As I think I promised before, below is the extended translation of the poem of Imaam al-Shaafi’ee as he lay on his deathbed. I’ve also translated Shaykh al-‘Afasy’s video titled “I am the servant” – the full video is also below.
Mashaa’Allaah both were very touching and I hope everyone finds benefit in them. Please forgive me for the lack of professionalism and accuracy in the translation of al-Shafi’ee’s piece – it was extremely difficult and beyond my scope (after all, he was unchallenged in poetry at his time!)
إلَيكَ إلـهُ الخَلْـق أرْفَــعُ رَغبَتِي *** و‘نْ كُنتُ يَا ذا المَنّ والجُودِ مُجْرِما
‘To You, the Creator, I raise my longing,
And even if I am, O possessor of kindness and generosity, an evildoer, a criminal
ولمَّا قَسَـا قلبي وضَـاقت مَذاهِبي *** جَعَلتُ الرَجـا مِني لِعَفوكَ سَلِمــا
When my heart became constricted and my paths became narrow,
I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an opening and an escape
تعَاظَمَنـي ذنبـي فلمَّـا قرِنتـُـهُ *** بعَفوكَ ربِّي كَانَ عَـفْوكَ أعْظَمــا
My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared them to Your forgiveness,
I found Your forgiveness to be much greater
فمَا زِلتَ ذا عفو عَن الذنْبِ لَمْ تَزُلْ *** تَـجُـود وتعـفو منةً وتَكَرُّمـــا
You are and still remain the only One who can forgive sins,
You grant and forgive out of Your benevolence and generosity
فلولاكَ لَـمْ يَصْمُـدْ لإبلـيسِ عَابدٌ *** فكَيفَ وقدْ أغْوَى صَفْيَك آدِمـــا
Were it not for You, then a servant could never defy Iblis
And how can that be when he mislead Your friend Adam
فيَاليْتَ شَعْــرِي هَل أصَيرُ لِجنة *** أهنـــا؟ وأمَّـا للسَّعِير فأنْدَمــا
If only I knew! Will I arrive at Paradise that I may take delight
Or at Hellfire, that I may regret?
فللّهِ دَر العَـــارِفُ الـنـدبُ إنَّه *** تَفيض لفرْطِ الوَجْد أجفانُه دَمَّـــا
How capable is Allah! For the one acquainted with lament,
blood almost flows from his eyelids due to the excess of his emotions (lament)
يَقيـمُ إذا مَـا الليلُ مَدَّ ظَلامَــه *** على نَفسِهِ مِن شدَّةِ الخَوفِ مَأتمـا
He stands when the night extends out its darkness
Stands against himself out of extreme fear, sinful
فصِيحاً إذا ما كـانَ في ذكْـرِ رَبِّه *** وفيما سِوَاهُ في الوَرى كان أعْجَمـا
Eloquent when he makes mention of his Lord
And in the mention of others than Him, he is speechless
ويَذكُرُ أيَّامـاً مَضَـتْ مِن شَبَابـه *** وما كان فيها بالجَهَـالة أجْرَمـــا
He remembers days gone by of his youth
And what was in it of ignorance, he was a criminal
فصَارَ قَرينُ الهمِّ طُولَ نهَـــارِه *** أخا السَّهدِ والنجوى إذا الليل أظلمـا
And so for the whole of his day, the companion of grief has become
the brother of sleeplessness and secret conversation when the night darkens
يقول: حَبيبي أنـتَ سُؤلِي وبَغيتي *** كفى بكَ للرَّاجـيـنَ سُؤلاً ومغنمـا
He says, ‘My beloved, You are what I request and desire
You are enough of a longing and benefit for those who have hope
ألـسْتَ الذي غذيْتني وهَــدَيْتني *** ولا زلتَ مَنـَّانـا عليّ ومُنعِـمــا
Are You not the One who has provided for me and guided me
And You have not ceased being gracious to me and full of favours
عسَى مَنْ لَـهُ الإحْسَانَ يَغفِرُ زَلتِي *** ويَسْترُ أوْزارِي ومـا قـدْ تقدَّمــا
Perhaps the Beneficent One will forgive my mistakes
