Tarikh (al-Tabari) 727
The Prophet's ﷺ open proclamation to his people and their response
[ شِعْرُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ فِي اسْتِعْطَافِ قُرَيْشٍ ] فَلَمَّا خَشِيَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ دَهْمَاءَ الْعَرَبِ أَنْ يَرْكَبُوهُ مَعَ قَوْمِهِ، قَالَ قَصِيدَتَهُ الَّتِي تَعَوَّذَ فِيهَا بِحَرَمِ مَكَّةَ وَبِمَكَانِهِ مِنْهَا، وَتَوَدَّدَ فِيهَا أَشْرَافُ قَوْمِهِ، وَهُوَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ يُخْبِرُهُمْ وَغَيْرَهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ مِنْ شِعْرِهِ أَنَّهُ غَيْرُ مُسْلِمٍ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَلَا تَارِكُهُ لِشَيْءِ أَبَدًا حَتَّى يَهْلِكَ دُونَهُ، فَقَالَ: : وَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُ الْقَوْمَ لَا وُدَّ فِيهِمْ وَقَدْ قَطَعُوا كُلَّ الْعُرَى وَالْوَسَائِلِ وَقَدْ صَارَحُونَا بِالْعَدَاوَةِ وَالْأَذَى وَقَدْ طَاوَعُوا أَمْرَ الْعَدُوِّ الْمُزَايِلِ وَقَدْ حَالَفُوا قَوْمًا عَلَيْنَا أَظِنَّةً يَعَضُّونَ غَيْظًا خَلْفَنَا بِالْأَنَامِلِ صَبَرْتُ لَهُمْ نَفْسِي بِسَمْرَاءَ سَمْحَةٍ وَأَبْيَضَ عَضْبٍ مِنْ تُرَاثِ الْمَقَاوِلِ وَأَحْضَرْتُ عِنْدَ الْبَيْتِ رَهْطِي وَإِخْوَتِي وَأَمْسَكْتُ مِنْ أَثْوَابهِ بِالْوَصَائِلِ قِيَامًا مَعًا مُسْتَقْبِلِينَ رِتَاجَهُ لُدًى حَيْثُ يَقْضِي حَلْفَهُ كُلُّ نَافِلِ وَحَيْثُ يُنِيخُ الْأَشْعَرُونَ رِكَابَهُمْ بِمُفْضَى السُّيُولِ مِنْ إسَافٍ وَنَائِلِ مُوَسَّمَةُ الْأَعْضَادِ أَوْ قَصَرَاتُهَا مُخَيَّسَةٌ بَيْنَ السَّدِيسِ وَبَازِلِ تَرَى الْوَدْعَ فِيهَا وَالرُّخَامَ وَزِينَةً بِأَعْنَاقِهَا مَعْقُودَةٌ كَالْعَثَاكِلِ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ مِنْ كُلِّ طَاعِنٍ عَلَيْنَا بِسُوءٍ أَوْ مُلِحٍّ بِبَاطِلِ وَمِنْ كَاشِحٍ يَسْعَى لَنَا بِمَعِيبَةٍ وَمِنْ مُلْحِقٍ فِي الدِّينِ مَا لَمْ نُحَاوِلْ وَثَوْرٍ وَمَنْ أَرْسَى ثَبِيرًا مَكَانَهُ وَرَاقٍ لِيَرْقَى فِي حِرَاءٍ وَنَازِلِ وَبِالْبَيْتِ، حَقُّ الْبَيْتِ، مِنْ بَطْنِ مَكَّةَ وَبِاَللَّهِ إنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ بِغَافِلِ وَبِالْحَجَرِ الْمُسْوَدِّ إذْ يَمْسَحُونَهُ إذَا اكْتَنَفُوهُ بِالضُّحَى وَالْأَصَائِلِ وَمَوْطِئِ إبْرَاهِيمَ فِي الصَّخْرِ رَطْبَةٌ عَلَى قَدَمَيْهِ حَافِيًا غَيْرَ نَاعِلِ وَأَشْوَاطٌ بَيْنَ الْمَرْوَتَيْنِ إلَى الصّفَا وَمَا فِيهِمَا مِنْ صُورَةٍ وَتَمَاثُلِ وَمنْ حَجَّ بَيْتِ اللّهِ مِنْ كُلِّ رَاكِبٍ وَمِنْ كُلِّ ذِي نَذْرٍ وَمِنْ كُلِّ رَاجِلِ وَبِالْمُشْعِرِ الْأَقْصَى، إذَا عَمَدُوا لَهُ إلَالٌ إلَى مُفْضَى الشِّرَاجِ الْقَوَابِلِ وَتَوْقَافِهِمْ فَوْقَ الْجِبَالِ عَشِيَّةً يُقِيمُونَ بِالْأَيْدِي صُدُورَ الرَّوَاحِلِ وَلَيْلَةِ جَمْعٍ وَالْمَنَازِلِ مِنْ مِنًى وَهَلْ فَوْقَهَا مِنْ حُرْمَةٍ وَمَنَازِلِ وَجَمْعٍ إذَا مَا الْمُقْرَبَاتِ أَجَزْنَهُ سِرَاعًا كَمَا يَخْرُجْنَ مِنْ وَقْعِ وَابِلِ وَبِالْجَمْرَةِ الْكُبْرَى إذَا صَمَدُوا لَهَا يَؤُمُّونَ قَذْفًا رَأْسَهَا بِالْجَنَادِلِ وَكِنْدَةُ إذَا هُمْ بِالْحِصَابِ عَشِيَّةً تُجِيزُ بِهِمْ حُجَّاجُ بَكْرِ بْنِ وَائِلِ حَلِيفَانِ شَدَّا عَقْدَ مَا احْتَلَفَا لَهُ وَرَدَّا عَلَيْهِ عَاطِفَاتِ الْوَسَائِلِ وَحَطْمِهِمْ سُمْرَ الصَّفَاحِ وَسَرْحُهُ وَشَبْرِقَهٌ وَخْدَ النَّعَامِ الْجَوَافِلِ فَهَلْ بَعْدَ هَذَا مِنْ مُعَاذٍ لِعَائِذٍ وَهَلْ مِنْ مُعِيذٍ يَتَّقِي اللَّهَ عَاذِلِ يُطَاعُ بِنَا الْعُدَّى وَوَدُّوا لَوْ انَّنَا تُسَدُّ بِنَّا أَبْوَابُ تُرْكٍ وَكَابُلِ كَذَبْتُمْ وَبَيْتِ اللَّهِ نَتْرُكُ مَكَّةَ وَنَظْعَنُ إلَّا أَمْرُكُمْ فِي بَلَابِلِ كَذَبْتُمْ وَبَيْتِ اللَّهِ نُبْزَى مُحَمَّدًا وَلَمَّا نُطَاعِنُ دُونَهُ وَنُنَاضِلْ وَنُسْلِمُهُ حَتَّى نُصَرَّعَ حَوْلَهُ وَنَذْهَلَ عَنْ أَبْنَائِنَا وَالْحَلَائِلِ وَيَنْهَضُ قَوْمٌ فِي الْحَدِيدِ إلِيْكُمُ نُهُوضَ الرَّوَايَا تَحْتَ ذَاتِ الصَّلَاصِلِ وَحَتَّى تَرَى ذَا الضِّغْنِ يَرْكَبُ رَدْعَهُ مِنْ الطَّعْنِ فِعْلَ الْأَنْكَبِ الْمُتَحَامِلِ وَإِنَّا لَعَمْرُ اللَّهِ إنْ جَدَّ مَا أَرَى لَتَلْتَبِسَنَّ أَسْيَافُنَا بِالْأَمَاثِلِ بِكَفَّيْ فَتًى مِثْلَ الشِّهَابِ سَمَيْدَعِ أَخِي ثِقَةٍ حَامِي الْحَقِيقَةِ بَاسِلِ شُهُورًا وَأَيَّامًا وَحَوْلًا مُجَرَّمًا عَلَيْنَا وَتَأْتِي حَجَّةٌ بَعْدَ قَابِلِ وَمَا تَرْكُ قَوْمٍ، لَا أَبَا لَكَ، سَيِّدًا يَحُوطُ الذِّمَارَ غَيْرَ ذَرْبٍ مُوَاكِلِ وَأَبْيَضُ يُسْتَسْقَى الْغَمَامُ بِوَجْهِهِ ثِمَالُ الْيَتَامَى عِصْمَةٌ لِلْأَرَامِلِ يَلُوذُ بِهِ الْهُلَّافُ مِنْ آلِ هَاشِمٍ فَهُمْ عِنْدَهُ فِي رَحْمَةٍ وَفَوَاصِلِ لَعَمْرِي لَقَدْ أَجْرَى أُسَيْدٌ وَبِكْرُهُ إلَى بُغْضِنَا وَجَزَّآنَا لِآكُلْ وَعُثْمَانُ لَمْ يَرْبَعْ عَلَيْنَا وَقُنْفُذٌ وَلَكِنْ أَطَاعَا أَمْرَ تِلْكَ الْقَبَائِلِ أَطَاعَا أُبَيًّا وَابْنَ عَبْدِ يُغِوثْهُمْ وَلَمْ يَرْقُبَا فِينَا مَقَالَةَ قَائِلِ كَمَا قَدْ لَقِينَا مِنْ سُبَيْعٍ وَنَوْفَلٍ وَكُلٌّ تَوَلَّى مُعْرِضًا لَمْ يُجَامِلْ فَإِنْ يُلْقِيَا أَوْ يُمْكِنْ اللَّهُ مِنْهُمَا نَكِلْ لَهُمَا صَاعًا بِصَاعِ الْمُكَايِلِ وَذَاكَ أَبُو عَمْرٍو أَبَى غَيْرَ بُغْضِنَا لِيَظْعَنَنَا فِي أَهْلِ شَاءٍ وَجَامِلِ يُنَاجِي بِنَا فِي كُلِّ مُمْسًى وَمُصْبَحٍ فَنَاجِ أَبَا عَمْرٍو بِنَا ثُمَّ خَاتِلِ وَيُؤْلَى لَنَا بِاَللَّهِ مَا إنْ يَغُشُّنَا بَلَى قَدْ نَرَاهُ جَهْرَةً غَيْرَ حَائِلِ أَضَاقَ عَلَيْهِ بُغْضُنَا كُلَّ تَلْعَةٍ مِنْ الْأَرْضِ بَيْنَ أَخْشُبٍ فَمُجَادِلِ وَسَائِلْ أَبَا الْوَلِيدِ مَاذَا حَبَوْتَنَا بِسَعْيِكَ فِينَا مُعْرِضًا كَالْمُخَاتِلِ وَكُنْتَ امْرَأً مِمَّنْ يُعَاشُ بِرَأْيِهِ وَرَحْمَتُهُ فِينَا وَلَسْتَ بِجَاهِلِ فَعُتْبَةُ لَا تَسْمَعْ بِنَا قَوْلَ كَاشِحٍ حَسُودٍ كَذُوبٍ مُبْغِضٍ ذِي دَغَاوِلِ وَمَرَّ أَبُو سُفْيَانَ عَنِّي مُعْرِضًا كَمَا مَرَّ قَيْلٌ مِنْ عِظَامِ الْمَقَاوِلِ يَفِرُّ إلَى نَجْدٍ وَبَرْدِ مِيَاهِهِ وَيَزْعُمُ أَنِّي لَسْتُ عَنْكُمْ بِغَافِلِ وَيُخْبِرُنَا فِعْلَ الْمُنَاصِحِ أَنَّهُ شَفِيقٌ وَيُخْفِي عَارِمَاتِ الدَّوَاخِلِ أَمُطْعِمُ لَمْ أَخْذُلْكَ فِي يَوْمٍ نَجْدَةٍ وَلَا مُعْظِمٍ عِنْدَ الْأُمُورِ الْجَلَائِلِ وَلَا يَوْمَ خَصْمٍ إذَا أَتَوْكَ أَلِدَّةً أُولِي جَدَلٍ مِنْ الْخُصُومِ الْمَسَاجِلِ أَمُطْعِمُ إنَّ الْقَوْمَ سَامُوكَ خُطَّةً وَإِنِّي مَتَى أُوكَلْ فَلَسْتُ بِوَائِلِ جَزَى اللَّهُ عَنَّا عَبْدَ شَمْسٍ وَنَوْفَلًا عُقُوبَةَ شَرٍّ عَاجِلًا غَيْرَ آجِلِ بِمِيزَانِ قِسْطٍ لَا يُخِسُّ شَعِيرَةً لَهُ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ غَيْرَ عَائِلٍ لَقَدْ سَفُهَتْ أَحْلَامُ قَوْمٍ تَبَدَّلُوا بَنِي خَلَفٍ قَيْضًا بِنَا وَالْغَيَاطِلِ وَنَحْنُ الصَّمِيمُ مِنْ ذُؤَابَةِ هَاشِمٍ وَآلِ قُصَيٍّ فِي الْخُطُوبِ الْأَوَائِلِ وَسَهْمٌ وَمَخْزُومٌ تَمَالَوْا وَأَلَّبُوا عَلَيْنَا الْعِدَا مِنْ كُلِّ طِمْلٍ وَخَامِلٍ فَعَبْدُ مَنَافٍ أَنْتُمْ خَيْرُ قَوْمِكُمْ فَلَا تُشْرِكُوا فِي أَمْرِكُمْ كُلَّ وَاغِلِ لَعَمْرِي لَقَدْ وَهَنْتُمْ وَعَجَزْتُمْ وَجِئْتُمْ بِأَمْرٍ مُخْطِئٍ لِلْمَفَاصِلِ وَكُنْتُمْ حَدِيثًا حَطْبَ قِدْرٍ وَأَنْتُمْ الْآنَ حِطَابُ أَقْدُرٍ وَمَرَاجِلِ لِيَهْنِئْ بَنِي عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ عُقُوقُنَا وَخِذْلَانُنَا وَتَرْكُنَا فِي الْمَعَاقِلِ فَإِنْ نَكُ قَوْمًا نَتَّئِرْ مَا صَنَعْتُمْ وَتَحْتَلِبُوهَا لِقْحَةً غَيْرَ بَاهِلِ وَسَائِطُ كَانَتْ فِي لُؤَيِّ بْنِ غَالِبٍ نَفَاهُمْ إلَيْنَا كُلُّ صَقْرٍ حُلَاحِلِ وَرَهْطُ نُفَيْلٍ شَرُّ مَنْ وَطِئَ الْحَصَى وَأَلْأَمُ حَافٍ مِنْ مَعَدِّ وَنَاعِلِ فَأَبْلِغْ قُصَيًّا أَنْ سَيُنْشَرُ أَمْرُنَا وَبَشِّرْ قُصَيًّا بَعْدَنَا بِالتَّخَاذُلِ وَلَوْ طَرَقَتْ لَيْلًا قُصَيًّا عَظِيمَةٌ إذًا مَا لَجَأْنَا دُونَهُمْ فِي الْمَدَاخِلِ وَلَوْ صَدَقُوا ضَرْبًا خِلَالَ بُيُوتِهِمْ لَكُنَّا أُسًى عِنْدَ النِّسَاءِ الْمَطَافِلِ فَكُلُّ صَدِيقٍ وَابْنِ أُخْتٍ نَعُدُّهُ لَعَمْرِي وَجَدْنَا غِبَّهُ غَيْرَ طَائِلِ سِوَى أَنَّ رَهْطًا مِنْ كِلَابِ بْنِ مُرَّةٍ بَرَاءٌ إلَيْنَا مِنْ مَعَقَّةِ خَاذِلِ وَهَنَّا لَهُمْ حَتَّى تَبَدَّدَ جَمْعُهُمْ وَيَحْسُرَ عَنَّا كُلَّ بَاغٍ وَجَاهِلِ وَكَانَ لَنَا حَوْضُ السِّقَايَةِ فِيهِمْ وَنَحْنُ الْكُدَى مِنْ غَالِبٍ وَالْكَوَاهِلِ شَبَابٌ مِنْ الْمُطَيِّبِينَ وَهَاشِمٍ كَبِيضِ السُّيُوفِ بَيْنَ أَيْدِي الصَّيَاقِلِ فَمَا أَدْرَكُوا ذَحْلًا وَلَا سَفَكُوا دَمًا وَلَا حَالَفُوا إلَّا شِرَارَ الْقَبَائِلِ بِضَرْبٍ تَرَى الْفِتْيَانَ فِيهِ كَأَنَّهُمْ ضَوَارِي أُسُودٍ فَوْقَ لَحْمٍ خَرَادِلِ بَنِي أَمَةٍ مَحْبُوبَةٍ هِنْدِكِيَّةٍ بَنِي جُمَحٍ عُبَيْدِ قَيْسِ بْنِ عَاقِلِ وَلَكِنَّنَا نَسْلٌ كِرَامٌ لِسَادَةٍ بِهِمْ نُعِيَ الْأَقْوَامُ عِنْدَ الْبَوَاطِلِ وَنِعْمَ ابْنِ أُخْتِ الْقَوْمِ غَيْرَ مُكَذَّبٍ زُهَيْرٌ حُسَامًا مُفْرَدًا مِنْ حَمَائِلِ أَشَمُّ مِنْ الشُّمِّ الْبَهَالِيلِ يَنْتَمِي إلَى حَسَبٍ فِي حَوْمَةِ الْمَجْدِ فَاضِلِ لَعَمْرِي لَقَدْ كُلِّفْتُ وَجْدًا بِأَحْمَدَ وَإِخْوَتِهِ دَأْبَ الْمُحِبِّ الْمُوَاصِلِ فَلَا زَالَ فِي الدُّنْيَا جَمَالًا لِأَهْلِهَا وَزِيَنًا لِمَنْ وَالَاهُ رَبُّ الْمَشَاكِلِ فَمَنْ مِثْلُهُ فِي النَّاسِ أَيُّ مُؤَمَّلٍ إذَا قَاسَهُ الْحُكَّامُ عِنْدَ التَّفَاضُلِ حَلِيمٌ رَشِيدٌ عَادِلٌ غَيْرُ طَائِشٍ يُوَالِي إلَاهًا لَيْسَ عَنْهُ بِغَافِلِ فَوَاَللَّهِ لَوْلَا أَنْ أَجِيءَ بِسُنَّةٍ تَجُرُّ عَلَى أَشْيَاخِنَا فِي الْمَحَافِلِ لَكِنَّا اتَّبَعْنَاهُ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالَةٍ مِنْ الدَّهْرِ جِدًّا غَيْرَ قَوْلِ التَّهَازُلِ لَقَدْ عَلِمُوا أَنَّ ابْنَنَا لَا مُكَذَّبٌ لَدَيْنَا وَلَا يُعْنَى بِقَوْلِ الْأَبَاطِلِ فَأَصْبَحَ فِينَا أَحَمْدٌ فِي أَرُومَةٍ تُقَصِّرُ عَنْهُ سَوْرَةُ الْمُتَطَاوِلِ حَدِبْتُ بِنَفْسِي دُونَهُ وَحَمَيْتُهُ وَدَافَعْتُ عَنْهُ بِالذُّرَا وَالْكَلَاكِلِ فَأَيَّدَهُ رَبُّ الْعِبَادِ بِنَصْرِهِ وَأَظْهَرَ دِينًا حَقُّهُ غَيْرُ بَاطِلِ رِجَالٌ كِرَامٌ غَيْرُ مِيلٍ نَمَاهُمْ إلَى الْخَيْرِ آبَاءٌ كِرَامُ الْمَحَاصِلِ فَإِنْ تَكُ كَعْبٌ مِنْ لُؤَيٍّ صُقَيْبَةً فَلَا بُدَّ يَوْمًا مَرَّةً مِنْ تَزَايُلِ قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: هَذَا مَا صَحَّ لِي مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَصِيدَةِ، وَبَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ بِالشِّعْرِ يُنْكِرُ أَكْثَرَهَا. [ دَعَا ﷺ لِلنَّاسِ حِينَ أَقْحَطُوا، فَنَزَلَ الْمَطَرُ، وَوَدَّ لَوْ أَنَّ أَبَا طَالِبٍ حَيٌّ، فَرَأَى ذَلِكَ ] قَالَ ابْنُ هِشَامٍ: وَحَدَّثَنِي مَنْ أَثِقُ بِهِ، قَالَ: أَقْحَطَ أَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ، فَأَتَوْا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ، فَشَكَوْا ذَلِكَ إلَيْهِ، فَصَعِدَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الْمِنْبَرَ فَاسْتَسْقَى، فَمَا لَبِثَ أَنْ جَاءَ مِنْ الْمَطَرِ مَا أَتَاهُ أَهْلُ الضَّوَاحِي يَشْكُونَ مِنْهُ الْغَرَقَ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: اللَّهُمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلَا عَلَيْنَا، فَانْجَابَ السَّحَابُ عَنْ الْمَدِينَةِ فَصَارَ حَوَالَيْهَا كَالْإِكْلِيلِ؛ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: لَوْ أَدْرَكَ أَبُو طَالِبٍ هَذَا الْيَوْمَ لَسَرَّهُ، فَقَالَ لَهُ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِهِ: كَأَنَّكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَرَدْتَ قَوْلَهُ: : وَأَبْيَضُ يُسْتَسْقَى الْغَمَامُ بِوَجْهِهِ ثِمَالُ الْيَتَامَى عِصْمَةٌ لِلْأَرَامِلِ قَالَ: أَجَلْ
Translation
✧ [Abū Ṭālib's Poetry in Seeking to Win Over Quraysh] When Abū Ṭālib feared the gathering horde of the Arabs, that they might attack him along with his people, he recited his ode in which he sought protection by the sanctuary of Makkah and by his own standing there, and in which he courted the nobles of his people; at the same time he informs them and others in that poem that he will not hand over the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and will never abandon him for anything until he perishes defending him. He said: : When I saw the people had no love among them, and had cut every bond and means, and had openly confronted us with enmity and harm, And had obeyed the command of the hostile, separating enemy; and had allied themselves with a people against us whose