And by the House—the true House—set in the very heart of Mecca,
and by God Himself, for God is never unaware;
and by the Black Stone when their palms caress it,
circling round it in the blaze of noon and the cool of eve,(1)
and by Abraham’s footprint, still moist upon the rock,
impressed by his bare soles, unsandalled and unshod,(2)
and by the circuits run between the two hillocks and to Ṣafā,
and by every image and likeness that once stood between them,(3)
and by every pilgrim to the House of God—each mounted traveler,
each who fulfills a vow, and each who comes on foot—
and by the Distant Monument when they make straight for it,
on toward the mouths of the welcoming ravines,(4)
by their halting on the heights at dusk,
steadying with raised hands the throats of their mounts,
by the night of Gathering and the encampments of Minā—
can any place surpass them in sanctity or rank?—
by Jamʿ when sleek she-camels race across its plain,
swift as though fleeing the pounding of a pelting shower,(5)
and by the Greater Jamrah when they face toward it,
pelting its crowned head with volleys of stones,
and by Kindah, when in the valley of Ḥiṣāb at eventide
they escort the pilgrims of Bakr ibn Wāʾil across,(6)
allies who drew tight a pact never broken,
its cords of entreaty clasped firm once again,
and by their browsing on tawny acacia and lofty sarih,
on shibriq shrubs and the sandy flats where wandering ostriches roam free.(7)
(1) According to the recension of Ar-Rawd: “wa bil-ḥajar al-aswad” (“and with the Black Stone”). This is confirmed by his phrase “wa qawluhu: wa bil-ḥajar al-aswad.” Here occurs a zihāf (metrical variation) called al-kaf, which entails dropping the nūn from “mafā‘īlin”; this zihāf takes place after the lām of “dhālika.” In the matn itself, however, the reading appears as al-maswūd. His phrase “idhā iktanafūhu bil-ḍuḥā wa al-asā’il” uses asā’il as the plural of aṣīla (the singular’s plural being aṣl). The version transmitted in Ḥ reads “idhā kashafūhu.”
(2) On “wa mawṭi’u Ibrāhīm fī al-ṣakhr ratība” (“and the resting place of Abraham on the rock is moist”): this refers to where he planted his feet when his daughter-in-law washed his head while he was mounted—he rested his foot on the rock as he tilted his head for the washing. Sarah had exacted a promise from him, when he sought her permission to inspect his inheritance in Mecca, that he would neither dismount nor proceed beyond a greeting—out of jealousy toward Hagar; thus, when he leaned on the rock, God left the imprint of his foot there as a sign. As God says: “In it are clear signs, the station of Abraham” (Quran 2:125)—meaning the Station of Abraham is one of these signs. Some explain maqām (station) as the plural of maqāma (stature), or as the imprint of his foot when he removed the foundations of the House while standing on it. (Ar-Rawd 2/25).
(3) On the two variants: analogous to “baṭn al-muktayn” mentioned above, where a dual form appears for place-names though the reality is singular. The reading “tamaththal” should be “tamathīl” (similitudes), similar to “mafātiḥ” vs. “mafātiḥ.” (Ar-Rawd 2/25).
(4) “al-mash‘ar al-aqṣā” refers to ‘Arafat. “Ilāl,” like “Kitāb” and “Saḥāb,” denotes Jabal Arafat. It is called Ilāl because, upon sighting it, pilgrims allū—i.e., they redouble their pace—to reach the standing place. “al-shirāj” is the plural of shirj (a watercourse), and al-qawābil are those facing each other. (Ar-Rawd 2/25-26; variant reading: Ilāl; al-Mu‘jam al-Buldān 1/242-243).
(5) This couplet is not present in manuscript Ḥ.
(6) “al-Ḥiṣāb”: the site for throwing the jamr stones in Mina. (al-Mu‘jam al-Buldān 2/262).
(7) “al-Ṣafāḥ”: the plural of ṣafḥ, the flat surface of a mountain. “al-Samar”: it may refer to the word samar, pronounced “sumur” or “sumr” (with a ḍamma on the mīm and sukūn on it), and the ḍamma may shift to the sīn to yield “sumar”; this shift, however, generally occurs when the term is used in a context of praise.