‘Araftu l-Hawā mudh ‘Araftu Hawāk (عرفت الهوى مذ عرفت هواك), “I Only Knew Love When I Knew Love of Thee”, is a well-known Arabic poem attributed to the 8th-century female Sufi saint of Basra, Rābi‘a al-‘Adawiyya. It is a masterful and moving reflection on what it means to really love God. The poem has been translated into English verse by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad.
Lyrics
Arabic
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Transliteration
1.
‘Araftul–hawaa mudh ‘araftu hawaak,
wa-aghlaqtu qalbee ‘alaa man ‘aadaak
2.
Wa qumtu unaajeeka yaa man taraa
khafaayal–quloobi wa-lasnaa naraak
3.
Uḥibbuka ḥubbayni ḥubbal–hawaa
wa-ḥubban li-annaka ahlun li-dhaak
4.
Fa-ammal–ladhee huwa ḥubbul–hawaa
fa-shuglee bi-dhikrika ‘amman siwaak
5.
Wa-ammal–ladhee anta ahlun lahu
fa-lastu aral–kawna ḥattaa araak
6.
Fa-lal–ḥamdu fee dhaa wa-laa dhaaka lee
wa-laakin lakal–ḥamdu fee dhaa wa-dhaak
English Rendition (A.H. Murad)
1.
I only knew love when I knew love of Thee,
I sealed up my heart against Thy enemy.
2.
I stood long in converse with Thee, who doth see
My heart’s inner secrets, but Thou I don’t see.
3.
My love is twin loves, yet the twain are for Thee,
The first’s for Thy love, and the other’s for Thee.
4.
And as for the first, which is love of Thy love:
Remembrance complete, not distracted from Thee.
5.
And as for the second: my true love of Thee:
I see Thou as present in all that I see.
6.
All praise to Thy name, and no praises for me,
For Thine is the glory in all unity.
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‘Araftul–hawaa mudh ‘araftu hawaak,
wa-aghlaqtu qalbee ‘alaa man ‘aadaak
I only knew love when I knew love of Thee,
I sealed up my heart against Thy enemy.
– 2 –
Wa qumtu unaajeeka yaa man taraa
khafaayal–quloobi wa-lasnaa naraak
I stood long in converse with Thee, who doth see
My heart’s inner secrets, but Thou I don’t see.
– 3 –
Uḥibbuka ḥubbayni ḥubbal–hawaa
wa-ḥubban li-annaka ahlun li-dhaak
My love is twin loves, yet the twain are for Thee,
The first’s for Thy love, and the other’s for Thee.
– 4 –
Fa-ammal–ladhee huwa ḥubbal–hawaa
fa-shuglee bi-dhikrika ‘amman siwaak
And as for the first, which is love of Thy love:
Remembrance complete, not distracted from Thee.
– 5 –
Wa-ammal–ladhee anta ahlun lahu
fa-lastu aral–kawna ḥattaa araak
And as for the second: my true love of Thee:
I see Thou as present in all that I see.
– 6 –
Fa-lal–ḥamdu fee dhaa wa-laa dhaaka lee
wa-laakin lakal–ḥamdu fee dhaa wa-dhaak
All praise to Thy name, and no praises for me,
For Thine is the glory in all unity.
Audio Samples
Abu Shaar Brothers (Arabic) 🥁
Ibn Arabi Ensemble (Arabic) 🎶
Sami Yusuf (English & Arabic) 🎶
Abderrahmane Mameri (Arabic) 🎶
Categories
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