hearts are filled with rancor, Biting their fingertips in rage behind our backs, I steeled myself for them with a smooth brown spear, and a white, sharp sword inherited from the chiefs, And I brought my kinsmen and brothers to the House, and grasped its curtains by the connecting folds, Standing together, facing its door, at the place where every man fulfilling a vow discharges his oath, And where the Ashʿarūn make their camels kneel, at the meeting place of the torrents from Isāf and Nāʾil, Their shoulders and upper arms marked, penned up among six-year-olds and eight-year-olds, You see cowrie shells and marble and adornment upon them, tied to their necks like clusters of dates, I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind from every slanderer who assaults us with evil or persists in falsehood, And from every rancorous enemy who hastens to us with some defect, and from one who attaches to the religion what we have not attempted, And by Thawr, and by Him who fixed Thabīr in its place, and by one ascending to climb Ḥirāʾ and descending, And by the House—the sanctity of the House—in the belly of Makkah, and by Allāh, surely Allāh is not heedless, And by the Black Stone when they wipe it, when they surround it in the forenoon and the evenings, And by the standing place of Ibrāhīm, in the rock—moist upon his two feet, barefoot, unsandaled, And by the circuits between al-Marwah and al-Ṣafā, and by the images and likenesses in them, And by every rider who makes pilgrimage to the House of Allāh, and every one who has made a vow, and every one on foot, And by the farthest Mashʿar, when they repair to it, from Ilāl to the meeting place of the wide watercourses that receive the torrents, And by their halting above the mountains at evening, making the chests of the camels stand with their hands, And by the night of Jamʿ and the stopping places of Minā—and are there above them any sanctity and stopping places?— And by Jamʿ when the near-bred horses pass through it swiftly, as they come forth from the falling of a downpour, And by the Greater Jamrah, when they repair straight to it, aiming at its head with stones, And by Kindah, when they are at al-Ḥiṣāb in the evening, the pilgrims of Bakr b. Wāʾil passing among them, Two allies who tightened the knot of what they had agreed upon for it, and restored to it the folded bonds of kinship, And by their crushing of the brown-bladed swords, and its pasturage, and the ṣhabraq plants, and the swift gait of the startled ostriches, Is there after this any protector for one seeking refuge, and is there any refuge-giver who fears Allāh against a reproacher? The enemies are obeyed against us, and they would wish that the gates of the Turks and of Kābul were closed by us; You lie, by the House of Allāh, we shall leave Makkah