالْحَقِّ

وَالْهَادِي إِلَى صِرَاطِكَ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ

وَ عَلَى آلِهِ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ وَ مِقْدَارِهِ الْعَظِيمِ

- آمِين -

Translated by Imām and pFakhruddin Owaisī