نفسي على نفسي الوجود بها نزل

نفسي على نفسي الوجود بها نزل

فَرْضاً وتقديراً ترتب في الأزلْ

فَرْضاً وتقديراً ترتب في الأزلْ

My soul—through it, Being descended upon my soul.

My selfhood descended upon my self

By supposition and determination, it was ordered in beginningless eternity.

As predetermined decree established in pre-eternity

فتلبست نفس الوجود بغيرها

فتلبست نفس الوجود بغيرها

وتقيد الإطلاق منها وانعزلْ

وتقيد الإطلاق منها وانعزلْ

So the very essence of Being clothed itself in what is other than itself,

Thus my selfhood donned the garb of external existence

And absoluteness became constrained by it and set apart.

And the Absolute became constrained within it and withdrew

وهو الذي هو لم يزل في غيبه

وهو الذي هو لم يزل في غيبه

وأنا الذي هو في انعدامٍ لم أزل

وأنا الذي هو في انعدامٍ لم أزل

And He is the One who has always remained in His hiddenness,

While He who is He did not cease to be in His unseen realm

And I am the one who has always remained in nonexistence.

And I who is I was not in utter nonexistence

وكذاك حكم الكائنات جميعها

وكذاك حكم الكائنات جميعها

فدع العَنا يا من تَرَيَّضَ واعتزل

فدع العَنا يا من تَرَيَّضَ واعتزل

And such is the condition of all created beings;

Such is the case with all contingent beings

So leave off toil, O you who have practiced self-discipline and withdrawn.

So cease your discontent, o withdrawn one

واعلم بأنك أنت تقدير الذي

واعلم بأنك أنت تقدير الذي

هو ناسج لك بالمشيئة ما غزل

هو ناسج لك بالمشيئة ما غزل

And know that you are the determination of the One

And know that you yourself are the decree of He

Who weaves for you, by His will, what He has spun.

Who weaves your being by His Will into what He spun

والحضرتان له فحضرة ذاته

والحضرتان له فحضرة ذاته

محض الوجود ووَصفُهُ نظمُ الغزل

محض الوجود ووَصفُهُ نظمُ الغزل

And the two presences are His: the presence of His essence

And both domains belong to Him, so His Essence’s domain

Is pure Being, and His attribute is the weaving of spun yarn.

Is pure existence and its description composes spins

وهي الصفات جميعنا آثارها

وهي الصفات جميعنا آثارها

من جدَّ فهو بها يجدُّ ومن هزل

من جدَّ فهو بها يجدُّ ومن هزل

And these are the attributes; we are all their effects.

And we all are its manifestations

Whoever acts earnestly does so through them, as does whoever jests.

So by them He finds rapture or jest

وإذا تعرض خاطر لك فاسد

وإذا تعرض خاطر لك فاسد

فارجع إلى التقدير إن العقل زل

فارجع إلى التقدير إن العقل زل

And if an unsound thought presents itself to you,

And if an inane thought occurs to you

Then return to determination if reason slips.

Return to the decree, for intellect does falter

وإذا الوجود الحق أعرض عنك قل

وإذا الوجود الحق أعرض عنك قل

نفسي على نفسي الوجود بها نزل

نفسي على نفسي الوجود بها نزل

And if True Being turns away from you, say:

And if the real existence turns from you, say

My soul—through it, Being descended upon my soul.

My selfhood descended upon my self...