ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF SHAYKH IBRAHIM NIASSE'S BOOKS: SAYR AL-QALB ILAA HADRAT AR-RABB (VOYAGE OF THE HEART TOWARDS THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD)

Written by: Shaikh Ibrahim ibn Abdullah Niasse

سيرالقلب إلي حضرة الرب

SAYR AL-QALB ILAA HADRAT AR-RABB

VOYAGE OF THE HEART TOWARDS THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD

"طبيبي قريب"

"TABEEBII QAREEBUN"

"MY DOCTOR IS NEARBY"

AS WE REJOICE IN THIS MONTH OF THE BIRTH OF THE MOST BELOVED OF حبيب رسول الله /RASULULAH (S.A.W) OF OUR CENTURY, MAULANA SHEIKH IBRAHIM NIASS AL-KAOLAKHI, LET'S REFLECT ON ONE OF THE CHAPTERS FROM HIS AMAZING AND AWESOME QASIDAH/POETRY: "سير القلب إلى حضرة الرب", THE JOURNEY OF THE HEART TOWARDS THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD". THERE IS AN AMAZING STORY ABOUT THIS POETRY BOOK OF OUR صاحب الوقت/MAN OF THE MOMENT. THE IMAM AND MUQQADAM OF OUR ZAWIYAH IN NEW YORK, IMAM BABA GAMBO ONCE TOLD US THAT WHEN HE WAS STUDYING ARABIC LITRATURE & POETRY (أدب وعلم العروض) IN ONE OF THE UNIVERSITIES IN SAUDI ARABIA, HE TOOK "ديوان"/ POETRY OF SHEIKH AND WAS READING ONE DAY DURING A BREAK TIME. HE SAID THIS ATTRACTED THE EYES OF HIS LECTURER/PROFESSOR IN THIS SPECIALITY AND HE ASKED HIM TO LET HIM SEE IT. UPON BRIEF REVIEW OF THIS BOOK, THIS PROFESSOR BECAME SO FASCINATED AND ASKED IMAM GAMDO, WHO IS THE AUTHOR OF THE IS BOOK AND IN WHICH UNIVERSITY HE GRADUATED FROM?", IMAM GAMBO ANSWERED HIM SAYING: "HE WAS AN AFRICAN SCHOLAR BORN IN SENEGAL CALLED SHEIKH IBRAHIM NIASS AND HE NEVER ATTENDED ANY UNIVERSITY, NEITHER IN AFRICA NOR IN ARABIA.", BUT THE LECTURER NEVER BELIEVE WHAT HE WAS TOLD, DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE WAS HIGHLY FLABAGGESTED BY THE EXCEPTIONAL AND EXTRAORDINARY EXPERTISE OF SHEIKH IN USING THE ARABIC LANGUAGE AS IF HE WAS THE ONE WHO CRAFTED AND CALIBRATED THIS PRECIOUS LANGUAGE, HIS USAGE OF DICTION AND VOCABULARY TO FIT EVERY CONTEXT OF IS MESSAGE IS SO UNIQUE. HE REQUESTED FROM HIM TO LET HIM GO READ IT AND KEPT IT WITH HIM FOR AND LONG TIME!!! AND THANKS MY COLLEAGUE AND BROTHER Baban Amarya Kamil-Morlar FOR YOUR SUGGESTION TO ME TO TRANSLATE THIS PORTION OF THE POETRY!!!

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سيرالقلب إلى حضرة الرب : حرف الطاء

VOYAGE OF THE HEART TOWARDS THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD: LETTER TAA

طبيبي قريب هل سقامي تسمع* يقابلني يومي المقفي المشفع*

My doctor is nearby, does my sickness hear (him)

He [Prophet] intercessor and guide to all meets me today

أراني إذاماجئت يوما محمدا* تحقق آمالي كما اتوقع*

I observe myself whenever I meet him

My desires are granted in full

محمد خيرالعالمين وسيلتي* أتاك خديم ضارع يتشفع*

O Muhammad, the best of creatures my intermediary

A servant has come to you seeking for your intercession

أتيت بصنوى ثم اهلي وإلدتي* سراعا وحول الهاشمى نتجمع*

I came with my son, my family my children

Swiftly gathered around [you] Hashimiyi [of Hashemite tribe]

وخلفي جموع ينتمون لحزبكم* يعمهم التشفيع أجمع أكتع*

And behind me are crowds belonging to your group

[Hoping he] will extend intercession to all those affiliated to me

أيانفس ادركت الآمانى فهذه* مرابع خيرالناس والنور يسطع*

O soul you have achieved safety for

Treading the land of the best of mankind where the light shines

فألقت عصاها واستقرت بها النوى* ونلت المنى مابال عينك تدمع*

So your [pilgrimage] staff does throw and was stabilized by the nuclei [cores]

And your wishes have been fulfilled why does your eyes shed tears?

ومابال هذ ا الشوق والشمل جامع* وذاالحبل موصول فماالوصل يمنع*

Why is this yearning so intense when I am already connected(with him physically already)

And the connection is secured/guaranteed , it can no more be severed

ولو صوروني في الحقيقة لم يروا* سوى شخص محبوبي به أتمتع*

If they had depicted me in [divine] reality they would not see

But only [the prototype] personality of my beloved [Prophet] with whom I rejoice

فباعث ابراهيم للشوق واحد* فلست أثنيه ولم اك أجمع*

For the [divine] dispatcher of Ibrahim for the sake of affection is only one

I will neither make him two, nor make him multiples

وهو المصطفى خير الخلائق احمد* به قوت روحي عنده القلب يخشع*

He is Al-Mustapha [the chosen one] the best of creatures [Ahmad]

With him I drive my spiritual diet, to him the heart gets quietude[tranquil]

عكفت على باب النبي محمد* ومن رام ضري فهو أجدى وأنفع*

I stooped [humbled myself lowly] by the door of Prophet Muhammad

So whoever wished to harm me is rather more kind and beneficial to me

بمكة بالمسعى بخيف ومشعر* ضياء رسول الله للطرف يلمع*

In Mecca, at Mas’a [Safaa and Marwah] at Khayf at Mash’ar [Holy Mosque]

The [glittering] light of the messenger of Allah sparkles the eyes

بغار حراء بالمحصب لا ارى* رفيقا سوى الهادي به اتمتع*

At gari hira [the cave of hira] in Muhassab I would not see

A companion but only [Muhammad] the guide with whom I get delighted

محمد عبدالله احمد عاقبا* بحب الإمام الهاشمي أتشبع*

Muhammad the servant of Allah Ahmad ‘Aqib [the last messenger]

I get saturated by the love of the Imam of Hashimiyi [the Hashemite Prophet]

عليك أمين الله ناصر حامدا* بشير نذير ماحي الكفر اروع*

To you the trustworthy of Allah his helper [Nasir] the praiseworthy [Haamid]

The source of glad tidings [Bashir] the warner [Nazir] the eraser of disbelieve [Mahi], the most marvelous

مكي ايا مأمون حبي ومركزي* فما في سوى هادي البرية أطمع*

O Makki [the one born in Makkah], O Mamounm, my beloved and focal point [of everything]

So there is nothing that I lust for but the guide of [the entire] creatures

أياجامع الخيرات ويا ملجأ الورى* فصلني بحبل لا يرى يتقطع*

O the one who has gathered so much goodness, whom mankind seek refuge from

Link me with a rope that will never torn asunder

عليك صلاة الله ثم سلامه* فإن فؤادي عندك الدهر أجمع*