and depart only at your command amid chaos; You lie, by the House of Allāh, we shall hand over Muḥammad while we have not yet thrust with spears in his defense and shot arrows, And we shall surrender him only when we are struck down around him, and become heedless of our sons and wives; And a people will rise against you in iron, rising like water-skins under the bearer of the rattling armor, Until you see the rancorous one mounted upon his own blood from the thrusting, like the act of the haughty, overbearing one; By the life of Allāh, if what I see becomes serious, our swords will surely be stained with the blood of the nobles, In the hands of a youth like the shooting star, a lordly one, a trusted brother, protector of the truth, a hero, For months and days and a complete year against us, and a pilgrimage will come after the next one; No people—may you be bereft of a father—abandoned a chief who guards what must be defended, one who is not weak or remiss, And a fair-skinned one by whose face rain is sought from the clouds, a support for orphans, a protection for widows, To him the destitute of the Banū Hāshim take refuge, and with him they are in mercy and constant gifts; By my life, Usayd and his Bakr brought about hatred of us, and Jazʾānā to one who devours, And ʿUthmān did not hold back against us, nor Qunfudh, but they obeyed the command of those clans, They obeyed Ubayy and their Ibn ʿAbd Yaghūth, and did not heed any speaker's word about us, As we have also met from Subayʿ and Nawfal, and every one turned away, averting his face, not treating us courteously; If the two of them slip, or Allāh gives us power over them, we shall repay them measure for measure, like the measure of the measurer; And that is Abū ʿAmr, who refused nothing but hatred of us, to make us depart among a people of sheep and camels, He confers secretly about us every evening and morning, so confer, Abū ʿAmr, about us, then deceive; And he swears to us by Allāh that he does not deceive us; nay, we see him openly, without any barrier; His hatred of us made every rising ground of the land too narrow for him, between Akhshub and Mujādil; And ask Abū al-Walīd what you have bestowed upon us by your effort on our behalf, turning away like the deceiver; You were a man among those whose opinion one lives by, and whose mercy toward us was known, and you are not ignorant; So ʿUtbah, do not listen to any rancorous one about us, an envious liar, a hater full of hidden malice; And Abū Sufyān passed by me, turning away, as a chieftain from among the great chiefs passed by, Fleeing to Najd and the coolness of its waters, and claiming that I am not heedless of you; And he tells us the act of the sincere adviser, that he is compassionate, and he conceals the raging fires within, O Muṭʿim, I did not