He whose passing set the mourners wailing—
like shy, untrodden gazelles upon the open plain.
The lightning-flash and crashing thunderbolt
have bereft me of the champion, steadfast on the day of dread.
A warrior who restored the plundered their due
whenever calamity struck; and should he charge again, he charged in full.
He pardoned even in hardship and when beseeched,
as spring rain quickens new growth—ever vigilant.
Every freeborn man, however many they be,
will in the end dwindle to but a few.
If men are envied, they are soon brought low; and if they hold command for a day,
they are still destined for ruin and extinction.
Ibn Isḥāq transmitted many additional verses by Labīd lamenting his half-brother Arbad ibn Qays, but we have omitted them for the sake of brevity and contented ourselves with what has already been cited. Allah alone guides to what is right.
Ibn Hishām said: Zayd ibn Aslam related, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār, from Ibn ʿAbbās, that Allah—exalted is He—revealed concerning ʿĀmir and Arbad:
“Allah knows what every female bears, what the wombs diminish and what they increase; everything with Him is by measure. He is the Knower of the unseen and the seen, the All-Great, the Exalted. It is all the same to Him whether any of you keeps his words secret or proclaims them, or whether he hides by night or goes forth by day. For each one are successive angels before him and behind him, guarding him by Allah’s command” (Qurʾān 13:8-11).
That, he said, referred to Muḥammad—peace and blessings be upon him. He then mentioned Arbad and his death, and Allah Most High revealed: “When Allah wills ill for a people, it cannot be turned back, and besides Him they have no protector. It is He who shows you the lightning, inspiring fear and hope, and who raises the heavy clouds. The thunder glorifies His praise, as do the angels in awe of Him. He sends down the thunderbolts and strikes with them whom He wills, yet they dispute about Allah, while He is severe in might” (Qurʾān 13:11-13).
I say: We have already discussed these noble verses in our commentary on Sūrat al-Raʿd. All praise and favor belong to Allah.