Live at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music

Tracklist + Liner Notes

1. Taqsim Al-Hamziyya (Live)
2. Hamziyya (Live)

   Ṣalli yā Rabbi thumma sallim ‘alā man
   So pray my Lord and bestow blessings upon him

   Huwa li-l-khalqi raḥmatun wa-shifā’un
   Who is for all mankind, a grace and a healing

   Wa-‘ala l-āli wa-ṣ-ṣaḥābati jam‘an
   So also on his fair Companions and kinsmen

   Ma tazayyanat bi-n-nujūmi s-samā’u
   With blessings that abide like the sky’s lofty ceiling.

   So pray my Lord and bestow blessings upon him
   Who is for all mankind, a grace and a healing

   So also on his fair Companions and kinsmen
   With blessings that abide like the sky’s lofty ceiling.

   Accept and pity them as my intercessor
   Upon the day when all need an intercessor.

   And in this gloomy age keep me and my people
   For in our day our power has grown faint and feeble.

   For in these times the faith is once more a stranger
   Thus did you once foretell, the decent in danger.

   So catch us lest we fall in the pit of peril
   For on this day we tire, after blunder and quarrel.

   ‘Hamziyya’ is a multi-layered piece that brings together music inspired by an Algerian mystical chant with a melody suggestive of the English folk tradition. In the interweaving of these musical expressions the listener can hear how traditional music is always in harmony, never dissonant. ‘Hamziyya’ was initially released on Sami Yusuf’s album Barakah, but this is a completely new arrangement with a never-before-heard Taqsīm composition in the Intro.

   The Intro was performed for the first time at the 2019 Fes Festival of Sacred Music. In it each solo instrument explores a unique maqam or musical mode: Sīkah (qanun), Bayāti (bağlama), Rāst (ney), Hījāz (oud), and eventually returning to Rāst. Each of these modes is known to have a distinct emotional effect on the listener. Here the transitions from one mode to another are arranged to evoke various stages of an inner journey.

   The lyrics come from portions of the thousand-verse Hamziyya (poem rhyming in hamza) by the renowned Palestinian scholar Yusuf Nabhani (d. 1932). Because it describes the Prophet’s life and character, it’s frequently recited during Mawlid celebrations of the Prophet’s (pbuh) birthday.

3. Ya Rasul Allah, Pt. 1 (Live)

   Yā Rasūla l-Lāh
   O Messenger of God,
   Yā shay Medina
   O Prince of Medina

   Har kas ‘ashgta
   Don’t break the heart of the one
   Dili mashkina
   Who loves you and is crazed for you

   Bechmam Madīna, beīsem bepā wā
   I will go to Medina and openly express to the Prophet
   Arza bam bedas Rasūl-a-Allāh wā
   My inner heart-felt desire to serve Him

   [Kurdish (refrain)]
   Yā Rasūla l-Lāh
   O Messenger of God,
   Yā shay Medina
   O Prince of Medina

   Har kas ‘ashgta
   Don’t break the heart of the one
   Dili mashkina
   Who loves you and is crazed for you

   (Turkish)
   Yâ Resûlallah
   O the Messenger of Allah
   Yâ Nebiyallah
   O the Prophet of Allah

   Günâhım çokdur
   My sins are so many
   Eyle şefâat
   Help me to be forgiven

   Senin aşkına
   ‘Cause God will forgive me
   Affede Mevlâ
   For His love of you

   Kıl bize duâ
   Please pray for us
   Yâ Resûlallah
   O The Messenger of Allah

   (Arabic)
   Yā Rasūla l-Lāh
   O Messenger of Allāh
   Qalbī mushtāq
   My heart is longing
   Li-l-Madīnah
   For Medina

   Yā Ḥabība l-Lāh
   O Beloved of Allah
   Kullī ’ashwāq
   All my earnings
   Li-l-Madīnah
   Are for Medina

   Li-Nabīyi l-Lāh
   For the Prophet of Allah
   Muddat bi-r-rajā’ ’ayādīnā
   Our hands are extended in hope

