رَاعَتْ قُلُوبَ الْعِدَا أَنْبَاءُ بِعْثَتِهِ

كَنَبْأَةٍ أَجْفَلَتْ غُفْلًا مِنَ الْغَنَمِ

The news of his being sent had cast fear into the hearts of foes

as heedless sheep are startled by sudden noise.

مَا زَالَ يَلْقَاهُمُ فِي كُلِّ مُعْتَرَكٍ

حَتَّى حَكَوْا بِالْقَنَا لَحْمًا عَلَى وَضَمِ

He continued to meet them on every battleground

Until spears cut them, like meat on a butcher’s block.

وَدُّوا الْفِرَارَ فَكَادُوا يَغْبِطُونَ بِهِ

أَشْلَاءَ شَالَتْ مَعَ الْعِقْبَانِ وَالرَّخَمِ

They longed to flee, almost jealous of

The dead flesh carried off by hawks and vultures.

تَمْضِي اللَّيَالِي وَلَا يَدْرُونَ عِدَّتَهَا

مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ مِنْ لَيَالِي الْأَشْهُرِ الْحُرُمِ

The nights passed with them unaware of their number,

Apart from the nights of the Sacred Months.

كَأَنَّمَا الدِّينُ ضَيْفٌ حَلَّ سَاحَتَهُمْ

بِكُلِّ قَرْمٍ إِلَى لَحْمِ الْعِدَا قَرِمِ

As if the religion were a guest that had arrived at their courtyard,

With every honoured chieftain eager for the flesh of their foes.

يَجُرُّ بَحْرَ خَمِيسٍ فَوْقَ سَابِحَةٍ

يَرْمِي بِمَوْجٍ مِنَ الْأَبْطَالِ مُلْتَطِمِ

Bringing forth a sea of soldiers on swift steeds,

Tossing wave upon wave of onrushing heroes.

مِنْ كُلِّ مُنْتَدِبٍ لِلّٰهِ مُحْتَسِبٍ

يَسْطُو بِمُسْتَأْصِلٍ لِلْكُفْرِ مُصْطَلِمِ

All responding to Allah’s call and anticipating reward,

Boldly charging on, and uprooting disbelief.

حَتَّى غَدَتْ مِلَّةُ الْإِسْلَامِ وَهْيَ بِهِمْ

مِنْ بَعْدِ غُرْبَتِهَا مَوْصُولَةَ الرَّحِمِ

Until the religion of Islam was, through them,

Reunited in kinship after being in exile.

مَكْفُولَةً أَبَدًا مِنْهُمْ بِخَيْرِ أَبٍ

وَخَيْرِ بَعْلٍ فَلَمْ تَيْتَمْ وَلَمْ تَئِمِ

Forever protected from [foes] by the best of fathers and husbands,

So that she was no longer an orphan or a widow.

هُمُ الْجِبَالُ فَسَلْ عَنْهُمْ مُصَادِمَهُمْ

مَاذَا رَأَى مِنْهُمُ فِي كُلِّ مُصْطَدَمِ

They were mountains! Ask those who came to blows with them

What they saw from them on every field of battle.

وَسَلْ حُنَيْنًا وَسَلْ بَدْرًا وَسَلْ أُحُدًا

فُصُولَ حَتْفٍ لَهُمْ أَدْهَى مِنَ الْوَخَمِ

Ask Ḥunayn, ask Badr, ask Uḥud—

Seasons of death, more disastrous for them than the plague!

الْمُصْدِرِي الْبِيضِ حُمْرًا بَعْدَ مَا وَرَدَتْ

مِنَ الْعِدَا كُلَّ مُسْوَدٍّ مِنَ اللِّمَمِ

White swords returned, dripping red after taking drink

From beneath the black heads of all their enemies.

وَالْكَاتِبِينَ بِسُمْرِ الْخَطِّ مَا تَرَكَتْ

أَقْلَامُهُمْ حَرْفَ جِسْمٍ غَيْرَ مُنْعَجِمِ

Like scribes with wielded spears for pens,

Leaving no letter of a body unmarked with dots.

شَاكِي السِّلَاحِ لَهُمْ سِيمَا تُمَيِّزُهُمْ

وَالْوَرْدُ يَمْتَازُ بِالسِّيمَا عَنِ السَّلَمِ

Well-armed, they were distinguished by a clear sign,

as a rose differs from an acacia tree in its features.

تُهْدِي إِلَيْكَ رِيَاحُ النَّصْرِ نَشْرَهُمُ

فَتَحْسَبُ الزَّهْرَ فِي الْأَكْمَامِ كُلَّ كَمِي

The winds of victory bring you their scent as a gift;

You would think each armed hero a flower in bud!

كَأَنَّهُمْ فِي ظُهُورِ الْخَيْلِ نَبْتُ رُبًا

مِنْ شِدَّةِ الْحَزْمِ لَا مِنْ شَدَّةِ الْحُزُمِ

As if, riding their steeds, they were flowers on a hill-top

Held firm not by strong stirrups, but by strength of resolve.

طَارَتْ قُلُوبُ الْعِدَا مِنْ بَأْسِهِمْ فَرَقًا

فَمَا تُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ الْبَهْمِ وَالْبُهَمِ

Their forceful onslaught so put their foes’ hearts to flight

that you could not have told a herd from a warrior.

وَمَنْ تَكُنْ بِرَسُولِ اللهِ نُصْرَتُهُ

إِنْ تَلْقَهُ الْأُسْدُ فِي آجَامِهَا تَجِمِ

For the one whose help comes from the Emissary of Allah

Even lions finding him in their dens will be loth to face him.

وَلَنْ تَرَى مِنْ وَلِيٍّ غَيْرَ مُنْتَصِرٍ

بِهِ وَلَا مِنْ عَدُوٍّ غَيْرَ مُنْقَصِمِ

You will not see one saint who is not victorious through him;

Or a single foe of his who is not dealt mortal blows.

أَحَلَّ أُمَّتَهُ فِي حِرْزِ مِلَّتِهِ

كَاللَّيْثِ حَلَّ مَعَ الْأَشْبَالِ فِي أَجَمِ

He gave his nation sanctuary in the stronghold of his faith,

As a lion settles in with its cubs in a thicket.

كَمْ جَدَّلَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللهِ مِنْ جَدِلٍ

فِيهِ وَكَمْ خَصَمَ الْبُرْهَانُ مِنْ خَصِمِ

How often have Allah’s words felled his opponents,

And how often the Qur’an has defeated its enemies!

كَفَاكَ بِالْعِلْمِ فِي الْأُمِّيِّ مُعْجِزَةً

فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَالتَّأْدِيبِ فِي الْيُتُمِ

The erudition of an unlettered one is miracle enough

in an Age of Ignorance, as is an orphan’s education.