سلامٌ يفوق المسك والند عرفُه

سلامٌ يفوق المسك والند عرفُه

يعم حمى قومٍ كرام المحافل

يعم حمى قومٍ كرام المحافل

A greeting whose fragrance surpasses musk and nadd incense,

A greeting whose fragrance surpasses musk and ambergris

A greeting whose fragrance surpasses musk and ambergris,

Pervading the protected domain of a people noble in their assemblies.

It encompasses a tribe of honorable gatherings

Encompassing the sanctuary of a people noble in their assemblies.

كرام إذا ما العبد بينهم جنى

كرام إذا ما العبد بينهم جنى

حبوه بعفوٍ شاملٍ ومآمل

حبوه بعفوٍ شاملٍ ومآمل

Generous ones: when a servant among them does wrong,

Honorable men, if a servant sought refuge amongst them

Nobles who, if a servant commits a transgression among them,

They bestow upon him all-embracing pardon and hopes.

They would protect him with all-encompassing pardon and hopes

Bestow upon him comprehensive pardon and fulfilled hopes.

بقدر عظيم الذنب يعظم عفوهم

بقدر عظيم الذنب يعظم عفوهم

فأكرم بهم قوما كرام الشمائل

فأكرم بهم قوما كرام الشمائل

Their pardon grows in proportion to the enormity of the sin.

In proportion to the graveness of the sin, their pardon grows greater

Their forgiveness grows great in measure with the greatness of the sin;

How noble, then, they are—a people of noble character!

So the most honorable of tribes are made more honorable through them

How noble they are as a people, generous in their character!

على قدر نقصي عاملوني بفضلكم

على قدر نقصي عاملوني بفضلكم

أيا كاملين الوصف لست بكامل

أيا كاملين الوصف لست بكامل

Treat me with your generosity in proportion to my shortcomings,

In proportion to my shortcomings, you have treated me with your generosity

Treat me with your grace according to the extent of my deficiency,

O you whose qualities are perfect: I am not perfect.

O you who are the embodiment of perfection, while I am not perfect

O you who are perfect in attributes, for I am not perfect.

ندمت على ما كان مني ونادمٌ

ندمت على ما كان مني ونادمٌ

عقيب وقوع الفعل ليس بفاعل

عقيب وقوع الفعل ليس بفاعل

I regret what I did; and one who feels remorse

I regret what I have done and feel remorse

I have regretted what came from me, and the regretful one,

After the act has occurred is not its doer.

Upon committing the act, not before doing the deed

After the deed has occurred, is no longer a perpetrator.

على أنّ عقلَ المرء يذهب للقضا

على أنّ عقلَ المرء يذهب للقضا

فذو العقل ذو علم وليس بجاهل

فذو العقل ذو علم وليس بجاهل

Yet a person's reason gives way to fate,

For a person's mind does wander astray at times

For truly, a man's intellect vanishes before Divine Decree,

For one endowed with reason has knowledge and is not ignorant.

So one of wisdom has knowledge and is not ignorant

And the man of reason possesses knowledge and is not ignorant.