   Mā taruddanā yā Rasūla l-Lāh khā’ibīna
   O Messenger of Allah, our beloved,
   do not us send back empty-handed

   (Kurdish)
   Yā Rasūla l-Lāh, Bawanem, Nawet chand khowsha*
   O Messenger of God, How beautiful is your name

   ‘Araghet golah bawanem, Būnet wa nawsha
   The blessed beads of sweat from your luminous body, smell of flowers

   Har wak hājiyān bawānem, La dowr baytu l-Lāh bawanem
   Like the pilgrims who circumambulate the House of God
   O my all, my beloved
   Bīm ba dawrī to ‘azīzam,
   I’d circle around you, my dearest one,
   Yā Nabī, Yā Shafī’
   O Prophet of God, O Intercessor!

4. Ya Rasul Allah, Pt. 2 (Live)

   Ṣallū ‘alayhi shafī’ l-’ummah
   Send salutations upon him, the intercessor of the Muslim nation

   Bi dhikri r-Rasūl tushḥadhu l-himmah
   By mentioning the messenger we sharpen our zeal

   Yā Rabbi bi-jāhin Nabī ’azihi l-ghummah
   O God, for the sake of the prophet, clear the adversity

   Ṣallū ‘ala l-Hādi l-Bashīr*
   Send salutations upon The Guide and Bearer of good tidings

   Ḥabībī l-Badri l-Munīr
   My beloved the luminous full moon

   Shafī’ī ‘inda l-Qadīr
   My intercessor with the All-Powerful

   Ṣallū ‘alayhi
   Send salutations upon him!

   Ṣallū bi-’aḥla l-kalām
   Send salutations upon him with the sweetest of words!

   Ṣallū ‘ala l-badri t-tamām
   Salutations upon him, the full-moon

   Rasūlī, khayri l-’anām
   My messenger, the best of mankind!

5. Mawal Nahawand [Live] (feat. Ismail Boujia)

   They said, ‘Have you forgotten the One Whom you love?’
   So I told them ‘O People, He Who is my Spirit, how could I ever forget Him?

   And how could I forget Him, by Whom all things are beautified.
   It would be a strange thing indeed for a servant to forget his Lord.

   He is never hidden from me yet I see Him not,
   Except that I say openly ‘Say He is God.’
   What say the accusers? Their efforts are in vain.
   What the enemies say makes it all the more meaningful.

   Indeed I do love Him. What they say is indeed true.
   Yes, O Yes! I love Him! Indeed do I love Him!
   I ask forgiveness from God for all but His love,
   For it is all the good deeds I have on the day that I meet Him.

   And if they should say that love is a transgression,
   Then love is the best thing with which one can meet God.

   – Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa’i
   (12th c founder of Rifa’I Sufi Order)

   Translated by Nicholas Boylston

6. I Only Knew Love (Live)

   I only knew love when I knew love of Thee,
   I sealed up my heart against Thy enemy.

   I stood long in converse with Thee, who doth see
   My heart’s inner secrets, but Thou I don’t see.

   My love is twin loves, yet the twain are for Thee,
   The first’s for Thy love, and the other’s for Thee.

   And as for the first, which is love of Thy love:
   Remembrance complete, not distracted from Thee.

   ‘Araftul-hawā mudh ‘araftu hawāk
   Wa-’aghlaqtu qalbī ‘alā man ‘ādāk
   I only knew love when I knew love of Thee,
   I sealed up my heart against Thy enemy.

   And as for the second: my true love of Thee,
   I see Thou as present in all that I see.

   All praise to Thy name, and no praises for me,
   For Thine is the glory in all unity.

   ‘Araftul-hawā mudh ‘araftu hawāk
   Wa-’aghlaqtu qalbī ‘alā man ‘ādāk
   I only knew love when I knew love of Thee,
   I sealed up my heart against Thy enemy.

