Ilaika, Imam Ash-Shafi’s poem on his deathbed

Assalamu alaikum wrwb, I have been recently studying about Arabic Poetry in my MA Arabic classes. This one Poetry really makes an effect on the heart.

Let us listen to it and read it.

Ilaika, Imam Ash-Shafi’s poem on his deathbed (YouTube)

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
فكَيْفَ وقدْ أغْوَى صَفْيَك آدِمـــا
Were it not for You, then a servant could never defy Iblis
And how can that be when he misled 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 favors

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 Allah 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 القبر أنجَمــا
Exhilaration surrounds me, only for Allah
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 يَتندَمـــا
Whoever holds fast to Allah, he is protected from men
And whoever hopes for Him, then never will he regret

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Written by

Ustadha Fahmina

Founder

Ustadha Fahmina holds a Sanad in Alimiyyah (6-year Dars-e-Nizami) from two recognized Islamic institutes and a Master's degree in Arabic from Indira Gandhi National University. She teaches Qur'an, Tafsir, Hadith, and Fiqh following the Hanafi school within Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah. She founded Islam Hashtag in 2015 to bring authentic Islamic learning to Muslim families online. She also holds a degree in Optometry and is the founder of Optometryskills.com.