Al-Ṣabbu Lahu Yaḥlu l-Walahu - The Lover Finds Sweetness in Longing#

Verses#

Al-Ṣabbu Lahu Yaḥlu l-Walahu - The Lover Finds Sweetness in Longing

1#

الصَّبُّ لَهُ يَحْلُو الوَلَهُ

Al-ṣabbu lahu yaḥlu l-walahu

The lover finds sweetness in longing

فِي مَنْ بِهَوَاهُ أَشْغَلَهُ

Fī man bi-hawāhu ashghalahu

for the one whose love has wholly consumed him

2#

فَاعْذُرْ مَنْ هَامَ بِسَلْوَاهُ

Fa-ʿdhur man hāma bi-salwāhu

Have mercy on one lost in his solace, overcome with yearning

وَجْدًا وَاحْذَرْ أَنْ تَعْذُلَهُ

Wajdan wa-ḥdhar an taʿdhulahu

beware of blaming him.

3#

وَحَبِيبِي لَيْسَ يَغِيبُ وَلَا

Wa-ḥabībī laysa yaghību wa-lā

My Beloved never absents Himself,

يَرْضَى إِلَّا أَنْ أَسْأَلَهُ

Yarḍā illā an asʾalahu

Nor is He pleased unless I seek Him

4#

لَمْ أَنْسَ أُخَيَّ تَعَطُّفَهُ

Lam ansa ukhayya taʿaṭṭufahu

I have not forgotten His tender mercy,

وَتَلَطُّفَهُ وَتَفَضُّلَهُ

Wa-talaṭṭufahu wa-tafaḍḍulahu

His gentle care, and His boundless grace.

5#

وَأَنَا المَشْغُوفُ بِطَلْعَتِهِ

Wa-ana l-mashghūfu bi-ṭalʿatihi

I am captivated by His radiant beauty,

إِذْ صَيَّرَ قَلْبِي مَنْزِلَهُ

Idh ṣayyara qalbī manzilahu

For He has made my heart His dwelling.

6#

وَحِّدْهُ مَعَ التَّنْزِيهِ وَدَعْ

Waḥḥidʹhu maʿa l-tanzīhi wa-daʿ

Affirm His oneness with complete transcendence,

مَنْ شَبَّهَهُ أَوْ مَثَّلَهُ

Man shabbahahu aw maththalahu

And shun all likeness or resemblance.

7#

أَيَخِيبُ نَزِيلٌ أَمَّلَهُ

A-yakhību nazīlun ammalahu

Can one who entrusts their hope to Him ever falter,

بِرَسُولِ اللهِ تَوَسُّلُهُ

Bi-rasūli llāhi tawassuluhu

while seeking through the intercession of God’s Messenger?

8#

مِنْ عَهْدِ "أَلَسْتُ" تَعَارُفُنَا

Min ʿahdi "a-lastu" taʿārufunā

Since the covenant of “Am I not (your Lord)?” we have known Him,

وَأَعُوذُ بِهِ أَنْ أَجْهَلَهُ

Wa-aʿūdhu bihi an ajhalahu

And I seek refuge in Him from ever being ignorant of Him

About#

Eight couplets on the lover’s longing for the Beloved, affirming His oneness and seeking through the intercession of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Sources#

Arabic, translation: shared PDF
Transliteration: auto-generated