انظر إلى الكون وتسطيره

انظر إلى الكون وتسطيره

واعلم بأن السر في غيره

واعلم بأن السر في غيره

Look at the universe and its inscription,

Look upon the universe and its arrangement

and know that the secret lies in what is other than it.

And know that the secret lies in something else

لا يطلب الله بصدق ولا

لا يطلب الله بصدق ولا

يشتاق أن يلقاه في سيره

يشتاق أن يلقاه في سيره

No one sincerely seeks God, nor

None seeks Allah sincerely, nor

longs to meet Him on his journey,

Yearns to meet Him in his journey

إلا الذي يؤمن بالغيب لا

إلا الذي يؤمن بالغيب لا

يقنع بالعقل وتصويره

يقنع بالعقل وتصويره

except one who believes in the unseen and does not

Except he who believes in the unseen, not

rest content with reason and its representations.

Content with the intellect and its depiction

ونفسه يعرفها أنها

ونفسه يعرفها أنها

داخلة في حكم تقديره

داخلة في حكم تقديره

And he knows his own soul to be

And knows his soul that it

subject to the rule of His decree,

Falls under the jurisdiction of His decree

عاجزة عنه تعالى فلا

عاجزة عنه تعالى فلا

تدرك منه غير تغييره

تدرك منه غير تغييره

incapable of comprehending Him—exalted is He—and so

Powerless before Him the Exalted, thus it cannot

it perceives nothing of Him but His changing

Perceive anything but His alteration of things

للشيء فالشيء إذاً هالك

للشيء فالشيء إذاً هالك

ووجهه باق على خيره

ووجهه باق على خيره

of things; thus every thing perishes,

For the thing, so the thing perishes

and His Face abides in His goodness.

Yet His countenance remains in its benevolence

منامكم قد جاء في الذكر من

منامكم قد جاء في الذكر من

آياته فافطن لتذكيره

آياته فافطن لتذكيره

Your sleep has been mentioned in the Remembrance among

Your sleep has been mentioned in the Scripture among

His signs; so heed His reminder.

His signs, so be conscious of His reminder

والناس قد جاء نيام كما

والناس قد جاء نيام كما

نبينا قال بتقريره

نبينا قال بتقريره

And people are said to be asleep, as

And people came asleep just as

our Prophet said, affirming this.

Our Prophet said in his affirmation

ونائم يلقى خيالاً نشا

ونائم يلقى خيالاً نشا

منه فيحتاج لتعبيره

منه فيحتاج لتعبيره

And a sleeper encounters an image that arose

And a sleeping one encounters an imagination arising

from himself, and so needs its interpretation.

From it, needing its interpretation

وإنما التعبير من ظاهر

وإنما التعبير من ظاهر

لباطن يعبر في غيره

لباطن يعبر في غيره

And interpretation is only a passage from the outward

Yet the interpretation is from the apparent

to the inward, crossing into what is other than it.

To the inward, it crosses over into something else

ليس كمثل الله شيء كما

ليس كمثل الله شيء كما

قال تعالى عند تفسيره

قال تعالى عند تفسيره

"Nothing is like God," as

Nothing is comparable to Allah as

He—exalted is He—said in His exposition—

He the Exalted said in His exegesis

إشارة يعرفها عارف

إشارة يعرفها عارف

صفا من الغير وتكديره

صفا من الغير وتكديره

a hint recognized by a knower

An allusion recognized by the knower

who is purified of otherness and its clouding.

Of clarity from the other and its turbidity

فافهم كلامي وتحقق به

فافهم كلامي وتحقق به

ليشرق القلب بتنويره

ليشرق القلب بتنويره

So understand my words and realize their truth,

So understand my words and ascertain through them

so that the heart may shine through its illumination.

That the heart shines with its illumination