Tuesday 18 January 2011

From the Dīwān of Imām Ash-Shāfiʿī, may Allah have mercy on him

Let the days do what they will

Let the days do what they will
Be content with yourself when the divine decree is decided

Don't be impatient with adversity
For what happens in the life of this world does not last

Be strong in the face of afflictions
Let your character be one of forbearance and trust

If your flaws are many amongst the creation
And you are happy when they are covered

Veil them with generosity, for every flaw
Is covered - as they say - by generosity

Never appear humiliated before your enemies
For indeed the malicious joy of enemies is a trial

Don't hope for generosity from a miser
For in fire there is no water to quench one's thirst

Your provision is not diminished by you biding your time
And your provision is not increased through toil

No grief lasts, and no joy
And there is no privation and no prosperity

If you have contentment in your heart
You and the owner of the world are equal

When death befalls someone
No earth can protect him, nor sky

Allah's earth is vast, but
When the judgement descends, there's no escape

Let the day be treacherous from time to time
For there is no remedy in the face of death

[Translated from the Dīwān of Imām Ash-Shāfiʿī, p.26-27, Dār Al-Kutub Al-ʿIlmiyyah, Beirut, 1984]

Biography of Imām Ash-Shāfiʿī [d.204 AH/810 AD]:

D. 204 AH/819 AD. Known as the reviver and renewer of Islam in his era, Imām Ash-Shāfiʿī was the first of all the absolute mujtahids to write down a book explaining how to derive rulings in a systematic and cogent way. A direct descendant of the great-grandfather of the Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him, and raised in the shadow of Masjid al-Aqṣā and the Sacred Masjid of Makkah, his knowledge of deriving furūʿ (branches) from Usūl (foundations) was second to none. It is for this reason that any faqīh after him owes a debt to him, for making fiqh an easier exercise to partake in for the scholar.

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