   ’Uḥibbuka ḥubbayni, ḥubba l-hawā
   Wa-ḥubban li-’annaka ’ahlu l-lidhāk
   My love is twin loves, yet the twain are for Thee,
   The first’s for Thy love, and the other’s for Thee.

   Fa-’amma l-ladhī huwa ḥubbul-hawā
   Fa-shughlī bi-dhikrika ‘an man siwāk
   And as for the first, which is love of Thy love:
   Remembrance complete, not distracted from Thee.

   Wa-’amma l-ladhī ’anta ’ahlu l-lahu
   Fa-lastu ’ara l-kawna ḥattā ’arāk
   And as for the second: my true love of Thee,
   I see Thou as present in all that I see.

   Fa-la l-ḥamdu fī dhā wa-lā dhāka lī
   Wa-lākin laka l-ḥamdu fī dhā wa-dhāk
   All praise to Thy name, and no praises for me,
   For Thine is the glory in all unity.

    

7. Ilahana (Live)

   إلهنا.. ما أعدلك
   O our God, how just You are,

   مليكَ كل من ملك
   You are the King of all kings [or Owner of all who own].

   لبيك قد لبيتُ لك
   Here I am, I answer Your call,
   
   لبيك إن الحمدَ لك
   Here I am, verily all thanks are due to You,
   
   والملكُ لك، يا مولاي
   And all sovereignty, O Master.

   الله يا الله، يا مولانا
   Allah, Allah, O our Master.

   سبحانه ما أعظمه
   How great is His glory,
   
   والملك له، لا شريك له
   And there is no partner in His sovereignty.

   لبيك إن الحمدَ لك
   Here I am, verily all thanks are due to You,
   
   والعز، لا شريك لك
   And You have no partner in glory.

   الله وحده.. لا شريك له
   Allah is One, He has no partners.

   الله الله الله
   Allah, Allah, Allah,
   
   لا إله إلا هو
   There is no god but Him.

   الله الله الله
   Allah, Allah, Allah,
   
   لا إله إلا هو
   There is no god but Him.

   إلهنا.. ما أعدلك
   O our God, how just You are,
   
   مليكَ كل من ملك
   You are the King of all kings [or Owner of all who own].

   لبيك قد لبيتُ لك
   Here I am, I answer Your call,
   
   لبيك إن الحمدَ لك
   Here I am, verily all thanks are due to You,

   و هو أول و هو آخر، الظاهر والباطن
   He is First, and He is Last, the Outer and the Inner,
   
   و الوالي ما أعظمه
   And how great is the Friend and Protector,
   
   والملك له، لا شريك له
   And He has no partners is His sovereignty.
   

   لبيك إن الحمد لك
   Here I am, verily all thanks are due to You,
   
   والعز، لا شريك لك
   And You have no partner in glory.

   الوكيل، القوي، المتين، الغني،
   The Guardian, the Possessor of all Strength, the Impassible, the Rich One,
   
   اللطيف، الخبير، الحليم
   The most Subtle and Gracious, the All-Aware, the Forbearing,

   سبحانه، ما أعدله
   How just He is,
   
   مليكَ كل من ملك
   You are the King of all kings [or Owner of all who own].

   لبيك قد لبيتُ لك
   Here I am, I answer Your call,
   
   لبيك إن الحمدَ لك
   Here I am, verily all thanks are due to You,

   ارحمنا، واسترنا، واحفظنا من كل بلوى، الرحيم، يا مولانا
   Have mercy on us, and help us, and save us from every calamity, O our Master.

   إلهنا.. ما أعدلك
   O our God, how just You are,
   
   مليكَ كل من ملك
   You are the King of all kings [or Owner of all who own].

   لبيك قد لبيتُ لك
   Here I am, I answer Your call,
   
   لبيك إن الحمدَ لك
   Here I am, verily all thanks are due to You,

   سبحانه
   Glory be to Him.

8. Come See (Live)

   I am walking, burning, burning,
   Love has stained my heart with yearning,
   Neither crazy nor discerning –
   Come, see, what love has done to me.

