كَأَنَّي بِكِ يَاكُوفَةُ تُمَدِّينَ مَدَّ الاْدَيمِ الْعُكَاظِيِّ، تُعْرَكِينَ بِالنَّوَازِلِ، وَتُرْكَبِينَ بِالزَّلاَزِلِ، وَإِنَّي لاَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ مَاأَرَادَ بِكِ جَبَّارٌ سُوءاً إِلاَّ ابْتَلاَهُ اللهُ بِشَاغِل، وَرَمَاهُ بِقَاتِل!
O Kūfah, as though I see you being drawn like the tanned leather of ‘Ukaẓi [1] in the market, you are being scraped by calamities and being ridden by severe troubles. I certainly [2] know that if any tyrant intends evil for you Allāh will afflict him with worry and fling him with a killer (set someone on him to kill him).