ظلمات تقدرت تقديرا

من قديم وصورت تصويرا

Darknesses were ordained with precise ordaining,

from eternity, and shaped with exact shaping.

وعلا بعضها المرتَّبَ بعضٌ

هكذا طبق ما أتى تحريرا

And some rose above other ordered portions,

thus, according to what was set down in writing.

واسمها الكائنات علواً وسفلاً

كاملات لا نقص لا تغييرا

Their name is the created beings, high and low,

complete, with no deficiency and no alteration.

كاشف حيث لا بداية عنها

نور حق يعرِّفُ التنكيرا

Unveiling them, where there is no beginning,

is the light of the Real, defining the indefinite.

فهي بالنور وهو محض وجود

مطلق عن قيودها تكبيرا

They are through the light, and it is pure existence,

absolute, free of their constraints, in exaltation.

وعهدنا النور المنفر للظل

مة في الحال إن بدا تنفيرا

And we have known light to drive away darkness,

at once, if it appears, driving it away.

ثم إنا لما رأيناه أبقى

وصفها طبق ما اقتضته قريرا

Then, when we saw it, it preserved

their description, firmly as they required.

وهي لا شك أنها عدم صر

ف قديماً قلنا مقالاً شهيرا

And they are, without doubt, pure nonbeing;

long ago we uttered a well-known saying:

رحمة منك عمت الكل حتى

أثرت في ظهورهم تأثيرا

Mercy from You encompassed all, until

it had its effect upon their manifestation.

ولهم ههنا الظهور وخاف

هو عنهم بهم يرى التستيرا

Here manifestation belongs to them, while hidden

is He from them; through them one sees concealment.

وهو رأى العوام من أهل دين ال

له حظ النفوس فيهم أثيرا

And this is the common folk's view among followers of the religion of

God: the souls' share is favored among them.

ولنا ههنا مقالة صدق

حبرتها أئمتي تحبيرا

But here we have a statement of truth,

which my imams composed with fine embellishment.

إنما الظاهر الذي ليس يخفى

نور حق وسل بذاك خبيرا

What is manifest and never hidden

is only the light of the Real; ask one versed in this.

والتي لم تكن ولا هي كانت

لاح فيها نور الغيوب منيرا

And those that did not exist, nor ever were—

within them the light of the unseen shone radiantly.

ظلمات على الذي هي فيه

أزلاً لم تزل ولا تنويرا

Darknesses, remaining in the state they were in

from eternity, never ceasing and without illumination.

إنما النور وحده هو باد

في ظلام مقدر تقديرا

Only the light alone is manifest

in darkness ordained with precise ordaining.

فيرى نفسه برؤيتنا في

كل شيء لذاك كان بصيرا

Thus He sees Himself through our seeing, in

everything; for that reason He is All-Seeing.

ونرى نفسنا به ويرانا

هو أيضا بنا فكان قديرا

And we see ourselves through Him, and He sees us,

He too, through us; thus He is All-Powerful.

ونراه برؤية هي منه

جاءنا وعده بها تبشيرا

And we see Him with a vision that comes from Him;

His promise of it came to us as glad tidings.

ثم في الأربع المراتب كشف

هو هذا للنور ثم استعيرا

Then, in the four ranks, this is an unveiling

of the light; then it was borrowed.

واعترته مراتب وإضافا

ت فسمى عقلاً وحساً كثيرا

And ranks and relations came upon it,

so it was called intellect and manifold sensation.

وإذا حقق المحقق هذا

ونفى عنه بالسوى تغريرا

And when the realized knower realizes this,

and removes from it the deception of otherness,

قال أوصاف ربنا وكذا الأس

ماء بالكائنات فاحت عبيرا

he says: Our Lord's attributes, and likewise His names,

have wafted fragrance through created beings.

فهو منها الأوصاف وهو المسمى

عندها باعتبارها تقريرا

Thus He is their attributes, and He is the One named

among them, in consideration of them—this is affirmed.

ولهذا نقول تلك قديما

ت وعين الذات التي لا نظيرا

For this reason we say that those are eternal,

and identical with the Essence, which has no equal.

وهي ذات حقيقة موصوف

ومسمى شريعة توقيرا

It is the Essence—described in spiritual reality,

and named in sacred law, out of reverence.

ثم بالشرع والحقيقة نأتي

ظاهراً باطناً ولا تخييرا

Then we act by sacred law and spiritual reality,

outwardly and inwardly, with no choosing between them.

ونقول الذي به الكل قالوا

فنساوي المحقق النحريرا

And we affirm what all of them affirmed,

thus equaling the consummate, realized knower.

إنهم عند ربهم درجات

كلهم لا تشيين لا تعييرا

They stand in ranks before their Lord,

all of them: no disparagement, no reproach.

والبرايا قسمان أهل نعيم

في جنان ومن يرون السعيرا

And created beings are two groups: those in bliss

in Gardens, and those who behold the blazing Fire.

والذي قلبه المصدق ناج

وسواه مكفّر تكفيرا

One whose heart believes is saved,

while anyone else is declared an unbeliever outright.

ثم أهل الجنان قسمان أدنى

ثم أعلى يرى بها التصديرا

Then the people of the Gardens are two groups: the lower,

then the higher, who attain precedence there.

والذي فاته الذي نحن فيه

ههنا من علومنا تقصيرا

And whoever has missed what we are immersed in

here, of our knowledge, through shortcoming,

إن يكن مؤمناً به مذعناً لا

هو ناف له يراه حقيرا

if he believes in it and submits, not

denying it or regarding it as contemptible,

فهو في جنة النعيم ولكن

لا يرى الرفع والمقام الخطيرا

is in the Garden of Bliss, but

does not behold elevation and the exalted station.

وإذا كان جاحداً مسلماً في

ظاهر الشرع يلتقي تيسيرا

And if he denies it, though a Muslim in

the outward aspect of sacred law, he encounters ease.

وهو في مذهب الحقيقة شخصٌ

كافر لا يرى الغداة نصيرا

Yet, in the doctrine of spiritual reality, he is a person

unbelieving, who sees no helper on the morrow.

وبحكم الحقيقة الله فينا

حاكم في غد فكن مستجيرا

And by the judgment of spiritual reality, God among us

will judge tomorrow; so seek refuge.

وهنا الشرع لانتظام أمور ال

ناس وافى مبشراً ونذيرا

Here sacred law, to order people's affairs,

has come bearing glad tidings and warning.

فاغتنم ما أقوله لك واعرف

وتذكر بفهمه تذكيرا

So seize what I say to you, and know,

and let understanding it bring you remembrance.

وتبين مقالتي فهي نصح

لك جاءت فحذرت تحذيرا

And discern my statement, for it is counsel

that came to you and warned you emphatically.