Remembering and Loving God

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يَا مَنْ هُوَ مِنْ أَرْبَابِ الْخِبْرَةِ

O one who is among the masters of expertise

هَلْ عَرَفْتَ قِيمَةَ نَفْسِكَ

Have you known the value of yourself?

إِنَّمَا خَلَقْتُ الْأَكْوَانَ كُلَّهَا لَكَ

Indeed, I created all the universes for you.

يَا مَنْ غُذِّيَ بِلُبَانِ الْبِرِّ وَقُلِبَ بِأَيْدِي الْأَلْطَافِ

O one who was nurtured with the milk of righteousness and turned by hands of grace.

كُلُّ الْأَشْيَاءِ شَجَرَةٌ وَأَنْتَ الثَّمَرَةُ

All things are a tree, and you are the fruit.

وَصُورَةٌ وَأَنْتَ الْمَعْنَى

And a form, and you are the meaning.

وَصَدَفٌ وَأَنْتَ الدُّرُّ وَمَخِيضٌ

And a shell, and you are the pearl, and curd.

وَأَنْتَ الزُّبَدُ

And you are the cream.

مَنْشُورُ اِخْتِيَارِنَا لَكَ وَاضِحُ الْخَطِّ

The proclamation of our choice for you is clear in writing.

وَلَكِنَّ اِسْتِخْرَاجَكَ ضَعِيفٌ

But your understanding of it is weak.

مَتَى رُمْتَ طَلَبِي فَاطْلُبْنِي عِنْدَكَ

Whenever you seek Me, then look for Me within yourself.

اُطْلُبْنِي مِنْكَ تَجِدْنِي قَرِيبًا

Seek me from yourself, and you will find me near.

وَلَا تَطْلُبْنِي مِنْ غَيْرِكَ فَأَنَا أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْكَ مِنْهُ

And do not seek Me from anyone else, for I am closer to you than them.

لَوْ عَرَفْتَ قَدْرَ نَفْسِكَ عِنْدَنَا مَا أَهَنْتَهَا بِالْمَعَاصِي

If you knew your worth with Us, you would not have degraded it with sins.

إِنَّمَا أَبْعَدْنَا إِبْلِيسَ إِذْ لَمْ يَسْجُدْ لَك

Indeed, We cast out Iblis because he did not prostrate to you.

وَأَنْتَ فِي صُلْبِ أَبِيكَ

And you were in the loins of your father.

فَوَا عَجَبًا كَيْفَ صَالَحْتَهُ وَتَرَكْتَنَا

Oh, how astonishing that you reconciled with him and left Us.

لَوْ كَانَ فِي قَلْبِكَ مَحَبَّةٌ لَبَانَ أَثَرُهَا عَلَى جَسَدِكَ

If there was love in your heart, its effect would appear on your body.

وَلما ادعيت الْحبّ قَالَت كذبتي

And when you claimed love, she said, 'You lied...'

أَلَسْتَ أَرَى الْأَعْضَاءَ مِنْكَ كَوَاسِيًا

Do I not see your limbs still well-clothed?

لَوْ تَغَذَّى الْقَلْبُ بِالْمَحَبَّةِ لَذَهَبَتْ عَنْهُ بَطْنَةُ الشَّهَوَاتِ

If the heart were nourished with love, the gluttony of desires would depart from it.

وَلَوْ كُنْتَ عُذْرِيَّ الصَّبَابَةَ لَمْ تَكُنْ بَطِينًا وَأَنْسَاكَ الْهَوَى كَثْرَةَ الْأَكْلِ

And if you were excused in passionate longing, you would not have been gluttonous, and love would have made you forget excessive eating.

لَوْ صَحَّتْ مَحَبَّتُكَ لَاسْتَوْحَشْتَ مِمَّنْ لَا يُذَكِّرُكَ بِالْحَبِيبِ

If your love were true, you would feel alienated from those who do not remind you of the beloved.

وَاعَجَبَا لِمَنْ يَدَّعِي الْمَحَبَّةَ وَيَحْتَاجُ إِلَى مَنْ يُذَكِّرُهُ بِمَحْبُوبِهِ

How astonishing it is for someone who claims love and needs someone to remind them of their beloved.

فَلَا يَذْكُرُهُ إِلَّا بِمُذَكِّرٍ

So he is not reminded except by someone who reminds him.

أَقَلُّ مَا فِي الْمَحَبَّةِ أَنَّهَا لَا تُنْسِيكَ تَذَكُّرَ الْمَحْبُوبِ

The least of what is in love is that it does not let you forget to remember the beloved.

ذكرتك لَا أَنِّي نستك سَاعَة

I mentioned you not because I forgot you for a moment...

وَأَيْسَرُ مَا فِي الذِّكْرِ ذِكْرُ لِسَانِي

And the easiest part of remembrance is my tongue mentioning it.