ألا إنما المخلوق يعرف بالعقلِ

ألا إنما المخلوق يعرف بالعقلِ

وخالقنا بالحسِّ يُعرَفُ والنقلِ

وخالقنا بالحسِّ يُعرَفُ والنقلِ

Behold, the created is known only through reason;

Indeed, the creation is known through reason,

And our Creator is known through sense-perception and transmitted tradition.

And our Creator through senses and tradition;

وهم يعرفون الله بالعقل كلُّهم

وهم يعرفون الله بالعقل كلُّهم

كما يعرفون الخلق بالحس والشكل

كما يعرفون الخلق بالحس والشكل

Yet they all know God through reason,

And they know God entirely through reason,

As they know creation through sense-perception and form.

As they know the creation through senses and form;

فلو علموا أن الذي في عقولهم

فلو علموا أن الذي في عقولهم

هو الخلق بل والحق في حسهم مجلي

هو الخلق بل والحق في حسهم مجلي

If only they knew that what is in their minds

If only they knew that what is in their minds

Is creation—rather, the Real is manifest to their senses,

Is in fact the creation, indeed the Truth is evident to their senses

بآياته في كل شيء منزَّهاً

بآياته في كل شيء منزَّهاً

عن الشيء حيث الشيء فانٍ من الكل

عن الشيء حيث الشيء فانٍ من الكل

Through His signs in everything, transcendent

With His signs in everything glorified,

Above the thing itself, since the thing vanishes from the whole.

Above all things wherever a thing perishes from the whole;

تعالى وجلَّ الله عن كل حادثٍ

تعالى وجلَّ الله عن كل حادثٍ

بذات ووصف بل وبالإسم والفعل

بذات ووصف بل وبالإسم والفعل

Exalted and sublime is God above all that comes into being,

Exalted and Majestic is God above every occurrent

In essence and attribute—indeed, in name and act.

In Essence, Attribute, indeed in Name and Deed;

وقد أمر الله العباد قل انظروا

وقد أمر الله العباد قل انظروا

وذلك بالعينين في النظر الأصلي

وذلك بالعينين في النظر الأصلي

And God has commanded His servants: 'Say: Look!'

And God has commanded people "look,"

And that is with both eyes, in the original sense of seeing.

That is with the eyes in the original looking;

وهم عدلوا عنه لأنظار عقلهم

وهم عدلوا عنه لأنظار عقلهم

ودانوا كما دانت فلاسفةُ الخبل

ودانوا كما دانت فلاسفةُ الخبل

Yet they turned from it to their reason's speculations,

But they turned away from it to the sights of their reason

And believed as the philosophers of madness believed.

And professed as the muddled philosophers professed;

وما العقل إلا للمعاشِ فإنه

وما العقل إلا للمعاشِ فإنه

لتدبير ملبوس وللشرب والأكل

لتدبير ملبوس وللشرب والأكل

And reason is only for livelihood, for it is

Reason is only for livelihood, as it

For attending to clothing, and for drinking and eating.

Administers clothing, drinking and eating;

وأما الحواس الخمسُ فهي لربنا

وأما الحواس الخمسُ فهي لربنا

بها نشهدُ الآياتِ في العلْوِ والسفل

بها نشهدُ الآياتِ في العلْوِ والسفل

And as for the five senses, they are for our Lord;

As for the five senses, they are for our Lord,

Through them we witness the signs in the heights and depths,

Through them we witness the signs above and below,

كما جاء في القرآن والسنة التي

كما جاء في القرآن والسنة التي

عن المصطفى بالحسن تهدي ذوي العقل

عن المصطفى بالحسن تهدي ذوي العقل

As stated in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, which

As stated in Qur’an and Sunna which

Comes from the Chosen One and beautifully guides those endowed with reason

Guide the reasonable from the Trustworthy;

لرؤيةِ محسوساتِ آياته فَخُذْ

لرؤيةِ محسوساتِ آياته فَخُذْ

متابعةَ الآياتِ تُنْبِتْكَ كالبقل

متابعةَ الآياتِ تُنْبِتْكَ كالبقل

To see the perceptible forms of His signs; so take up

For witnessing His tangible signs take

Following the signs; it will make you sprout like green plants.

Pursuing the signs which grows you like a vegetable,

وتبصر فعل الله في كائناته

وتبصر فعل الله في كائناته

وتشهدها الآيات تتلى على الوصل

وتشهدها الآيات تتلى على الوصل

And you will behold God's action in His created beings,

And you see God’s deed in His creation,

And witness them as signs, recited in continuity.

And the signs testify to Him in continuity,

وذاك كلام الله والله قارئٌ

وذاك كلام الله والله قارئٌ

كلاماً قديماً لا ببدءٍ ولا فصل

كلاماً قديماً لا ببدءٍ ولا فصل

And that is God's speech, and God recites

And that is God’s speech, and God is a Reader

Eternal speech, without beginning or separation.

Of an ancient speech without beginning or division,

حروف بدت منا بأصواتنا له

حروف بدت منا بأصواتنا له

تجل عن الأصوات والأحرف المثل

تجل عن الأصوات والأحرف المثل

His letters appeared from us through our voices,

Letters appeared through us in voices belonging to Him

Transcending sounds and corresponding letters.

Exalted above voices and ideal letters,

وكانت وما كنّا جميعاً وإنما

وكانت وما كنّا جميعاً وإنما

هو العلم نور الذات يبديه كالظل

هو العلم نور الذات يبديه كالظل

And they existed while none of us did; and it is only

They were when we were not, all together, but

Knowledge, the light of the Essence, which He manifests like a shadow.

He is the Light of the Essence which reveals it like a shadow;

وغيب غيوب الحق عز وجل عن

وغيب غيوب الحق عز وجل عن

مشابهة الأكوان والبعد والقبل

مشابهة الأكوان والبعد والقبل

And the mystery of the Real's mysteries is exalted and sublime beyond

And the unseen of Truth Mighty and Exalted is veiled from

Resemblance to created beings, and 'after' and 'before'.

Similarity to the cosmos, distance and nearness;

ولكننا نومي إلى علمنا به

ولكننا نومي إلى علمنا به

ونعلم أن العلم منا أخو الجهل

ونعلم أن العلم منا أخو الجهل

Yet we gesture toward our knowledge of Him,

But we hint with our knowledge of Him,

And know that our knowledge is the brother of ignorance.

And we know the knowledge is sibling of ignorance.