A Few words to the Arab people

May your land prosper till eternity! who raised the cry: no Caesars and Chosroes?

In this world of near and far, fast and slow, who was the first to read the Quran?

who was taught the secret of la ilah? where was this lamp (of knowledge) lighted?

From whom did the world gain knowledge? for whom is the (Quranic) verse revealed: You became?

It was due to the bounty of the one called Ummi that tulips grew out of the sandy desert of Arabia.

Freedom (as a concept) developed under his care, that is, the “today” of the peoples is from his “yesterday”;

he put a “heart” into the body of Adam and removed the veil from his face,

he broke all the ancient gods; every old twig, through his breath, grew a flower.

The excitement of the battles of Badr and Hunain, Hyder, Siddiq, Faruq and Husain,

the grandeur of the call to prayer, the recitation of the Quranic Surat al Saffat, in the battlefield,

the sword of Ayyubi and the look of Bayazid, the keys to the treasures of both the worlds,

reason and heart intoxicated with one cup of wine, a mixture of dhikr and fikr of Rum and Rayy;

knowledge and science, Shari‘ah and religion, administration of State; ever dissatisfied hearts within the breast,

al Hamra and the Taj, of world consuming beauty, that win tributes from the celestial beings—

all these are moments of his time, a single lustre of his manifold manifestations.

All these heart pleasing phenomena are his outward aspects, his inward aspect is still hidden from the gnostics.

God made you sharper than the sword: He made the camel driver the rider of destiny.

Your takbir, your prayer and your war: on these depend the fate of East and West.

How good this dedication and selfless devotion. Alas! for this grievous affliction and melancholy!

The nations of the world are promoting their interests, you are unaware of the value of your desert;

you were a single nation, you have become now several nations, you have broken up your society yourself.

He who loosened himself from the bonds of khudi, and merged himself in others, met certain death.

Nobody else ever did what you have done to yourself. The soul of Mustafa was grieved by it.

O you who are unaware of the Frankish magic, see the mischiefs hidden in his sleeves!

If you wish to escape his deceits, turn away his camels from your ponds.

His diplomacy has weakened every nation and broken the unity of the Arabs.

Ever since the Arabs fell into its snares, not for one moment have they enjoyed peace.

O man of insight, look at your times, recreate in your body the soul of ‘Umar.

Power lies in the unity of the true religion,. religion is strong will, sincerity and faith.

As his heart knows the secrets of Nature, the man of the desert is Nature’s protector.

He is simple, and his nature is the touchstone of right and wrong, his rise means setting of a hundred thousand stars.

Leave aside these deserts, mountains and valleys, pitch your tent in your own being.

Whetting your nature on the desert wind set your dromedary onto the battlefield.

The modern age was born out of your achievements; its intoxication is the result of your rose red wine.

You have been the expositor of its secrets, and the first builder of its edifice.

Since the West adopted it as its own, it has grown into a coquette, with no sense of honour.

Although she is sweet and pleasant, yet she is crooked, saucy and irreligious.

O man of the desert, make what is unripe mature and refashion the world according to your touchstone