CHAPTER 1
On Generosity
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He only said "no"
when professing the shahadah
Had it not been
for the shahadah,
his 'no' would
have been "yes"
al-Farazdaq (d.110/728)
"Shahadah," the confessional creed or profession of faith, is the Muslim doctrinal formula: "There is no deity but God and Muhammad is His messenger." It is the first of the five fundamental tenets, or pillars, of Islam. Al-Farazdaq's line is described by medieval Arab literary commentators as the best verse ever composed on generosity.
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The branches of his palm
have borne fruit,
jujube,
for those who reap
his beneficence
Ibn al-Mu'tazz (d. 296/908)
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I marvel at a land
whose rocks do not sprout
green leaves
when the rain clouds
of their hands
pour forth
on it
al-Mutanabbi (d. 354/965)
In the medieval Arabic hierarchy of cultural values, hands are compared to rain-bearing clouds, the utmost form of generosity in a desert society.
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Were it possible for a people
to sit atop the sun,
for their generosity,
glory and noble descent,
they are the ones
who would do so
Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma (d. 609 A.D.)
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You will find him jubilant
when you come to see him
as if you are giving him
what you have come
to ask for
Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma (d. ca. 609 A.D.)
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He is so wont
to extend his hand
in giving
that, were he to clench his hand,
his fingers would not obey him,
And if he had nothing but his soul
in his hand
he would give it away
May those who seek his generosity
have fear of God
Abu Tammam (d. 231/845)
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Had you not,
in long time past,
with boldness and generosity,
rendered old glory youthful,
generosity would have
become senile
Abu Tammam (d. 231/845)
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The veil will not distance
my hope [of generosity] from you
Verily, the sky is beseeched for rain
only when it is veiled
Abu Tammam (d. 231/845)
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Rain clouds would be embarrassed
to look at your generosity
and compare it
to their own
Abu Nuwas (d. 198/813)
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Do not find fault
with a generous man
if he is destitute of wealth,
for floodwater is at odds
with high peaks
Abu Tammam (d. 231/845)
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Whoever would blame the brim-full sea
if it overflowed
Or rain clouds
if they suddenly
poured down
al-Buh. turi (d. 284/897)
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People's talk has not checked
your generosity
Whosoever could block
the course
of sudden heavy rain?
al-Mutanabbi (d. 354/965)
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No sooner does his dog
see a guest
than it will,
out of love and hospitality,
talk to him,
even though the dog
is speechless
Ibn Hamrah (n.d.)
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He is the sea
whencesoever you come to him
Beneficence is his depth
and liberality his shore
Abu Tammam (d. 231/845)
A very generous man is compared to the sea.
On Life
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If you abstain from pleasure
and youthful passion
you might as well be
a large, hard, desiccated rock
Life is naught
but what you love and desire
no matter how much the envious
scold and conspire
al-Ahwas. (d. 105/723)
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He loves long life
for fear of perdition
But he perishes
because of long life
'Abd al-Samad ibn al-Mu'adhdhal (n.d.)
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Perhaps what you fear
does not exist
Perhaps what you wish
will come to be
Perhaps what you deem easy
is not so easy
And perhaps what you think hard
will be easy
Abu 'l-'Atahiyah (d. 209/824 or -5)
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Our lives are naught
but lines that scan
Then comes the rhyme
so ends the man
Abu 'l-'Ala' al-Ma'arri (d. 449/1057) British translation
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Our life is but
a phrase, a breath
Then comes full-stop
and that's our death
Abu'l-'Ala' al-Ma'arri (d. 449/1057) British translation
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Verily, the boon of a people
is fleeting pleasure
and a man's life
is but a borrowed garment
al-Afwah al-Awdi (d. 570 A.D.)
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When an old man cries "ugh"!
He is not tired of life
but only tired
of feebleness
al-Mutanabbi (d. 354/965)
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I am alive today
only because I hid myself
from death
and death knows not
where to find me
al-Baha' Zuhayr (d. 657/1258)
On Time and Days
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I shielded myself from time
with the shadow
of its wings
So my eyes see time
but time sees me not
If the days were asked
about my name
they would not know it
and about my abode
they would not know
where I am
Abu Nuwas (d. 198/814)
Time (dahr, zaman, zaman) in the Arab mind signifies days, fate, eternity, death, long time or long life, good or bad life. When used in a construct phrase, time means vicissitudes or blows of fate, misfortunes, trials and tribulations, adversities etc. "Days", which also means life, is used interchangeably with "time", especially when made necessary by the exigencies of meter and/or rhyme. "fa-law tus'alu 'l-ayyamu" can also be read as "fa-law tas'ali 'l-ayyama": Were you to ask the days.
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I am but like time–
If it is sober and awake
I am sober and...