forsake you on a day of aid, nor in any grave matter among momentous affairs, Nor on a day of dispute, when they came to you as stubborn litigants, masters of wrangling among the rival disputants; O Muṭʿim, the people presented you with a proposal, and if I am ever left to another, I am not one who seeks refuge elsewhere; May Allāh repay ʿAbd Shams and Nawfal on our behalf with the punishment of evil, swift, not delayed, With a balance of justice that does not diminish a barleycorn, with a witness from himself, not one who withholds; The minds of a people have become foolish who exchanged the Banū Khalaf for us, and the Ghayāṭil, We are the very core of the forelock of Hāshim, and of the family of Quṣayy in the early calamities; And Sahm and Makhzūm conspired and incited against us the enemies, from every low and obscure one; O ʿAbd Manāf, you are the best of your people, so do not associate in your affair every intruder; By my life, you have become weak and impotent, and you have brought a matter that errs from the joints; You were recently firewood for a pot, and now you are firewood for pots and cooking vessels; Let it please the Banū ʿAbd Manāf, our disobedience to them, and our forsaking them, and leaving them in the strongholds; If we are a people who will take vengeance for what you have done, and you will milk it as a milch-camel, not left unmilked, They were the bonds among Luʾayy b. Ghālib; every piercing, mighty falcon drove them to us; And the clan of Nufayl is the worst of those who tread the pebbles, and the most base barefoot or sandaled one of Maʿadd; So convey to Quṣayy that our affair will be spread abroad, and give Quṣayy tidings, after us, of mutual betrayal; And if a great calamity came to Quṣayy by night, then we would not take refuge, without them, in the entrances; If they had struck truly with blows among their houses, we would have been a means of consolation among the women with young children; Every friend and nephew whom we count—by my life, we found the outcome of his friendship to be of no avail, Except that a group from Kilāb b. Murrah is innocent toward us of the sin of a forsaking one; And we were gentle with them until their assembly dispersed, and every transgressor and ignorant one withdrew from us; The watering trough of the siqāyah was ours among them, and we are the hills from among Ghālib and the kahil, Youths from among the Muṭayyabūn and Hāshim, like white swords in the hands of swordsmiths; They attained no vengeance, nor shed blood, nor allied themselves except with the worst of the tribes; With blows in which you see the young men as if they were ravenous lions upon flesh cut into pieces; Sons of a beloved slave woman, an Indian one—Banū Jumaḥ, the slaves of Qays b. ʿĀqil; But we are a noble offspring of lords, by