هما الضدان في الأشياء آلا

هما الضدان في الأشياء آلا

إليه فأشبها في الكشف آلا

إليه فأشبها في الكشف آلا

The two opposites within things have both returned

The two opposites are in all things, indeed

to Him; thus, in unveiling, both resembled a mirage.

To Him they are most similar in revelation, indeed

وحقق ما أقول ولا تبالي

وحقق ما أقول ولا تبالي

ولا تخف العقوبة والوبالا

ولا تخف العقوبة والوبالا

Verify what I say, and do not worry;

Realize what I say and do not care

and fear neither punishment nor ruin.

And do not fear punishment and affliction

هو الله الذي خلق البرايا

هو الله الذي خلق البرايا

له وهدى وأسعهم ضلالا

له وهدى وأسعهم ضلالا

He is God, who created all creatures

He is Allah who created the wilds

for Himself, guided them, and granted them abundant error.

For Him is guidance, and most of them are misguided

ونزه نفسه عن كل شيء

ونزه نفسه عن كل شيء

بليس كمثله شيءٌ تعالى

بليس كمثله شيءٌ تعالى

And He declared Himself beyond all things

And He transcended Himself from everything

through ‘Nothing is like Him’—exalted is He.

Nothing is like Him, He is exalted

فلا مخلوق في حس وعقل

فلا مخلوق في حس وعقل

يشابه ربنا أبداً محالا

يشابه ربنا أبداً محالا

So no created being, in sense or reason,

So no created being, in perception or intellect

ever resembles our Lord: that is impossible.

Will ever resemble our Lord, impossible

كأن بخلقه الأشياء ربي

كأن بخلقه الأشياء ربي

يقول بأنني بك لن أنالا

يقول بأنني بك لن أنالا

It is as though my Lord, by creating things,

As if by creating things, the Lord

were saying, ‘Through you I shall not be attained.’

Says that through you I will never attain

ولما تم ذا التنزيه منه

ولما تم ذا التنزيه منه

وألزم في تحققه الرجالا

وألزم في تحققه الرجالا

And when this transcendence from Him was complete,

And when this transcendence was completed by Him

and He obliged men to realize it,

And He obliged men to realize it

أتى التشبيه منه لنا صريحاً

أتى التشبيه منه لنا صريحاً

على حكم به ضرب المثالا

على حكم به ضرب المثالا

likeness came explicitly from Him to us,

The resemblance came from Him to us plainly

under a ruling by which He set forth an example:

By the wisdom of parables He struck

بأنّا كلُّ شيءٍ رفعُ كلٍّ

بأنّا كلُّ شيءٍ رفعُ كلٍّ

خلقناهُ قراءةُ من أحالا

خلقناهُ قراءةُ من أحالا

that ‘We are every thing’—‘every’ in the nominative—

That we, everything we raised is reading everything

‘We created it’—the reading of one who altered it.

We created it by references indeed

وقال كذاك وهو الله يعني

وقال كذاك وهو الله يعني

لدينا في السموات اشتمالا

لدينا في السموات اشتمالا

And likewise He said, ‘And He is God,’ meaning

And He said likewise, and He is Allah, meaning

for us, inclusion ‘in the heavens’

For us in the heavens is inclusiveness

وفي الأرض انظروه وفي لظرفٍ

وفي الأرض انظروه وفي لظرفٍ

تُفيدُ وذلك التنزيه حالا

تُفيدُ وذلك التنزيه حالا

‘and in the earth’—behold Him; ‘in’ has a locative sense

And on earth, look at it, and in every place

that it conveys, with that transcendence as His state.

That benefits, and that is transcendence sometimes

فبالتشبيه قل في الله شرعاً

فبالتشبيه قل في الله شرعاً

وبالتنزيه قل أيضا كمالا

وبالتنزيه قل أيضا كمالا

So speak of God in terms of likeness, according to revealed law,

So by resemblance speak of Allah religiously

and also speak in terms of transcendence, for completeness.

And by transcendence speak also perfectly

ولا تعرض عن التنزيه ذاك ال

ولا تعرض عن التنزيه ذاك ال

ذي قد جاء عنه وقله قالا

ذي قد جاء عنه وقله قالا

And do not turn away from that transcendence, which

And do not turn away from that transcendence

has come from Him, and express it in words.

That has come from Him and say it said

وحاصله بأن الذات غيب

وحاصله بأن الذات غيب

منزهة مقدسة جلالا

منزهة مقدسة جلالا

And its gist is that the Essence is unseen,

And its summary is that the essence is unseen

transcendent, sanctified in majesty.

Transcendent, sacred, majesty

ومن حيث الصفات وما تَسمَّى

ومن حيث الصفات وما تَسمَّى

به فهو المشبه لن يزالا

به فهو المشبه لن يزالا

And as regards the attributes and what He names Himself

And in terms of attributes and what is named

by, He is the One likened, and will never cease to be so.

By it, He is the resemblance, will not change

كما قد قال وهو الأوَّلُ اقْرأْ

كما قد قال وهو الأوَّلُ اقْرأْ

كذا والآخرُ اعرفْ ذا المقالا

كذا والآخرُ اعرفْ ذا المقالا

As He has said, ‘And He is the First’—read;

As He has said, and He is the First "Read"

likewise, ‘and the Last’—understand this saying.

Thus, and the Last "Know" this speech

كذا والظاهر المعروف فينا

كذا والظاهر المعروف فينا

كذا والباطن المجهول لالا

كذا والباطن المجهول لالا

Likewise, ‘and the Manifest,’ known among us;

Thus, and the Apparent known to us

likewise, ‘and the Hidden,’ unknown—no, no.

Thus, and the Hidden unknown, not at all

فلا معروف إلا الله لكن

فلا معروف إلا الله لكن

تنزه إذ تشبه واستطالا

تنزه إذ تشبه واستطالا

So none is known but God; yet

So nothing is known except Allah, but

He is transcendent as He assumes likeness and towers above.

Transcend when you resemble and prolong

هو المعروف في الدنيا وأيضاً

هو المعروف في الدنيا وأيضاً

هو المعروف في الأخرى مآلا

هو المعروف في الأخرى مآلا

He is the One known in this world, and also

He is the known in the present world and also

He is the One known in the hereafter, ultimately.

He is the known in the next destination

وليس سواه لا شرعاً لدينا

وليس سواه لا شرعاً لدينا

ولا عقلاً فدع عنك الخيالا

ولا عقلاً فدع عنك الخيالا

And there is none besides Him for us, by revealed law,

And there is none beside Him, neither religiously for us

nor by reason; so cast illusion aside.

Nor intellectually, so leave your imagination

وقل حق وبالأسماء خلق

وقل حق وبالأسماء خلق

له ذات وأسماء تعالى

له ذات وأسماء تعالى

And say: the Real, and through the names, creation;

And speak the truth, and with the names He created

He has an Essence and names—exalted is He.

For Him essence and names exalted