   Gel gör beni beni aşk neyledi
   Derde giriftar eyledi

   Come, see, what love has done to me.

   One day like the winds I’m blowing,
   One day like the roads I’m going,
   One day like the floods I’m flowing.
   Come, see, what love has done to me.

   Take my hand and keep me staying –
   Take me else, to You conveying,
   No more tears, for laughs I’m praying.
   Come, see, what love has done to me.

   Walking round with Majnun’s madness,
   Seeing Her in dreams my gladness,
   Waking up again in sadness.
   Come, see, what love has done to me.

   I am Yunus, poor and stricken,
   From my exile my steps quicken,
   Head to toe I hurt and sicken.
   Come, see, what love has done to me.

   Ben yürürüm yane yane
   I am walking, burning, burning,

   Aşk boyadı beni kane
   Love has stained my heart with yearning,

   Ne akilem ne divane
   Neither crazy nor discerning –

   Gel gör beni aşk neyledi
   Derde giriftar eyledi
   Come, see, what love has done to me.
   Come, see, what love has done to me.

    

9. Lovers (Live)

   Ey ‘Āsheqān, Ey ‘Āsheqān
   Amad gahe waṣlo leqa
   Az āsemān āmad nedā
   Key mahrūyān aṣ-ṣalā

   O lovers, O lovers, the time of union and meeting has come
   A calling from Heaven proclaimed, “Moon-faced ones, it is time to pray!”

   Ḥay Allāh, Hu Allāh, Yā Allāh

   Ey sarkhoshān, Ey sarkhoshān
   Amad ṭarab dāman keshan
   Begrefte ma zanjīre ū
   Begrefte ū dāmāne mā

   O divinely intoxicated ones, the joyously whirling One has arrived;
   The chains of His curls have captured us and the yearning of our hearts have captured Him.

   Amad sharābe ātashīn
   Ey Dīve gham konjī neshīn
   Ey jane marg-andīsh ro
   Ey sāqīye bāqī darā

   The fiery wine has come, demon of grief, off to a corner!
   Leave O death-pondering soul, O immortal Saqi, come through!

   Ey haft gardūn maste to
   Mā mohreyi dar daste to
   Ey haste mā az haste to
   Dar ṣad hezārān marḥabā

   O by whom the seven vaults are enraptured,
   We are but a bead in your hands
   Our being is by your being, a thousand hails!

   Ey bānge naye khosh-samar
   Dar bānge to ṭa’me shekar
   Āyad marā sham-o sahar
   Az bānge to būye vafā

   O sound of the reed with sweet stories
   In your sound is the taste of sugar
   From your sound, comes the fragrance of fidelity day and night!

   Bāre degar āghāz kon
   Ān pardehā rā sāz kon
   Bar jomle khūbān nāz kon
   Ey Āftābe khosh leqā

   Begin once more and tune those notes!
   Display your charm to the good souls,
   O fair-faced sun!

10. Taha (Live)

    Ṣalla l-Lāhu ‘alā Ṭāhā
    Khayri l-khalqi wa-’aḥlāhā
    God’s blessings be upon Taha,
    Best of creation and the sweetest

    Khayru l-khalqi huwa l-hādī
    Nūru l-kawni bihi bādī
    Best of [God’s] creation, he’s the guide
    The light of existence shines through him

    ‘Amma n-nāsa bi-’irshādi
    ’Azka l-khalqi wa-’arḍāhā
    He encompassed all mankind with his guidance
    Purest of creation and the most pleasing

    Nūru l-Lāhi l-mutaqaddim
    Qabla l-khalqi l-muta‘allim
    The first light of God
    He was taught before all other creation

    Badru n-nūri l-mutalaththim
    Hādi l-khalqi li-Mawlāhā
    The veiled light of the full moon
    Guiding creation to its Lord

    Ba‘da s-sidrati qad sārā
    Wa-ra’a l-ḥaqqa wa-’anwārah
    Beyond the Sidra* he walked
    And saw The Truth and His Lights

