Diwan by Shaykh Alawi

Diwan

By: Shaykh Alawi

Driver of the people of Allah! Oh driver! Revive them and turn your glance towards me!

If you cast the arrow of speech among them, it will hit the ear of the attentive while I have a liver.

I am among those who do not know what passion is. Had it struck me, they would have said: ‘He is mad from affliction.’

If I am mad with the love of the One we love, Allah will not cure my body from emaciation.

Had the forbidder heard my words, he would not have turned aside from my school and he would have joined me.

Ask them on ‘the Day when faces shall be humbled to the Living, the Self-Subsistent,’ ‘Are you with me?’

Similarly on the Day of ‘Am I not your Lord?’ I said, ‘Yes,’ and I still say, ‘Labayk!’

I answered the caller of Allah when he called, ‘Oh our people, will you not answer the caller?’

If you desire consolation in love like what we have, then turn away from the slanderer.

If you desire to know the station of the people of passion, here I will express a healing word for you.

We and the people of Badr are the same in elevation.

What is mine is theirs, and what is theirs is mine.

O murid! You have obtained Him! Set out and direct yourself to the One you love.

If you desire to be annihilated in Him, do not listen to what is other-than-Him.

Make your heart present in His Name. Specify it and understand its meaning.

Turn your face towards His face, and quiver out of yearning for Him.

Lower your eye with Him, and look into your essence — you will see Him.

Where are you in relation to His beauty? By Allah, you are not other-than-Him.

If it is said, ‘Whom do you mean?’ speak openly and say, ‘He is Allah!’

I am annihilated in Him by Him. He sees me as we see Him.

We are not satisfied with a substitute for Him. The people of passion wander in Him —

Drunk bewildered in Him. They openly proclaimed Him and spoke it.

He is my goal; we do not conceal Him. My heart is constant. It does not forget Him.

At one moment, He annihilates me in Him, and appears from me in His radiance.

At another moment, He makes me go-on in Him, so we say ‘I’ and not ‘He’.

He! It is Him into whom I have withdrawn. My spirit and my essence desire Him.

Allah! Allah! We mean Him! All my words are by His radiance.

My Beloved! My Beloved! We do not see Him! We fear Him in order to meet Him.

He is my goal. I am confused because of Him. He made me withdraw form other-than-Him.

I uttered His command. If I spoke, it is by Him and for Him.

I prayed a prayer, which will please Him on the one He chose and selected,

And on the family and the people of his legacy and whoever seeks his protection.

Al-‘Alawi is annihilated in Him. He only desires His good pleasure.

We recognize what is in Muhammad — He contains all goodness,

Oh Lord! Bless him with a blessing, which will encompass his meaning.

Do not be satisfied with the love of other-than-Allah.

Everything except Him is a mirage.

I have counseled you if you have an affiliation. The people of dhikr have withdrawn into their Beloved.

There is no life except for those who have nearness.

They have no veil to the Real.

Where are the Gardens in relation to them? Where is Tuba? The slaves of Allah have wasted away from yearning.

They have drunk a draught from His wine. That drink took them from themselves.

Would that you had a drink from their cup — you would have had ropes of access to our nearness.

The best slave obeys the call when discourse comes from us to him.

If you have any desire for Allah, then keeping company is a condition for that without a doubt.

My lovers, if you have sincerity in my affair, that is the very road. Travel then according to my way.

By Allah! I am not in doubt or illusion. I am the Gnostic of Allah secretly and openly.

I was given a drink from the cup of love, then I possessed it. It became my possession in the course of time.

May Allah repay the one who is generous to us with His secret. Generosity — that generosity is from the one who is generous with the secret.

We exerted ourselves to conceal the Haqiqa and protect it. Whoever protects Allah’s secret, adheres to gratitude.

When the Giver was generous to me by unfolding it, He prepared me for divesting from where I did not know.

He girded me with the sword of resolution, truthfulness, and taqwa. He presented me with a wine — and what a wine!

A wine which all without exception need to drink as the drunkard needs to increase his intoxication.

I became its cupbearer and I was the one who pressed it out. Does it have any cupbearer except me in this age?

It is no wonder if I spoke. Our Lord said that He bestows His favor on whomever He wills without limitation.

That is the favor of Allah, which He gives to whomever He wishes. He has increase of praise, glorification and thanks.

Oh my Lord! By the spirit of the Beloved and Your spirit, support me with the spirit of purity and make my affair easy for me.

My Lord, untie my knot and make me a wazir among Your helpers and do not grieve me on the Day of Gathering.

Bless, grant peace and baraka and exalt and glorify the spirit of the Beloved in the abode of the secret.

Oh men who have withdrawn in the presence of Allah!

They have melted like snow, by Allah! By Allah!

You see them bewildered in the witnessing of Allah.

You see them drunk. By Allah! By Allah!

You see them intoxicated in dhikr of Allah. An appearance of beauty covers them from the Presence of Allah.

When the singer sings the praises of the beauty of Allah, they rise to honor the place, enraptured with Allah.

Their breeze blew from the presence of Allah. Their life continues when they are brought to life by Allah.

Hearts which have plunged into the mercy of Allah — overflowing secrets. By Allah! By Allah!

Intellects dazed from the force of Allah — selves abased in seeking Allah.

They are the rich by a relationship to Allah. They are those with taqwa. By Allah! By Allah!

Whoever sees them sees one who concerns himself with Allah. In mankind they are among the springs of Allah.

Mercy and the ridwan of Allah covers them. They have the breath of a breeze from the presence of Allah.

Oh you who desire the secret! Surrender and do not reject us!

Let go of trying to understand, and advance, in order to learn from us.

If you knew before me, then you have no need of me.

Our knowledge is immense, by Allah! It is not insignificant for us.

If you claim to be a murid, the goal is in us.

If you see that other-than-you has a source, then direct yourself to Him. He is enough for you.

Whoever tastes that secret rules us, by Allah!

I have preceded in it and abundance came to us.

I neither conceal nor divulge between them and us.

We give wisdom and we do not forbid his portion in us.

We hope to be safe by that journey, and the Master is enough for us.

Oh Lord, bless and grant peace on the ruh of our Prophet,

And on every respected one among the people of Madinah.

Oh my friend, speak ecstatically! Sing! Rejoice! Perhaps you will be allowed to see this doctor!

The sea of watering places! The path of profits! The sun of rising lights! It does not withdraw from phenomenal beings.

The Treasure of realities! The cave of firm roads!

The light of gleaming things! The sand dune is split from His light.

Oh my friend! Withdraw! Prostrate! Pray! Listen to my words! Perhaps you will be given a portion to drink.

Support all! Ascend! Flee! Search in the form — sweet water will gush forth to you from it.

The ancient wine, the very fine meaning — The Haqiqa itself will appear to you from the heart.

Your secret is flashing. The Real is radiantly clear. The drink profits. He is near to you for you.

Nearness is in you. Arrival is to you. What will we show you? Look in you, you have a portion!

What will hide you? A secret encircles you. Understand your meaning! You have no veil from yourself.

Go around in your essence. Understand your attributes. Your spirit called you. You have a wondrous secret in it,

From you. By your ghayn (clouds) you will obtain. It is your ‘ayn (spring, source). There is no doubt or hesitation about it.