صبغة الله وجود اللهِ

صبغة الله وجود اللهِ

صابغٌ ذاكره واللاهي

صابغٌ ذاكره واللاهي

The dye of God is the existence of God.

God’s dye is God’s existence,

It colors alike the one who remembers Him and the heedless.

Dyeing the one who remembers Him and the heedless one.

والبرايا عدمٌ أجمعهم

والبرايا عدمٌ أجمعهم

بثبوت دون علم الله

بثبوت دون علم الله

And all creatures, every one of them, are nonbeing,

And creatures—all of them—are nothingness,

with no fixed existence outside the knowledge of God.

As regards fixed existence outside God’s knowledge.

قف قليلاً وتأمل أنت في

قف قليلاً وتأمل أنت في

كل وقت كائن يا ساهي

كل وقت كائن يا ساهي

Pause a little, and contemplate

Pause a little and reflect: you are, at

what comes into being at every moment, O heedless one.

Every moment, coming into being, O heedless one.

بالتجلي لك تبدو خلقة

بالتجلي لك تبدو خلقة

ثم تخفى ليس تدري ما هي

ثم تخفى ليس تدري ما هي

Through manifestation, a created form appears to you,

Through manifestation, a created form appears to you,

then it is hidden; you do not know what it is.

Then vanishes; you do not know what it is.

بارق يلمع قد ظن له

بارق يلمع قد ظن له

وقفة من لبسة الأشباه

وقفة من لبسة الأشباه

A lightning flash gleams; one imagines it to have

A lightning flash gleams, thought to have

a pause because it wears the guise of semblances.

A pause, owing to the confusion of similar forms.

هو خلق الله أي تقديره

هو خلق الله أي تقديره

ظاهر بالأمر أمر الله

ظاهر بالأمر أمر الله

It is God’s creation—that is, His determining—

It is God’s creation—that is, His ordaining—

manifest through the command, the command of God.

Manifest through the command—the command of God.

ثم أمر الله قل واحدة

ثم أمر الله قل واحدة

مثل لمح البصر الأوّاه

مثل لمح البصر الأوّاه

Then God’s command—say—is but one,

Then say: God’s command is a single act,

like the blink of an eye, O oft-sighing one.

Like the blink of the oft-sighing eye.

هذه حالة عبدٍ آمرٍ

هذه حالة عبدٍ آمرٍ

من أولي الأمر وعبد ناهي

من أولي الأمر وعبد ناهي

This is the state of a servant who commands,

This is the state of a servant who commands,

one of those vested with command—and of a servant who forbids.

Among those in authority, and of a servant who forbids.