Selected poetry from the Diwan of Imam al-Shafi’i (rahimahullah)
I recently managed to buy a very nice edition of the Diwan (Al-Shafi’i’s book of poems), complete with quotes, historical incidents and a biography bonus. So insha’Allah I’ll try translating some of his poetry and adding it to the (somewhat neglected) Mawa’idh al-Shafi’i project.
Ok, I know I have a problem staying in one city or town for a long time (you see, I’m a born explorer)… so this poem on the benefits of travelling made my day 🙂
فوائد الأسفار
The Benefits in Travelling
تغرب عن الأوطان في طلب العلى *** وسافر ففي الأسفار خمس فوائد
Leave your country in search of loftiness
And travel! For in travel there are 5 benefits,
تفرج هم واكتساب معيشة *** وعلم وآداب وصحبة ماجد
Relief of adversity and earning of livelihood
And knowledge and etiquettes and noble companionship
فإن قيل في الأسفار ذل ومحنة *** وقطع الفيافي وارتكاب الشدائد
If it is said that travelling brings humiliation and difficulty
And long journeys across deserts and toil and trouble,
فموت الفتى خير له من قيامه *** بدار هوان بين واش وحاسد
Then death is better for a person than him remaining
In a humiliating land between traitors and enviers
الورع
المرء إن كان عاقلا ورعا *** أشغله عن عيوب غيره ورعه
If a person is intelligent and pious
His piety occupies him from the sins of others
كما العليل السقيم أشغله *** عن وجع الناس كلهم وجعه
Just like the ill one is kept preoccupied
From the sickness of others by his own sickness
هكذا الحظ
Due Provision
تموت الأسد في الغابات جوعا *** ولحم الضأن تأكله الكلاب
Lions die hungry out in the wild
And the meat of sheep is only eaten by dogs
وعبد قد ينام على حرير *** وذو نسب مفارشه التراب
Indeed, a slave may end up sleeping on silk
Whilst the bed of masters turns out to be dust
The Etiquettes of Learning
اصبر على مر الجفا من معلم *** فإن رسوب العلم في نفراته
Be patient over the teacher’s strictness and harshness
For the stores of knowledge are present in his harshness
ومن لم يذق ذل التعلم ساعة *** تجرع ذل الجهل طول حياته
Whoever does not taste the humility of learning, even for an hour
Will drink the humility of ignorance for the rest of his life
ومن فاته التعليم وقت شبابه *** فكبر عليه أربعا لوفاته
For him who misses out on learning in his youth,
Then announce four takbirs over him for his death is due
حياة الفتى – والله – بالعلم والتقى *** إذا لم يكونا لا اعتبار لذاته
By Allah, the life of a youth is by knowledge and piety
If they are not present, then nothing can express his existence
If anyone is interested, this publication is a new one (2009) from Dar al-Fikr, Beirut/Lebanon. Probably the best I’ve seen so far (has a brilliant sharh of terms).
I remember a few years ago, I wanted to buy my dad a present so I began brainstorming all the things he likes. He has great love and respect for al-Shafi’i and his works so I bought him a copy of the Diwan; it was an ok edition, but nothing compared to this one! So all you fans out there, this is something for you next time you shop… (I once asked my dad his favourite poem in the Diwan and he quoted me a full one on… travelling! 🙂 It must run in the family then)
Can you provide a link for online sellers who will sell this version of the Diwan to the States? If not, can you provide a PDF or any link online with a detailed description?
Thanks Sister!
Baarak Allahu feeki ukhti!
I love poetry.
Can you explain the ‘due provision’ one? I don’t quite understand the last line.
Wa feeki ukhti.
It was highlighting the fact that provision’s can come to a person from unexpected sources even when it seems unlikely. The poem gives the example of a slave (who would usually sleep on dirt/ground) but he ends up sleeping on silk and fine material whereas the masters/elite who would usually sleep in luxury, end up taking the ground/dust as a bed. Ya’ni it’s speaking about how circumstances change for people due to the change in their rizq.
The first two lines of the poem also allude to how provisions can come to the creation unexpectedly (in this case, the meat of sheep ends up with the dogs when it was meant for human consumption) and how provisions can be cut off from the creation even though everyone expects it to reach them (e.g. in the case of the lion who dies hungry).
قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّي يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاءُ وَيَقْدِرُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
“Say: ‘Verily, my Lord expands and restricts the provision to whom He pleases, but most people do not know.'” [al-Saba’: 36]
jazaki Allahu khayran for the explanation 🙂
I really like this portion of one of his poem’s. It was quoted quoted to me by a shaykh and is one of the most meaningful of Imam Al-Shafi’i (rahimahullah)’s poems to my heart:
ما في المقام لذي عـقـل وذي أدب
من راحة فدع الأوطان واغتـرب
سافر تجد عوضـا عمن تفارقــه
وانْصَبْ فإن لذيذ العيش في النَّصب ::
–
Imam Al Shafi’i (rahimahullah):
There is no rest in being immobile for a person with Aql and Adab,
so leave your place and become a stranger.
Travel and you will find a replacement for what you left,
and strive because the joy of living is in striving
last line could possibly also be “and struggle because the joy of living is in it’s struggles.”
Please send its summary uf Any one has.
Wa iyyaki Amatullah, insha’Allah we’ll get to dissect other poems when I see you 🙂
That’s actually the one my father quoted me. The 3rd line was all I could remember from it, amazing piece.
Assalamoalaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatohu
i know that this post has lapsed for some time but just had a thought about the last line of Due Provisions (i m new on this blog and am surfing around to see what i ve been missing alhamdulillah)
could it also not refer to that the one who sleeps on dust or other humble type of abode in the duniyah will be honoured in the akhirah (due to his deeds, sabr, piety etc) and vice versa i.e. the one (master) sleeping on luxurious bedding be humiliated in the akhirah? or the dust mentioned refer to the dust of the qabr? i.e reminding that we might have all the raaha of the duniyah yet our next abode is the qabr?
perhaps Imam Al Shafi rahimullah was mashAllah referring to the provisions of the duniyah (as per Sister Fajr) and the akhirah?
Jazak Allah Kheir for the brilliant translations, I have been looking for the translation for the benefits of travel to include in an article about travel in Islam.
Here’s the link: http://www.alrahalah.com/2012/02/travelling-in-islam/
Do you have a translation for this one too?
ما في المقامِ لذي عقلٍ وذي أدبِ مِنْ رَاحَة ٍ فَدعِ الأَوْطَانَ واغْتَرِبِ
سافر تجد عوضاً عمَّن تفارقهُ وَانْصِبْ فَإنَّ لَذِيذَ الْعَيْشِ فِي النَّصَبِ
إني رأيتُ وقوفَ الماء يفسدهُ إِنْ سَاحَ طَابَ وَإنْ لَمْ يَجْرِ لَمْ يَطِبِ
والأسدُ لولا فراقُ الأرض ما افترست والسَّهمُ لولا فراقُ القوسِ لم يُصِبِ
والشمس لو وقفت في الفلكِ دائمة ً لَمَلَّهَا النَّاسُ مِنْ عُجْمٍ وَمِنَ عَرَبِ
والتَّبْرَ كالتُّرْبَ مُلْقَىً في أَمَاكِنِهِ والعودُ في أرضه نوعً من الحطب
فإن تغرَّب هذا عزَّ مطلبهُ وإنْ تَغَرَّبَ ذَاكَ عَزَّ كالذَّهَبِ
There is no rest in residence for an ingenious person of culture. Travel and leave where you’re residing!
Travel! You will find a replacement for what you have left. And strive! The sweetness of life is in striving!
I’ve seen that water stagnates if still. Becomes pure if it runs, but not if it doesn’t flow
If the lion doesn’t leave his den he cannot hunt, and the arrow will not strike without leaving its bow
If the sun stood still in its heavenly course then people, Arab and non-Arab, it would bore
Gold dust is as the earth where commonly found, and in its land, oud is but another wood in store
If one travels, he becomes sought out If one travels , he is honored like gold.
Jazak Allah Kheir brother Felix, great translation.
Jazak’Allahu khayran brother Felix, that’s a good rendition of the Arabic.