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
Thursday, 30 June 2016
On Taqwa
خَلِّ الذنوبَ صغيرَها و كبيرَها ذاكَ التُّقى
واصْنَع كَماشٍ فوقَ أرضِ الشّوكِ يَحْذَرُ ما يَرَى
لا تَحْقِرَنّ صغيرةً إنّ الجِبالَ منَ الحَصى
Abandon sins – big and small: that is Taqwa…
And be like a person walking one a land of thorns, cautious about what he sees…
Belittle not the small sins,
Indeed mountains are made up of small stones….
واصْنَع كَماشٍ فوقَ أرضِ الشّوكِ يَحْذَرُ ما يَرَى
لا تَحْقِرَنّ صغيرةً إنّ الجِبالَ منَ الحَصى
Abandon sins – big and small: that is Taqwa…
And be like a person walking one a land of thorns, cautious about what he sees…
Belittle not the small sins,
Indeed mountains are made up of small stones….
On following desires
إذا حارَ أمرُكَ في مَعْنَيَيْن *** ولم تدرِ فيما الخطا و الصواب
فخَالِفْ هَوَاكَ فإنَّ الهوَى *** يقودُ النفوسَ إلى ما يعاب
If you are caught in confusion between two matters,
And you don’t know what is right and what is wrong.
At that point, disobey your desires; for indeed desires,
Only lead the soul to what is blameworthy and wrong.
فخَالِفْ هَوَاكَ فإنَّ الهوَى *** يقودُ النفوسَ إلى ما يعاب
If you are caught in confusion between two matters,
And you don’t know what is right and what is wrong.
At that point, disobey your desires; for indeed desires,
Only lead the soul to what is blameworthy and wrong.
Words of Abu Atahiya
رغــيــف خــبز يـابس *** تأكــله في زاويــه
A flat and dry loaf of bread
Which you eat in a corner
وكـــوز مــاء بــارد *** تـشـربه من ساقــيــه
A cold glass of water
Which you drink from a stream
وغــرفــة ضــيقــة *** نـفـسـك فيـها خالــيــه
A narrow and constricted bedroom
Wherein you are all alone
أو مسجد منــعزل *** عن الورى في ناحــيــه
Or an isolated mosque
In a corner far from the people
تـدرس فـيه دفـتراً *** مسـتنداً بالـسـاريه
Wherein you study from a book
Fastened by the spine
معـتـبراً بمــن مضى *** من القـرون الخالــي
Giving you news of those gone by
Of past centuries and nations
خــيــرٌ من السـاعـات في *** فيء قصـور عالـيه
Is better than moments spent
Under the shade of lofty castles
تعــقـبها عـقــوبة *** تصلى بــنار حامـيه
Only to be followed by punishment
Being burnt by fierce Fire
فــهذه وصيـــتي *** مخـبــرة بحاـليه
And so this is my parting advice
Informing you of current times
طــوبى لمن يســمعها *** تلك لعـمري كافــيه
Glad tidings to the one who hears it
That, I swear, is sufficient
فاسمع لنصح مشــفـق *** يدعى أبا العتـــاهـيــه
So listen to the advice of the worried one
The one whom they call Abul ‘Atahiyah
A flat and dry loaf of bread
Which you eat in a corner
وكـــوز مــاء بــارد *** تـشـربه من ساقــيــه
A cold glass of water
Which you drink from a stream
وغــرفــة ضــيقــة *** نـفـسـك فيـها خالــيــه
A narrow and constricted bedroom
Wherein you are all alone
أو مسجد منــعزل *** عن الورى في ناحــيــه
Or an isolated mosque
In a corner far from the people
تـدرس فـيه دفـتراً *** مسـتنداً بالـسـاريه
Wherein you study from a book
Fastened by the spine
معـتـبراً بمــن مضى *** من القـرون الخالــي
Giving you news of those gone by
Of past centuries and nations
خــيــرٌ من السـاعـات في *** فيء قصـور عالـيه
Is better than moments spent
Under the shade of lofty castles
تعــقـبها عـقــوبة *** تصلى بــنار حامـيه
Only to be followed by punishment
Being burnt by fierce Fire
فــهذه وصيـــتي *** مخـبــرة بحاـليه
And so this is my parting advice
Informing you of current times
طــوبى لمن يســمعها *** تلك لعـمري كافــيه
Glad tidings to the one who hears it