And cover up my crime and what has gone forth
تعاظمَني ذنبـي فأقبلتُ خاشِعــاً *** وَلوْلا الرِّضَـا ما كنتُ يَاربِّ مُنعَمـا
My sins seemed very great to me, so I turned (to You) in humility
Were it not for my contentment in you, I wouldn’t, O my Lord, have seen any comfort at all
فإنْ تعْفُ عَني تعْفُ عَـنْ مُتمَرِّد *** ظلوم غشــوم لا يَـزايَـلَ مأتمـا
So if You forgive me, You would have forgiven a sinner,
A rebellious, oppressive tyrant still sinning
فإن تنتـقـِمْ مِني فلستُ بآيـسٍ *** ولو أدخلوا نفسي بجـُـرْم جَهَنَّمـا
So if You were to seek revenge from me, I would not despair
Even if they entered my soul into Jahannum, due to the sins
فجُرْمِي عَظيم مِن قديم وحـَـادِث *** وعفوكَ يَأتي العَبْـدَ أعْلى وأجْسَمــا
For my crimes are great, past and present
But Your forgiveness comes to the servant, more exalted and more great
حوالي َّ فضلُ الله مِن كلِّ جَانِـب *** ونورٌ مِن الرَّحمـَن يُفترش السَّمــا
The bounty of Allaah surrounds me from all sides
And Light from the Most Merciful has spread in the sky
وفي القلبِ إشراقُ المحب بوَصْلِه *** إذا قارب البُـشرَى وجَازَ إلى الحمى
And in the heart is the radiance of the beloved when he is reunited
And when glad tidings draw close, it becomes feverish
حوالي إينــاس مِن الله وَحْـدَه *** يُطالعَني فِي ظلـمـةِ القبرأنجَمــا
Exhilaration surrounds me, only for Allaah
It overlooks me in the darkness of the grave, apparent and clear
أصُونُ وَدادي أن يُدنّسـه الهَوَى *** وأحفظُ عـَهْدِ الـحُبِّ أن يَتثلمــا
I protect my love, lest my desires should pollute it
And I preserve the contract of love, lest it be defiled
ففي يَقظتِي شَوْقٌ وفي غَفوَتِي منى *** تلاحـِقُ خُـطوَى نـشوَةً وترنمـا
In my wakefulness is yearning and in my slumber is destiny
That’s pursuing my footsteps in ecstasy
ومَن يَعْتصِمْ بالله يُسَلم مِن الوَرَى *** ومَن يَرْجه هَـيْهَاتُ أنْ يَتندُمـــا
Whoever holds fast to Allaah, he is protected from men
And whoever hopes for Him, then never will he regret
Wow. Amazingly beautiful, both poems, masha Allah. May we take heed.
Jazakillahu alf khair for your wonderful work.
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakatuh,
The whole poem is beautiful especially the extended part.
Jazaaki Allaahu khayran sis for your efforts wa ahsan Allaah ilayk.
May Allaah subhaanahu wa ta ‘ala cause us to die as believers while repenting to Him with words that He is pleased with.
Assalaamu alaykum
Wa iyyaakumaa, ameen to the ad’iyah
Jazaki Allaahu Khayran
Some excellent work Masha Allaah. It gives us hope and encouragement to see the work you do, at times when we most require it.
Barak Alaahu Feeki
Salams
Jazakallah for this poem and for this beautiful blog, masha’Allah.
Wasalam
Wa `alaykumusalaam
Wa iyyaakum inshaa’Allaah, baarak’Allaahu feekum
For those interested in seeing arabic shaykh al-‘Afasy video & its lyrics, see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAdi0Jtj__o
assalam alaykum
jazakallah khair for the excellent and hard work.
Wa `alaykisalaam wa rahmatullaah
Wa iyyaaki ukhti
subhanAllah,
Jazzak Allah Khair a thousand times over.
I am looking for the arabic and english of Imam As-Shafiee and here I find him and Shaykh Mishary….
subhanAllah, you made a very difficult day into a heart warming one.