    Waqafa r-ruḥu wa-ma sārā
    Idhhab waḥdaka yā Ṭāhā
    The Spirit (Jibra’il) stopped and did not continue
    [saying] go on alone Taha

    Irża l-Lāha bi-l-ālāf
    ‘an ’ahli l-bayti l-’ashrāf
    May God be pleased with his intimates
    from his noble family

    Wa-l-’aṣhābi ’ūli-l-’insāf
    Nālu l-khulda wa-suknāhā
    And his companions, the people of justice
    Who gained eternity and its dwelling

    Malīḥun lawnuhū**
    Kahīlun ṭarfuhū
    Jamīlun na‘tuhū
    Ṣalla l-Lāhu ‘alā Ṭāhā
    Of fine complexion
    His eyes, dark and wide
    Of beautiful face
    The guide, with whom God is satisfied

    Qamarīyun wajhuhū
    Bahīyun shakluhū
    ‘Aẓīmun khuluquhū
    Ṣalla l-Lāhu ‘alā Ṭāhā
    His face is like the moon
    His form is resplendent
    His character is mighty
    Taha, the chosen one

    Rahīmun qalbuhū
    Ṣadūqun wa‘duhū
    ‘Amīmun jūduhū
    Māḥin muntaqā
    His heart is kind,
    His promises are kept
    His generosity is vast
    The effacer (of sins), the chosen one

    Ṣalātu Rabbī
    Ma‘a s-salāmi
    ‘Alā Muhammad
    Zaynu l-’asāmī
    The blessings of my Lord
    And His peace
    Upon Muhammad
    The most beautiful of names

    Maqām: Bayātī
    Commentary: “Ṣalla l-Lāhu ‘alā Ṭāhā” was written by the Sudanese/Egyptian Shaykh Salih al-Ja’fari (d. 1979) who taught and lived at the famous al-Azhar University in Cairo and was also the Imam of the al-Azhar mosque. He was a Sufi shaykh in the lineage of Ahmad ibn Idris of Fez (d. 1837) and a prolific author of works on the Qur’an, Hadith, Islamic law and Sufism. He also wrote a celebrated collection of poetry, from which this song is taken. The end section incorporates the blessed names of the Prophet (pbuh) taken from the Diwan of the famous Moroccan Sufi saint Imam Mohammed Al-Jazuli’s (d. 1465), Dala’il al-Khayrat.
    *The Sidra is a reference to the “Lote tree of the furthest boundary” (sidrat al-muntahā) mentioned in the Qur’an (53:14) and described by the Prophet on his night journey to heaven (mi’rāj). The sidra marks the outer boundaries that separate the created world (‘ālam al-khalq) from the spiritual world of the divine command (‘ālam al-amr).
    **This section is an original composition with words provided by Mohammed Ali El Oumari and Abdel Ilah Ikhal. The inspiration behind the melody comes from an old Kurdish folk song heard by Sami Yusuf when he was a child.

    Words by Shaykh Salih al-Ja’fari
    Music: Traditional Islamic (unknown provenance)
    Performed and arranged by Sami Yusuf
    Recorded at Andante Studios

11. Madad (Nasimi Arabic Version)

    اللهُ الله مدد مدد
    God, help, O help!

    اللهُ الله منك المدد
    God, all help is from you!

    الله الله عظيم مدد
    God, the Great, help!

    اللهُ الله كريم مدد
    God, the Generous, help!

    يارباه يا غوثاه يا مولانا
    O Lord! O Succour, Our Master!

    ايا روضة العشاق قد هيجتي مهجتي
    O Garden of the Lovers, You have stirred up my flames

    ايا حضرة الاطلاق فيضتي صبابتي
    O Presence of the Absolute, You have made my longing overflow

    ياخليلي قل الله وحده في الكثرة
    O friend, Say God, alone, in multiplicity

    لاترى ماسوى الله في كل كائنة
    Do not see other than God in all that exists

    يارباه يا غوثاه يا مولانا
    O Lord! O Succor, Our Master!