That, I swear, is sufficient
فاسمع لنصح مشــفـق *** يدعى أبا العتـــاهـيــه
So listen to the advice of the worried one
The one whom they call Abul ‘Atahiyah
Bearers of the qur'an
وبعد: فالإنسان ليس يشرف *** إلا بما يحفظه ويعرف
A person is not honoured or raised
Except by what he knows and has memorised
لذاك كان حاملو القرآن *** أشراف الأمة أولى الإحسان
For that reason the bearers of Qur’an
Are the nobles of this Ummah and its righteous
وإنهم في الناس أهل الله *** وإن ربنا بهم يباهي
And they are the people of Allah amongst Mankind *
And indeed our Lord has boasted of them
وقال في القرآن عنهم وكفى *** بأنه أورثه من اصطفى
He spoke of them in the Qur’an, and it is sufficient
That He gives it (the Qur’an) to those He has chosen **
وهو في الأخرى شافع مشفع *** فيه وفوله عليه يسمع
And in the Hereafter, it is an ardent intercessor
And its statement is something surely heard
يعطى به الملك مع الخلد إذا *** توجه تاج الكرامة كذا
By it a person is given the dominion and immortality
And likewise, he is given the crown of honour
يقرا ويرقى درج الجنان *** وأبواه منه يكسيان
He’ll read and ascend the ranks of Paradise by it
And his parents will also be clothed by it ***
فليحرص السعيد في تحصيله *** ولا يمل قط من ترتيله
So let a person strive to attain it
And let him never tire of its recitation.
A person is not honoured or raised
Except by what he knows and has memorised
لذاك كان حاملو القرآن *** أشراف الأمة أولى الإحسان
For that reason the bearers of Qur’an
Are the nobles of this Ummah and its righteous
وإنهم في الناس أهل الله *** وإن ربنا بهم يباهي
And they are the people of Allah amongst Mankind *
And indeed our Lord has boasted of them
وقال في القرآن عنهم وكفى *** بأنه أورثه من اصطفى
He spoke of them in the Qur’an, and it is sufficient
That He gives it (the Qur’an) to those He has chosen **
وهو في الأخرى شافع مشفع *** فيه وفوله عليه يسمع
And in the Hereafter, it is an ardent intercessor
And its statement is something surely heard
يعطى به الملك مع الخلد إذا *** توجه تاج الكرامة كذا
By it a person is given the dominion and immortality
And likewise, he is given the crown of honour
يقرا ويرقى درج الجنان *** وأبواه منه يكسيان
He’ll read and ascend the ranks of Paradise by it
And his parents will also be clothed by it ***
فليحرص السعيد في تحصيله *** ولا يمل قط من ترتيله
So let a person strive to attain it
And let him never tire of its recitation.
The Qur'an memoriser
ياحامل القرآن قد خصك الرحمن
O bearer of the Qur’an! The Most Gracious has chosen you,
بالفضل والتيجان والروح والريحان
with grace and crowns, and with life and satisfaction.
يادائم الترتيل للذكر والتنزيل
O constant reciter of The Remembrance and The Revelation!
بشراك يوم رحيل ستفوز بالغفران
Your glad tidings on the day of departure (is that) soon you will win with the forgiveness.
ياقارئ الأيات في الجمع والخلوات
O reciter of ayaat in assemblies and in solitudes,
تزهو بك السماوات وتنتشي الأكوان
The heavens swagger with you and the universe swoon over you.
O bearer of the Qur’an! The Most Gracious has chosen you,
بالفضل والتيجان والروح والريحان
with grace and crowns, and with life and satisfaction.
يادائم الترتيل للذكر والتنزيل
O constant reciter of The Remembrance and The Revelation!
بشراك يوم رحيل ستفوز بالغفران
Your glad tidings on the day of departure (is that) soon you will win with the forgiveness.
ياقارئ الأيات في الجمع والخلوات
O reciter of ayaat in assemblies and in solitudes,
تزهو بك السماوات وتنتشي الأكوان
The heavens swagger with you and the universe swoon over you.