Wa iyyaakum, I’m glad it helped
Salam
mashallah a beautiful poem. Every time i read it, it never fails to release a tear (or two)!
Marshalllah, thats a really beautiful poems :
Good work sis!!
sis, it might be a good idea if you also put up “laysal gareeb” by the son of hussein ibn Ali ibn abi talib!!
Its amazing!!
Laysal ghareeb is very profound and amazing masha’Allaah. Although I thought I had come across a translation before, on some forum… If I were to translate it, I’d probably butcher it! So I think I’ll spare everyone the ordeal (and the poem its dignity!)
Assalamu Alaikum Warahamtullahi Wabaraktuh
May Allah reward your efforts!
Yes Laysal Ghareeb was translated by a group of sisters may Allah reward them.
You can find it here:
http://www.islamicboard.com/islamic-multimedia/27755-laysal-ghareeb.html
i dont think Imam Shafiee rahimahullah must have had any thought to bring out that flow of rhyme in these words while he was on his death bed! No sane man would attempt such a folly in that particular stage of life….but rather it is just as he himself expressed….
“فصِيحاً إذا ما كـانَ في ذكْـرِ رَبِّه — Eloquent when he makes mention of his Lord”
That state of absolute intimacy with his Lord & fervent longing naturally made those words come almost like an inspiration……..
Just thought of sharing one couplet (cant really term it a couplet) which has been attributed to Imam Ali ibn Husayn (radhiyAllaahu anhu)……
سُبْحانَكَ
ما أَضْيَقَ الطُّرُقَ عَلى مَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ دَلِيلَهُ
وَما أَوْضَحَ الْحَقَّ عِنْدَ مَنْ هَدَيْتَهُ سَبِيلَه
إلهِي فاسْلُكْ بِنا سُبُلَ الْوُصُولِ إلَيْكَ
وَسَيِّرْنا فِي أَقْرَبِ الطُّرُقِ لِلْوُفُودِ عَلَيْكَ
قَرِّبْ عَلَيْنَا الْبَعِيدَ
وَسَهِّلَ عَلَيْنَا الْعَسِيرَ الشَّدِيدَ
وَأَلْحِقْنا بِعِبادِكَ الَّذِينَ
,هُمْ بِالْبِدارِ إلَيْكَ يُسارِعُونَ
وَبابَكَ عَلَى الدَّوامِ يَطْرُقُونَ
وَإيَّاكَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهارِ يَعْبُدُونَ
وَهُمْ مِنْ هَيْبَتِكَ مُشْفِقُونَ
الَّذِينَ صَفَّيْتَ لَهُمُ الْمَشارِبَ
وَبَلَّغْتَهُمُ الرَّغآئِبَ
وَأَنْجَحْتَ لَهُمُ الْمَطالِبَ
وَقَضَيْتَ لَهُمْ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْمَآرِبَ
وَمَلأْتَ لَهُمْ ضَمآئِرَهُمْ مِنْ حُبِّكَ
وَرَوَّيْتَهُمْ مِنْ صافِي شِرْبِكَ
فَبِكَ إلى لَذِيذِ مُناجاتِكَ وَصَلُوا
وَمِنْكَ أَقْصى مَقاصِدِهِمْ حَصَّلُوا
عَلَى الْمُقْبِلِينَ عَلَيْهِ مُقْبِلٌ، فَيا مَنْ هُوَ
وَبِالْعَطْفِ عَلَيْهِمْ عآئِدٌ مُفْضِلٌ
وَبِالْغافِلِينَ عَنْ ذِكْرِهِ رَحِيمٌ رَؤُوفٌ
وَبِجَذْبِهمْ إلى بابِهِ وَدُودٌ عَطُوفٌ
أَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَنِي مِنْ
أَوْفَرِهِمْ مِنْكَ حَظّاً
وَأَعْلاهُمْ عِنْدَكَ مَنْزِلاً
وَأَجْزَلِهِـمْ مِنْ وُدِّكَ قِسَمـاً
وَأَفْضَلِهِمْ فِي مَعْرِفَتِكَ نَصِيباً
فَقَدِ انْقطَعَتْ إلَيْكَ هِمَّتِي
وَانْصَرَفَتْ نَحْوَكَ رَغْبَتِي
فَأَنْتَ لاَ غَيْرُكَ مُرادِي
وَلَكَ لا لِسِواكَ سَهَرِي وَسُهادِي
وَلِقاؤُكَ قُرَّةُ عَيْني
وَوَصْلُكَ مُنى نَفْسِي
وَإلَيْكَ شَوْقِي
