العين واحدة والحكم مختلفُ

العين واحدة والحكم مختلفُ

فمنه مفترق بل منه مؤتلفُ

فمنه مفترق بل منه مؤتلفُ

The Reality is one, though judgments differ;

The essence is one, though the judgment differs.

from It comes divergence—nay, from It comes harmony.

From it comes separation—rather, from it comes union.

هي الحوادث لا عين لها أبداً

هي الحوادث لا عين لها أبداً

قديمها درُّها والحادث الصدف

قديمها درُّها والحادث الصدف

These are temporal events, possessing no essence of their own, ever:

They are created phenomena, with no essence of their own, ever.

their timeless source is the pearl, while the temporal is the shell.

The eternal in them is their pearl, and the created is the shell.

إياك تفهم من قولي الحلول بها

إياك تفهم من قولي الحلول بها

لأن قولي رموز صاغها السلف

لأن قولي رموز صاغها السلف

Beware of construing my words as saying that It indwells in them,

Beware of taking my words to mean indwelling in them,

for my words are symbols fashioned by the forebears.

For my words are symbols fashioned by the forebears.

وأنت تجهل علماً نحن نورده

وأنت تجهل علماً نحن نورده

من بحر حق عليه الناس ما وقفوا

من بحر حق عليه الناس ما وقفوا

You are ignorant of a knowledge that we draw

And you are ignorant of the knowledge we bring forth

from an ocean of Truth whose depths no people have fathomed.

From a sea of truth that people have not come to know.

فقف علينا وسلم بالأمور لنا

فقف علينا وسلم بالأمور لنا

فإن عارفنا بالغيب معترف

فإن عارفنا بالغيب معترف

So pause with us, and entrust these matters to us,

So come to know us, and defer to us in these matters;

for the knower among us acknowledges the Unseen.

For whoever knows us acknowledges the unseen.

الله أكبر لا شيء يشابهه

الله أكبر لا شيء يشابهه

وكل حرف عن الإدراك منحرف

وكل حرف عن الإدراك منحرف

God is greater; nothing resembles Him,

God is greatest; nothing resembles Him.

and every expression strays from true apprehension.

And every letter veers away from comprehension.

ظهورنا عنه بالتقدير من عدم

ظهورنا عنه بالتقدير من عدم

هو الظهور له في كل ما نصف

هو الظهور له في كل ما نصف

Our emergence from Him, by divine ordainment, is out of nonexistence;

Our emergence from Him, by decree, out of nonexistence,

it is His self-disclosure in everything we describe.

Is His manifestation in all that we describe.

لأنه الغيب غيب الغيب من يره

لأنه الغيب غيب الغيب من يره

ير الحوادث تبدو عنه لا تقف

ير الحوادث تبدو عنه لا تقف

For He is the Unseen, the Unseen of the unseen. Whoever sees Him

For He is the unseen, the unseen of the unseen; whoever sees Him

sees temporal things appearing from Him without cease,

Sees created phenomena appear from Him, never standing still.

كأنها البرق وهي الأمر لاح بها

كأنها البرق وهي الأمر لاح بها

يريده الله وهو الخلق منقذف

يريده الله وهو الخلق منقذف

as though they were lightning—yet it is the Command that flashed through them:

As though they were lightning; they are the command that flashed through them.

God wills it, and creation is cast forth.

God wills it, and it is creation flung forth.

وأمره القدر المقدور آخره

وأمره القدر المقدور آخره

ياء الحروف بدت والأول الألف

ياء الحروف بدت والأول الألف

His command is the decree, and the decreed is its final outcome;

And His command is the ordained decree; its last

the yāʾ appeared as the last of the letters, while the first is the alif.

Is yāʾ, now manifest among the letters; the first is alif.

فانظره أنت ودع ما أنت ناظره

فانظره أنت ودع ما أنت ناظره

فإنه فعله والفعل منحذف

فإنه فعله والفعل منحذف

So behold Him yourself, and leave aside whatever else you behold,

So behold Him yourself, and leave what you behold;

for it is His act, and the act itself vanishes.

For it is His act, and the act is effaced.

وكن له مظهراً لا عنه محتجباً

وكن له مظهراً لا عنه محتجباً

فإن شمس الضحى بالبدر تنكسف

فإن شمس الضحى بالبدر تنكسف

Be a place of His manifestation, not veiled from Him,

And be His locus of manifestation, not veiled from Him.

for even the morning sun is eclipsed by the full moon.

For the forenoon sun is eclipsed by the full moon.

بكل شيءٍ محيطٌ قال خالقنا

بكل شيءٍ محيطٌ قال خالقنا

فافهم فبالفهم سر الغيب ينكشف

فافهم فبالفهم سر الغيب ينكشف

“Encompassing everything,” our Creator has said.

“He encompasses all things,” our Creator said.

Understand, then: through understanding, the mystery of the Unseen is unveiled.

So understand, for through understanding the secret of the unseen is unveiled.

جل الإله وقد عزت مظاهره

جل الإله وقد عزت مظاهره

يراه قلب عن الأغيار مختلف

يراه قلب عن الأغيار مختلف

Exalted is God, and unapproachable are His manifestations;

Majestic is God, and exalted indeed are His manifestations.

a heart turned away from all others beholds Him.

A heart set apart from all else sees Him.

فتضمحل رسوم الكائنات ولا

فتضمحل رسوم الكائنات ولا

عقل هناك ولا حس فيغترف

عقل هناك ولا حس فيغترف

Then the traces of created beings dissolve, and there is

Then the traces of beings fade away, and there is no

no intellect there, nor any sense, with which to draw from that ocean.

Intellect there, nor any sense, to draw a draught.

ولا يراه سواه دائماً أبداً

ولا يراه سواه دائماً أبداً

والكل فان كما قد قال يا نطف

والكل فان كما قد قال يا نطف

None but He beholds Him, always and forever;

And none but He sees Him, always and forever.

all things perish, just as He has said—O drops of seed!

And all is perishing, as He has said, O drops of semen!

من كان من نطف الأقذار أولهم

من كان من نطف الأقذار أولهم

ماذا يرون هنا والآخر الجيف

ماذا يرون هنا والآخر الجيف

Whoever they may be, their beginning was from drops of filth;

Those who began as drops of filth—

what do they imagine they see here, when their end is carrion?

What do they see here, when their end is rotting corpses?

الله الله رب العالمين فمن

الله الله رب العالمين فمن

به رأه رأى الأكوان تنعطف

به رأه رأى الأكوان تنعطف

God, God—the Lord of all worlds! Whoever

God! God! Lord of the worlds! Thus whoever

sees Him through Him sees the universes bending back toward Him.

Has seen Him through Him has seen the worlds bend,

وزال عنه ضلال في بصيرته

وزال عنه ضلال في بصيرته

وما بقى عنده حزن ولا أسف

وما بقى عنده حزن ولا أسف

Delusion departs from his inner sight,

And error in his inner sight has departed from him,

and neither grief nor sorrow remains with him.

And no sorrow or regret remains with him.

هذا هو الرجل المرفوع جانبه

هذا هو الرجل المرفوع جانبه

عند الإلَه وفي الدنيا له الشرف

عند الإلَه وفي الدنيا له الشرف

This is the man whose standing is exalted

This is the man whose standing is exalted

before God, and who possesses honor in this world.

Before God, and in this world honor is his.