On Nahw (Arabic grammer)
I was sent this poem on nahw by Imam Al-Kisa’ee:
إنما النحو قياس يتبع *** وبه في كل أمر ينتفع
Indeed grammar is only a scale that’s followed
And by it, benefit is derived in every matter
فإذا ما أتقن النحو الفتى *** مر في المنطق مرا فاتسع
So if a youth perfects his knowledge of grammar
Then he excels in eloquence and expands therein
واتقاه كل من يسمعه *** من جليس ناطق أو مستمع
All who hear him stand wary of him
Every companion who sits either speaking or listening
وإذا لم يعرف النحو الفتى *** هاب أن ينطق جبنا فانقمع
And if a youth has no knowledge of grammar
Then he cowardly fears to speak, so he remains restrained
يقرأ القرآن لا يعرف *** ما صرّف الإعراب فيه وصنع
He reads the Qur’an but he does not know
What changes the I’rab brings and what function it has
فتراه ينصب الرفع وما *** كان من نصب ومن خفض رفع
So you see him cause the marfu’ to become mansub
And whatever was mansub or makhfud, he makes marfu’!
وإذا حرف جرى إعرابه *** صعب الحرف عليه وامتنع
And if a letter has no sign of I’rab
That letter puts him in difficulty and so he holds back!
يتقى اللحن إذا يقرأه *** وهو لا يدرى وفي اللحن وقع
He is fearful of falling into error when he does read
But he has no knowledge and so in error does he fall!
يلزم الذنب الذى أقرأه *** وهو لا ذنب له فيما اتبع
The sin of this is upon the one who taught him so
And there is no sin on him for what he has followed
والذى يعرفه يقرأه *** وإذا ما شاك في حرف رجع
As for him who has knowledge, reads it well (Qur’an)
And if he is doubtful over a letter, he takes to review
ناظرا فيه وفي إعرابه *** فإذا ما عرف الحق صدع
He looks to it precisely and to its I’rab
And when he finds the answer, he overcomes (the difficulty)
أهما قيه سواء عندكم *** ليست السنة فينا كالبدع
Are they one and the same in your perspective?
In our perspective, the Sunnah is not like the Bid’ah!
وكذلك العلم والجهل فخذ *** منهما ما شئت من شيء ودع
And likewise is the case of ‘ilm and jahl (ignorance)
So take from it what you wish, and leave what you wish
كم وضيع رفع النحو وكم *** من شريف قد رأيناه وضع
How many a debased one was elevated by Nahw
And how many a noble one have we seen debased?
- Imam al-Kisa’ee
إنما النحو قياس يتبع *** وبه في كل أمر ينتفع
Indeed grammar is only a scale that’s followed
And by it, benefit is derived in every matter
فإذا ما أتقن النحو الفتى *** مر في المنطق مرا فاتسع
So if a youth perfects his knowledge of grammar
Then he excels in eloquence and expands therein
واتقاه كل من يسمعه *** من جليس ناطق أو مستمع
All who hear him stand wary of him
Every companion who sits either speaking or listening
وإذا لم يعرف النحو الفتى *** هاب أن ينطق جبنا فانقمع
And if a youth has no knowledge of grammar
Then he cowardly fears to speak, so he remains restrained
يقرأ القرآن لا يعرف *** ما صرّف الإعراب فيه وصنع
He reads the Qur’an but he does not know
What changes the I’rab brings and what function it has
فتراه ينصب الرفع وما *** كان من نصب ومن خفض رفع
So you see him cause the marfu’ to become mansub
And whatever was mansub or makhfud, he makes marfu’!
وإذا حرف جرى إعرابه *** صعب الحرف عليه وامتنع
And if a letter has no sign of I’rab
That letter puts him in difficulty and so he holds back!
يتقى اللحن إذا يقرأه *** وهو لا يدرى وفي اللحن وقع
He is fearful of falling into error when he does read
But he has no knowledge and so in error does he fall!
يلزم الذنب الذى أقرأه *** وهو لا ذنب له فيما اتبع
The sin of this is upon the one who taught him so
And there is no sin on him for what he has followed
والذى يعرفه يقرأه *** وإذا ما شاك في حرف رجع
As for him who has knowledge, reads it well (Qur’an)
And if he is doubtful over a letter, he takes to review
ناظرا فيه وفي إعرابه *** فإذا ما عرف الحق صدع
He looks to it precisely and to its I’rab
And when he finds the answer, he overcomes (the difficulty)
أهما قيه سواء عندكم *** ليست السنة فينا كالبدع
Are they one and the same in your perspective?
In our perspective, the Sunnah is not like the Bid’ah!
وكذلك العلم والجهل فخذ *** منهما ما شئت من شيء ودع
And likewise is the case of ‘ilm and jahl (ignorance)
So take from it what you wish, and leave what you wish
كم وضيع رفع النحو وكم *** من شريف قد رأيناه وضع
How many a debased one was elevated by Nahw
And how many a noble one have we seen debased?
- Imam al-Kisa’ee
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