Guidance for the Seeker

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وإذْ قَدْ صَحَّ عَزْمُكِ عَلَى الْعُزْلَةِ لِاسْتِيفَاءِ حَقِّ الْحَقِّ مِنَ النَّفْسِ

And when your resolve for seclusion has become firm, to render to the Truth what is due from the self,

والأخذِ عَلَى يَدِهَا فليكنْ وَكِيلُكَ عَلَيْهَا الْعِلْمُ

And the taking hold of it by the hand, so let knowledge be your agent over it,

وكن بَاحِثًا عَنْ دفائنٍ هَوَاهَا لعلكِ تَسْلَمِينَ

And be searching for the hidden treasures of its desire, that perhaps you may be saved,

وَاحْذَرْ أَنْ تتبعَ سبيلَ أحدِ رجلينِ

And beware that you follow the path of either of two men:

عالمٌ عُرِفَ بِالْجِدَالِ فِي الفقهِ فاقتنعَ بِرِئَاسَتِهِ

A scholar who was known for disputation in jurisprudence, so he became content with his leadership,

أَوْ نالَ القضاءَ فَسَعَى فِي حفظِ مَنْزِلَتِهِ

Or he attained the judgeship and strove to preserve his position,

أَوْ زخرفَ المواعظَ فضيَّقَ أعيُنَ شَبَكَتْهُ

Or he embellished the admonitions and narrowed the meshes of his net.

أَوْ زاهدٌ يتقلبُ بِرَأْيِهِ الفاسدِ فِي جَهَالَتِهِ

Or an ascetic who keeps shifting his corrupt opinion in his ignorance,

ويتقربُ بتقْبيلِ يدهِ ويعتادُ برَكَتَهُ ويعملُ بِهَوَّاتِهِ دونَ شرعِ اللَّهِ وسُنَّتِهِ

And he seeks closeness by kissing his hand, becomes accustomed to his blessing, and acts according to his whims instead of God's law and His Sunnah.

فهذانِ عادا عَنْ منهجِ الصوابِ،

Thus these two have strayed from the path of truth,

مقتنعانِ بقشورِ الأعمالِ عَنْ خالصِ اللبابِ

They are content with the outward shells of deeds, away from the pure core,

خادعانِ للمبتدئينِ بلامعِ السرابِ

Two deceivers of beginners with the gleam of the mirage,

وَطَرِيقُهُمَا بِمَعْزِلٍ عَنْ سُنَنِ السَّلَفِ الصَّالِحِ

And their path is apart from the practices of the pious predecessors,

الَّذِي هُوَ جَادَةُ الاِسْتِقَامَةِ وَلُقَمُ السَّلَامَةِ

which is the straight path of uprightness, and a small portion of safety.

وَسَأُدْرِجُ لَكَ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنْ أَخْبَارِهِمْ

God willing, I will include in this book for you from their accounts,

مَا يَدُلُّكَ عَلَى آثَارِهِمْ

what guides you to their traces.

وَكُتَّابُنَا هَذَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ الْمُنْتَهِيُ

And this book of ours is needed by the advanced student,

كَمًّا يَفْتَقِرُ إِلَيْهِ الْمُبْتَدِيُ

Just as the beginner needs it,

لِأَنَّ فِيهِ أَسْرَارُ الْعِبَادَاتِ

For it contains the inner secrets of the acts of worship,

وَالْتَحْذِيرُ مِنْ آفَاتِ الْمُعَامَلَاتِ

and warning against the ills of dealings,

وَقَدْ أَتَيْتُكَ بِهِ عَلَى تَرْتِيبِ كِتَابِ الإِحْيَاءِ

And I have brought it to you arranged according to the order of the Book of Revival,

لِعَلَمَيَّ بِإِيْثَارِكِ ذُلُّكِ الْتَرْتِيبِ

because of my knowledge of your preference for that arrangement.

وَمَا تَوْفِيقِيُ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

My success is only by God.

عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ أَنِيبُ

I put my trust in Him and turn back to Him in repentance.

وَسَمَّيْتُ كِتَابَيَّ هَذَا مِنْهَاجُ الْقَاصِدَيْنِ وَمُفِيدُ الصَّادِقِينَ

I named this my book "The Guide for the Seekers and the Benefit of the Sincere."

وَأَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى أَنْ يَنْفَعَنَا بِهِ

And I ask God, Glorified and Exalted, to benefit us by it.

وَمَنْ قَرَأَهُ أَوْ سَمِعَهُ أَوْ نَظَرَ فِيهِ

And whoever reads it, or hears it, or looks into it,

وَأَنْ يَجْعَلَهُ خَالِصًا لِوَجْهِهِ الْكَرِيمِ

And make it purely for His Generous Face,

وَأَنْ يَخْتِمَ لَنَا بِخَيْرٍ

and that He grant us a good ending,

وَيُوَفِّقُنَا لِمَا يُرْضِيهِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَالْعَمَلِ وَالنِّيَّةِ

And enable us to do what pleases Him in our speech, deeds, and intentions,

وَأَنْ يُسَامِحَنَا فِي تَقْصِيرِنَا وَتَفْرِيطِنَا

and that He forgive us for our shortcomings and carelessness,

وَلَا يَكِلُنَا إِلَى نَفْسِنَا طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ

and do not leave us to ourselves even for the blink of an eye,

وَلاَ إِلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ

and not to any of His creatures,

فَإِنَّهُ حَسْبُنَا وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

He is sufficient for us, and the best disposer of affairs.