whom the peoples are eulogized in times of great trials; And excellent is the sister's son of the people, not given the lie—Zuhayr—a sharp sword, a single one from among the sword-belts, A high-nosed one from among the high-nosed, handsome, noble ones, tracing his lineage to a stock overflowing in the arena of glory; By my life, I have been afflicted with love for Aḥmad and his brothers, with the devotion of a loving, steadfast friend; May he remain in this world as a beauty for its people and an adornment for those whom the Lord of all forms befriends; Who is like him among mankind—what hopeful one—when the judges compare him at the time of weighing merits? Forbearing, rightly guided, just, not reckless; he befriends a God from whom he is not heedless; By Allāh, were it not that I should bring a precedent that would drag shame upon our elders in the assemblies, We would have followed him in every state of time, in earnest, not with the words of jest; They know that our son is not one to be given the lie among us, and he is not concerned with false sayings; Aḥmad has come to be among us in a rooted stock, which the assault of the overreaching cannot reach; I inclined with my own self in his defense and protected him, and defended him with the peaks and the chests; So the Lord of the servants aided him with His victory, and made manifest a religion whose truth is not falsehood; Noble men, not wavering—noble fathers of pure lineage raised them to goodness; If Kaʿb of Luʾayy is a small remnant, then one day there must come a separation; Ibn Hishām said: This is what has been verified for me of this ode, and some of the people of knowledge in poetry deny most of it. [The Prophet ﷺ prayed for rain for the people when they suffered drought, and rain fell; he wished that Abū Ṭālib were alive to see that] Ibn Hishām said: Someone I trust narrated to me, saying: The people of Madinah suffered drought, so they came to the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ and complained of that to him. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ ascended the minbar and prayed for rain. It was not long before rain came, so much so that the people of the outlying areas came to him complaining of drowning. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "O Allāh, around us and not upon us." The clouds dispersed from Madinah and became around it like a crown. The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: "If Abū Ṭālib had lived to see this day, it would have pleased him." One of his companions said to him: "It is as if you, O Messenger of Allāh, meant his saying: : And a fair-skinned one by whose face rain is sought from the clouds, a support for orphans, a protection for widows. He said: "Yes."
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.