Ilayka is a famous Poem by Imam Ash-Shafi’i that he recited on his death bed
This poem consists of 16 couplets with the first 2 and last 2 written in Thuluth script and the middle 12 in Naskh
This piece highlights the marriage of the Thulth & Naskh scripts
60cm x 80cm – Japanese Ink on handmade Ahar paper
Commissioned in 2018 by Al Maghreb Institute as a gift for one of their lecturers.
Translation:
To You, the Creator, I raise my longing,
And even if I am, O possessor of kindness and generosity, an evildoer, a criminal
When my heart became constricted and my paths became narrow,
I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an opening and an escape
My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared them to Your forgiveness,
I found Your forgiveness to be much greater
You are and still remain the only One who can forgive sins,
You grant and forgive out of Your benevolence and generosity
Were it not for You, then a servant could never defy Iblis
And how can that be when he mislead Your friend Adam
If only I knew! Will I arrive at Paradise that I may take delight
Or at Hellfire, that I may regret?
How capable is Allah! For the one acquainted with lament,
blood almost flows from his eyelids due to the excess of his emotions (lament)
He stands when the night extends out its darkness
Stands against himself out of extreme fear, sinful
Eloquent when he makes mention of his Lord
And in the mention of others than Him, he is speechless
He remembers days gone by of his youth
And what was in it of ignorance, he was a criminal
And so for the whole of his day, the companion of grief has become
the brother of sleeplessness and secret conversation when the night darkens
He says, ‘My beloved, You are what I request and desire
You are enough of a longing and benefit for those who have hope
Are You not the One who has provided for me and guided me
And You have not ceased being gracious to me and full of favours
Perhaps the Beneficent One will forgive my mistakes
And cover up my crime and what has gone forth’
The composition within this piece may not be reproduced for any purposes without written consent from the Artist.
Copyright Protected | All rights reserved.
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