وَفِي مَحَبَّتِكَ وَلَهِي
وَإلى هَواكَ صَبابَتِي
وَرِضاكَ بُغْيَتي
وَرُؤْيَتُكَ حاجَتِي
وَجِوارُكَ طَلَبِي
وَقُرْبُكَ غايَةُ سُؤْلِي
وَفِي مُنَاجَاتِكَ رَوْحِي وَراحَتِي
وَعِنْدَكَ
دَوآءُ عِلَّتِي
وَشِفآءُ غُلَّتِي
وَبَرْدُ لَوْعَتِي
وَكَشْفُ كُرْبَتِي
فَكُنْ أَنِيْسِي فِي وَحْشَتِي
وَمُقِيلَ عَثْرَتِي
وَغافِرَ زَلَّتِي
وَقابِلَ تَوْبَتِي
وَمُجِيبَ دَعْوَتِي
وَوَلِيَّ عِصْمَتِي
وَمُغْنِيَ فاقَتِي
وَلا تَقْطَعْنِي عَنْكَ
وَلا تُبْعِدْنِي مِنْكَ
يا نَعِيمِي وَجَنَّتِي
وَيا دُنْيايَ وَآخِرَتِي
يا ارحم الراحمين
Glory be to Thee!
How narrow are the paths for him whom Thou hast not guided!
How plain the truth for him whom Thou hast guided on his way!
My God, so make us travel on the roads that arrive at Thee
and set us into motion on the paths nearest to reaching Thee!
Make near for us the far,
and make easy for us the hard and difficult!
and Join us to Thy servants,
those who hurry to Thee swiftly,
knock constantly at Thy door,
and worship Thee by night and by day,
while they remain apprehensive in awe of Thee!
Thou hast purified their drinking places,
taken them to the objects of their desire,
granted their requests,
accomplished their wishes through Thy bounty,
filled their minds with Thy love,
and quenched their thirst with Thy pure drink.
Through Thee have they reached
the pleasure of whispered prayer to Thee,
and in Thee have they achieved their furthest goals.
O He who comes toward those who come toward Him
and grants gifts and bestows bounty upon them through tenderness!
He is compassionate and clement
toward those heedless of His remembrance
and loving and tender in drawing them to His door!
I ask Thee to place me among those of them
who have the fullest share from Thee,
the highest station with Thee,
the most plentiful portion of Thy love,
and the most excellent allotment of Thy knowledge,
for my aspiration has been cut off from everything but Thee and
my desire has turned toward Thee alone.
Thou art my object, none other;
to Thee alone belongs my waking and my sleeplessness.
Meeting Thee is the gladness of my eye,
joining Thee the wish of my soul.
Toward Thee is my yearning,
in love for Thee my passionate longing,
in inclining toward Thee my fervent craving.
Thy good pleasure is the aim I seek,
vision of Thee my need,
Thy neighbourhood my request,
nearness to Thee the utmost object of my asking.
In whispered prayer to Thee I find my repose and my ease.
With Thee lies the remedy of my illness,
the cure for my burning thirst,
the coolness of my ardour,
the removal of my distress.
Be my intimate in my loneliness,
the releaser of my stumble,
the forgiver of my slip,
the accepter of my repentance,
the responder to my supplication,
the patron of preserving me from sin,
the one who frees me from my neediness!
Cut me not off from Thee and keep me not far from Thee!
O MY BLISS & MY GARDEN!
O MY THIS WORLD & MY HEREAFTER!
O Most Merciful of the merciful!
jazaakallah khairan jazaa