    إخلع نعليك وافن ان شئت ملاقاتي
    Remove your sandals and become naught if you wish to meet me

    ان اردت تعرفنا انا عين الحياة
    If you wish to know me, I am the Fountain of Life

    تسميت بعبد الله على كل حالة
    I have called myself a servant of God in every situation

    لاإله إلا الله افضل الكلمة
    ‘There is no god but God’ is the best of statements

    سقتني كأس الهوى من طيب الخميرتي
    You gave me to drink of the cup of desire from the goodness of the ferment

    جلوت به السوى عن نور البصيرتي
    And by it you polished all else from the light of my inner vision

    جلوت به السوى عن نور البصيرتي
    And by it you polished all else from the light of my inner vision

    مدد مدد مدد الله مدد
    Help, help, O help, God, O help

    الله الله يا الله مدد مدد يا الله
    God, O God, help, O help, O God

    الله الله يا الله مدد مدد يا الله
    God, O God, help, O help, O God

    مدد مدد مدد مدد
    Help, O help, help, O help

    مدد مدد مدد مدد
    Help, O help, help, O help

    الله الله يا الله مدد مدد يا الله
    God, O God, help, O help, O God

    الله الله يا الله
    God God, O God

    مدد مدد مدد مدد
    Help, O help, help, O help

    مدد مدد مدد مدد
    Help, O help, help, O help

    يا غفور يا شكور
    O All-Forgiving, O Thankful One

    ياحنان يا منان
    O Loving One, O Bounteous One

    الله الله يا الله مدد مدد يا الله
    God, O God, help, O help, O God

    الله الله يا الله مدد مدد يا الله
    God, O God, help, O help, O God

    يا رحمن يا رحيم
    O Infinitely Good, O All-Merciful,

    ياتواب ياوهاب
    O Forgiving One, O Giver of All

    يارباه يا غوثاه يا مولانا
    O Lord! O Succour, Our Master!

    ايا روضة العشاق قد هيجتي مهجتي
    O Garden of the Lovers, You have stirred up my flames

    ايا حضرة الاطلاق فيضتي صبابتي
    O Presence of the Absolute, You have made my longing overflow

    ياخليلي قل الله وحده في الكثرة
    O friend, say God, alone, in multiplicity

    لاترى ماسوى الله في كل كائنة
    Do not see other than God in all that exists

    اللهْ اللهُ اللهُ الله يا رباه
    God, O Lord

    اللهْ اللهُ اللهُ الله يا رباه الله
    God, O Lord, God

    ايا روضة العشاق قد هيجتي مهجتي
    O Garden of the Lovers, You have stirred up my flames

    ايا حضرة الاطلاق فيضتي صبابتي
    O Presence of the Absolute, You have made my longing overflow

    ياخليلي قل الله وحده في الكثرة
    O friend, say God, alone, in multiplicity

    لاترى ماسوى الله في كل كائنة
    Do not see other than God in all that exists

    يا رحمن يا رحيم
    O Infinitely Good, O All-Merciful

    ياتواب ياوهاب
    O Forgiving One, O Giver of All

    إخلع نعليك وافن ان شئت ملاقاتي
    Remove your sandals and become naught if you wish to meet me

    ان اردت تعرفنا انا عين الحياة
    If you wish to know me, I am the fountain of Life

    تسميت بعبد الله على كل حالة
    I have called myself a servant of God in every situation

    لاإله إلا الله افضل الكلمة
    ‘There is no god but God’ is the best of statements

    الله الله الله الله
    God

    الله الله الله الله
    God

    الله الله الله الله
    God

12. Taqsīm (Maqām Nahāwand) [Live]
13. The Key (Lamma Bada Yatathanna) [Live]

    In Andalucian morning light
    In seas of azure, in dawning skies
    I watch you bloom, the birth of spring
    You are the song that all lovers sing
    You are the key holding me in

    I am a prisoner, I can’t escape
    The key is inside the forms you take
    You are the web I cannot spin
    You are the pulse beneath my skin
    You are the key holding me in

