Noah has ever remained, before the Lord of the Throne, exalted—
counted among the elect, the purest of the chosen.

Lamech, his father, was a marvel in moments of dread—
fearless, ready to stake his own life against the seasoned warrior.

Long before Lamech, Methuselah never ceased
to drive the enemy back with sweeping, decisive blows.

For the Prophet Idris there were lofty stations from God
that no seeker’s ambition could possibly attain.

Jared was an ocean among kinsmen of lofty pedigree—
proud, unblemished by shame, refined in his aims.

In Mahalalel shone virtues
cleansed of every flagrant fault.

Kenan, before them all, secured his people’s glory
and led the pace of honor like swift-racing mounts.

Enosh schooled his soul for glory,
keeping it clear of degrading pursuits.

Seth ever excelled in virtues—
noble, innocent of any blameworthy flaw.

All of them kindled their light from the radiance of Adam
and gathered from his trunk the fruits of noble traits.

The Messenger of Allah was the noblest offspring,
his lineage coursing through the loins of the pure and virtuous.

Generation after generation, his fathers and mothers
were free of every scandalous blemish.

Upon him be Allah’s peace at every sunrise that flashes
and every sunset that glows—he who brought light to us.

Thus Shaykh Abū ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Barr and our teacher, the ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Ḥajjāj al-Mizzī, quote this poem in his Tahdhīb. It is from the verses of the master poet Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Nāshiʾ, known as Ibn Shirsheer. Originally from al-Anbār, he came to Baghdad and later travelled to Egypt, where he remained until his death in 293 AH. He was a Muʿtazilī theologian; Shaykh Abū al-Ḥasan al-Ashʿarī cites him in Al-Maqālāt among the positions of the Muʿtazilah. Ibn Shirsheer was also an accomplished poet whose prowess led him to oppose other poets on their very themes, fashioning verses that contradicted them and devising novel, exquisite meanings and eloquent diction beyond their reach—so much so that some accused him of obsession and imbalance. Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī reports that he composed an ode in a single rhyme of nearly four thousand lines, recorded by al-Nājim, and dated his death as noted above.

I say: This poem testifies to his virtue, brilliance, eloquence, rhetorical mastery, knowledge, understanding, prodigious memory, elegance of diction, and breadth of learning. It shows his power to weave this noble genealogy into the fabric of his verse, diving for themes that are precious gems from the depths of his ocean. May Allah have mercy on him, reward him, and grant him the best of returns and outcomes.