Salawat Ibn Mashish (Revisited)

Bismillah.

Ahh...the first time

those words fell on my ears

mesmerizing...

Salawat Ibn Mashish;

those are no ordinary alphabets

but pearls falling

from the Highest Tablet.

I ran around feverish

looking for another sip.

A thirsty fella quenched not;

drunk enchanted

by a dervish.

Ahh...the first time

my eyes lay on your tomb

Ibn Mashish;

how divinely distinguished

sheltered by a holy tree

O much revered Wali.

Ahh...for the umpteenth time

let me repeat after you dear;

what can a beloved do

but mimic her lover.

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Allahumma salli ‘ala man minhu-n-shaqqati-l-asrar
O Allah shower Your blessings upon him from whom burst open the secrets,

wa-n-falaqati-l-anwar
from whom stream forth the lights,

wa fihi-rtaqati-l-haqa’iq
and in whom rise up the realities,

wa tanazalat ‘ulum Adama fa-a‘jaza-l-khala’iq
and upon whom descended the sciences of Adam, by which all creatures are made powerless,

wa lahu tada’alati-l-fuhum
and blessings upon him before whom all understanding is diminished.

fa-lam yudrik-hu minna sabiqun wa la lahiqa
None of us totally comprehend him, whether in the past or the future

fa-riyadu-l-malakuti bi-zahri jamalihi muniqa
The gardens of the spiritual kingdom blossom ornately with the resplendence of his beauty,

wa hiyadu-l-jabaruti bi-faydi anwarihi mutadafiqah
and the reservoirs of the World of Dominion overflow with the outpouring of his light.

wa la shay’a illa wa huwa bihi manuta
There is nothing that is not connected to him,

idh lawla-l-wasitatu la-dhhaba kama qila mawsut
because if there were no intercessor, everything to be interceded for would vanish, as it is said.

salatan taliqu bika minka ilayhi kama huwa ahluhu
So bless him with a prayer that is worthy of You, from You, as befits his stature.

Allahumma innahu sirruka-l-jami‘u-d-dallu bika ‘alayk
O Allah indeed he is Your all-encompassing secret that leads through You to You

wa hijabuka-l-a‘azamu-l-qa’imu laka bayna yadayk
and he is Your Supreme Veil raised before You, between Your Hands.

Allahumma alhiqni bi-nasabihi wa haqqiqni bi-hasabihi
O Allah include me among his descendants and confirm me through his account

wa ‘arifni iyyahu ma‘rifatan aslamu biha min mawaridi-l-jahl
and let me know him with a deep knowledge that keeps me safe from the wells of ignorance,

wa akra‘u biha min mawaridi-l-fadl
so that I might drink to fullness from the wells of excellence

wa-hmilni ‘ala sabilihi ila Hadratik
Carry me on his path to Your Presence

hamlan mahfufam bi-nusratik
encompassed by Your Victory,

wa aqadhif bi ‘ala-l-batil fa-admaghuhu
and strike through me at the false so that I may destroy it.

wa zujja bi fi bihari-l-Ahadiyya
Plunge me into the seas of Oneness,

wa-nshulni min ahwali-tawhid
pull me out of the morass of metaphorical Unity,
wa-ghriqni fi ‘ayni bahri-l-Wahda
and drown me in the Essence of the Ocean of Unity

hatta la ara wa la asma‘a wa la ajida wa la uhissa illa biha
until I neither see, nor hear, nor find, nor sense, except through It.

wa-j‘ali Allahumma-l-hijaba-l-a‘zama hayata ruhi
O Allah make the Supreme Veil the life of my spirit

wa ruhahu sirra haqiqati
and his soul the secret of my reality

wa haqiqatahu jami‘a ‘awalimi
and his reality the conflux of my worlds

bi-tahqiqi-l-Haqqi-l-Awwal
through the realization of the First Truth.

Ya Awwal Ya Akhir Ya Zahir Ya Batin
O First! O Last! O Manifest! O Most Hidden!

Isma‘ nida’iy bima sami‘ta bihi nida’a abdika Zakariyya
Hear my call as You heard the call of your servant Zachary

wa-nsurni bika laka
and grant me victory through You, for You

wa ayyidni bika Laka
and support me through You, for You

wa ajma’ bayni wa Baynak
and join me to You

wa hul bayni wa bayna ghayrik
and come between myself and anything other than You

Allaaah! Allaaah! Allaaah!Inna-l-ladhi farada ‘alayka-l-qur’ana
Indeed He, Who ordained the Qur’an for you,

la-radduka ’ila ma‘ad [Holy Qur’an 28.85]
will return you to the station of your Ultimate Destiny.

Rabbana ‘atina min ladunka Rahmatan
O Lord grant us from Your Presence Mercy

wa haiy’ lana min ‘amrina Rashada [Holy Qur’an 18.10]
and endow us, whatever our outward condition, with sure Guidance!

Inna-Llaha wa malai’katahu yusalluna ‘ala-n-nabi
Indeed Allah and His angels shower blessings upon the Prophet.

ya ayyuha-lladhina ’amanu
O you who believe,

sallu ‘alayhi wa sallimu taslima [Holy Qur’an 33.65]
shower blessings on him and greet him abundantly.

Salawatu-Llahi wa sallamuhu wa tahiyyatuhu wa Rahmatuhu
May the Sublime Blessings of Allah, His Peace, Greetings, Mercy,

wa barakatuhu ‘ala sayyidina Muhammadin
and Grace, be upon our Master Muhammad,

‘abdika wa nabiyyika wa rasulika an-Nabiyyi-l-Ummi
Your Servant, Prophet and Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet

wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi
and also upon his family and companions.

wa sallim ‘adada-sh-shaf‘i wa-l-watri
Upon him be Peace multiplied by all even and odd numbers,

wa ‘adada kalimati Rabbina-t-tammati-l-mubarakat
and multiplied also by the inconceivable number of the perfect and blessed words of our Lord.
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Photo credit: Abdul Fattah (Muh Jusuf Ahmed Yahya) of Haqqani Fellowship. Tomb of Ibn Mashish located between Tangier and Fez, Morocco. Salawat credit: Deenislam.co.uk