    Your love is a door I cannot find
    The only way out is from deep inside
    I’m humbled by the light you take
    When you cover every colour of the day
    I’m brightened by the night you bring
    You are the divine eternal ring
    You are the end where everything begins
    You are the key holding me in

    I’m humbled by the light you take
    When you cover every colour of the day
    Illuminated in the night you bring
    You are the divine eternal ring
    You are the end where everything begins
    You are the key holding me in
    The only key holding me in

14. Mawlana (Live)

    Translation:

    Remembering the beloved
    we drank wine*;
    we were drunk with it
    before creation of the vine.

    The full moon its glass,
    the wine a sun circled by a crescent;
    when it is mixed,
    how many stars appear!

    Our Lord, O our Lord!

    If not for its fragrance,
    I would not have found its tavern;
    if not for its flashing gleam,
    how could imagination picture it?

    Time preserved nothing of it
    save one last breath,
    concealed like a secret
    in the hearts of the wise ones.

    Our Lord, O our Lord!

    But if it is recalled among the tribe,
    the worthy ones
    are drunk by morn without shame or sin.

    Be drunk one hour with it, and you shall have
    All of time as your slave, at your command.

    The one who lives sober in this world has not had a life,
    And the one who dies not drunk has missed the mark.

    Our Lord, O our Lord!

    *Intoxicating wine in the Islamic mystical poetic tradition is often evoked by poets as a symbol of passionate love for God and immersion in the Divine Presence.

15. Mawal Ajam [Live] (feat. Ismail Boujia)
16. Fiyyashiyya (Live)

    A humble slave am I of an almighty Lord.
    No work is too hard for that One who’s adored.

    But though I’m a beggar who cannot afford
    To claim any strength, sure and strong is my Lord.

    He says, where He wills, when He wishes a thing,
    just “Be”, and it is, by the might of a King.

    The ruler whose edicts and wise rulings bring
    All blessings and grace by the might of a King.

    I haven’t got the force,
    No strength between my sides
    Why feel such remorse
    when the Maker provides?

    I haven’t got the force,
    No strength between my sides
    Why feel such remorse
    when the Maker provides?

    Ana ‘abdu Rabbī lahū qudratun
    A humble slave am I of an almighty Lord.

    Yahūnu bihā kullu ’amrin ‘asīr
    No work is too hard for that One who’s adored.

    Fa-’in kuntu ‘abdan ḍa‘īfa l-quwā
    But though I’m a beggar who cannot afford

    Fa-Rabbī ‘alā kulli shay’in qadīr
    To claim any strength, sure and strong is my Lord.

    Minnī ash ‘alayā wa ana ‘abadun mamlūk
    I’m but a humble slave, what should I worry about?

    Wa-l-’ashyā’ maqaḍīya mā fi t-taḥqīqi shukūk
    All affairs are ordained, of this there is no doubt

    Rabbī nāẓir fiyā wa ana naẓarī matrūk
    My Lord sees everything, while my sight leaves much out

    Fi l-’arḥām wa l-’aḥshā’ min nuṭfa ṣawwaranī
    In the womb, He formed me from a drop

    Ana mā lī fiyāsh, ash ‘alayā minnī
    I haven’t got the force, No strength between my sides

    Aqliq mir-rizqī lāsh, wa-l-Khāliq yarzuqnī
    Why feel such remorse when the Maker provides?

    Allāhumma ṣalli ‘ala l-Muṣṭafā, ḥabībnā Muḥammad ‘alayhi s-salām
    O Allah, send your blessings on The Chosen One
    Our beloved Muhammad, Peace be upon him

    I’m safe in the shade of his all-knowing height
    And no strength have I — His all power and might.

    So glory to God, his bounty shining bright,
    All gratitude and praise are His due and His right.

    He says, where He wills, when He wishes a thing,
    just “Be”, and it is, by the might of a King.

    The ruler whose edicts and wise rulings bring
    All blessings and grace by the might of a King.