Rain and God's Decree

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الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ السَّحَائِبَ بِالْمَطَرِ

Praise be to Allah who sent the clouds with rain,

فُتِحَتْ حَتَّى ارْتَجَّتِ النَّهْرُ حَتَّى عَجَّتِ الغَدَرُ

They opened until the river roared, until the streams surged,

فَضَجَّتْ مِمَّا لَجَّتِ الجُدُرُ فَرَجَعَتْ عَلَى الوَرَقِ الشُّكْرُ

So the walls resounded with what the torrents brought, and thanks returned on the leaves,

فَلَمَّا أَقْلَعَتْ أَطْلَعَتِ الثَّمَرَ

So when they cleared, they brought forth fruit,

وَظَهَرَتْ مِنَ التُّخُومِ كَ النُّجُومِ الزُّهَرِ

And they appeared from the depths like shining stars,

وشكرت حتى سكرت غصون ضمر،

And they expressed gratitude until the branches were satiated,

وَارْتَعَتْ إِذَا سَعَتْ فَشَبِعَتْ خَيْلٌ وَحُمُرٌ

And they grazed when they moved, so the horses and donkeys were satisfied,

وَبَانَ زُخْرُفُ الدُّنْيَا وَأَفْلَحَ الضَّمَرُ

And the adornment of the world became apparent, and the slender ones prospered,

فسبحان مدبر الفلك ولو لم يدر لم يدر،

Glory be to the Manager of the cosmos, and had He not directed it, it would not rotate,

العَادِلُ فِي أَقْضِيَتِهِ لَمْ يَخَفْ وَلَمْ يَجُرْ

The Just One in His decrees, He neither feared nor acted unjustly,

قَسَمَ عِبَادَهُ فَمِنْهُمُ الفُهَمَاءُ وَمِنْهُمُ الغُثَرُ

He divided His servants: among them are the insightful and among them are the heedless,

وَمِنْهُم مُّسْتَقِيمُ القَدَمِ وَفِيهِمُ العَثَرُ

And among them are the steadfast in the path and among them are the stumbling,

وَمِنْهُمْ أَرْبَابُ التُّقَى وَمِنْهُمُ الغَجَرُ

And among them are the lords of piety, and among them are the wanderers,

أَرْسَلَ طُوفَانَ الفِتَنِ فَغَطَّى البِحَارَ الزُّخْرَ

He sent a flood of trials that covered the roaring seas,

ثُمَّ بَنَى لِأَهْلِ الصَّلَاحِ ذَاتَ أَلْوَاحٍ وَدُسُرٍ فَسَلِمُوا وَغَنِمُوا وَبَحَرَ البَاقُونَ كَالجُزُرِ

Then He built for the people of righteousness a vessel of planks and nails; they were saved and prospered, while the rest were submerged like the ebbing tide,

فَإِن سَأَلْتَ عَنِ النَّاجِينَ فَهُمُ الخَائِفُونَ الحَذِرُ

So if you ask about the survivors, they are the fearful and cautious ones,

تَمَسَّكُوا بِعُرَى التُّقَى كَ المَدَابِيرِ الغَدْرِ

They held firmly to the bonds of piety like wariness of treachery,

نَصَبُوا إِذَا إِنْتَصَبُوا فَنُصِبَتْ لَهُمُ السُّرُرُ

They stood firm when they arose, so couches were raised for them,

وَإِن سَأَلْتَ عَنِ الهَالِكِينَ فَقَوْمٌ رَضُوا بِالمِيَاهِ الكَدِرِ

And if you ask about the doomed, they are people who were content with murky waters,

فَوَقَعُوا فِي حَوْمَةِ غَفْلَةٍ وَفِي ضِيقِ شَعَرٍ

So they fell into the midst of heedlessness and into the narrowness of distress,

أَطْلَقُوا أَنْفُسَهُم فِي أَغْرَاضِهَا كَالسَّوَائِبِ وَالْبَحْرِ

They released themselves into their desires like stray animals adrift at sea,

فَكَيْفَ رَأَيْتَ مَاشِيَهُمْ قَدْ وَقَعَ وَلَمْ يَثِرْ

So how did you see their livestock — it fell and did not rise,

كَذَبَت عادُ فكيفَ كانَ عَذابِي وَنُذُرِ

'Aad denied, so how was My punishment and My warnings?