دَعِ الناسَ إِنَّ الناسَ تُوسِي وَتُؤلِمُ

دَعِ الناسَ إِنَّ الناسَ تُوسِي وَتُؤلِمُ

وَرَبُّكَ يَقضِي ما يَشاءُ وَيَحكُمُ

وَرَبُّكَ يَقضِي ما يَشاءُ وَيَحكُمُ

Leave people be, for people bring sorrow and pain.

Leave people be, for people do oppress and hurt,

And your Lord decrees what He wills and judges.

While your Lord decrees what He desires and rules.

يَرى عَبدُهُ إِحسانَهُ مُتَنَوِّعاً

يَرى عَبدُهُ إِحسانَهُ مُتَنَوِّعاً

شَهِيّاً ولا يَشهَى وَرَبُّكَ أَعلَمُ

شَهِيّاً ولا يَشهَى وَرَبُّكَ أَعلَمُ

His servant sees His kindness in varied forms:

He sees His servant's varied kindness

some welcome, some unwanted—and your Lord knows best.

As a witness, though He desires no witness, and your Lord knows best.

فكَم حالَةٍ بالعَبدِ ظُنَّت خَسارَةً

فكَم حالَةٍ بالعَبدِ ظُنَّت خَسارَةً

فلَمَّا تَعَدَّتهُ إِذا هِيَ مَغنَمُ

فلَمَّا تَعَدَّتهُ إِذا هِيَ مَغنَمُ

For many a condition that befell a servant was thought a loss,

How many a state the servant thought loss

yet once it was behind him, behold, it was a gain.

Yet when it passed, behold, a gain it becomes.

وَلاحِظ كِراماً سالِفِينَ هُمُ هُمُ

وَلاحِظ كِراماً سالِفِينَ هُمُ هُمُ

عَلى فَضلِهِم في الناسِ رِيعُوا وَأُولِمُوا

عَلى فَضلِهِم في الناسِ رِيعُوا وَأُولِمُوا

And consider noble men of old—great men indeed—

And observe the noble ancients, they are the ones

despite their excellence among people, they were frightened and hurt.

Who gained virtue among people, yet were oppressed and hurt.

عَلى أَنَّ بعضَ الصالِحِينَ مُفَضِّلٌ

عَلى أَنَّ بعضَ الصالِحِينَ مُفَضِّلٌ

خِلافَ هَواهُ حُكمُهُ وَمُقَدِّمُ

خِلافَ هَواهُ حُكمُهُ وَمُقَدِّمُ

Yet some of the righteous prefer

Though some of the righteous are inclined

what opposes their desires, and give it precedence in their judgment.

To rule against their desires and give precedence.

ولِلَّهِ أَلطافٌ بِطَيِّ قَضائِهِ

ولِلَّهِ أَلطافٌ بِطَيِّ قَضائِهِ

أَخو الفَهمِ في أَسرارِها يَتَفَهَّمُ

أَخو الفَهمِ في أَسرارِها يَتَفَهَّمُ

And God has subtle kindnesses in the folds of His decree;

And God has fine favors in the folds of His decree,

one endowed with understanding seeks to fathom their secrets.

The perceptive, regarding its mysteries, comprehends.

فمُوسى بِقَذفِ اليَمِّ تَمَّ عُلُوُّهُ

فمُوسى بِقَذفِ اليَمِّ تَمَّ عُلُوُّهُ

تَرَقَّى إِلى أَعلَى الذُّرا وَهوَ مُكرَمُ

تَرَقَّى إِلى أَعلَى الذُّرا وَهوَ مُكرَمُ

Thus Moses, through being cast into the sea, attained full exaltation;

So Moses, by being cast into the river, attained his exaltation,

he rose to the highest summits, held in honor.

And rose to the highest of ranks, while he was honored.

وَيُوسُفُ بعدَ الجُبِّ وَالسِجنِ حِقبَةً

وَيُوسُفُ بعدَ الجُبِّ وَالسِجنِ حِقبَةً

حَوَى المُلكَ وَهوَ المُستَفادُ المُعَظَّمُ

حَوَى المُلكَ وَهوَ المُستَفادُ المُعَظَّمُ

And Joseph, after the well and a long spell in prison,

And Joseph, after the well and prison for a time,

attained sovereignty, that greatly esteemed gain.

Contained kingship, and he was the utilized, revered one.

وبِالصَّبرِ وَالتَّقوى تَنالُ هِباتِهِ

وبِالصَّبرِ وَالتَّقوى تَنالُ هِباتِهِ

وَأَتقَى الوَرى عِندَ المُهَيمِنِ أَكرَمُ

وَأَتقَى الوَرى عِندَ المُهَيمِنِ أَكرَمُ

And through patience and piety you attain His gifts;

And by patience and piety, you attain His gifts,

and the most pious of humankind is most honored before the Guardian.

And the most devout, to The Guardian, is the most noble.

فعبد العَزيزِ بنَ الفَتَى عُمَرَ الذي

فعبد العَزيزِ بنَ الفَتَى عُمَرَ الذي

إِلى آلِ عَكّاسٍ نَماهُ المُتَرجِمُ

إِلى آلِ عَكّاسٍ نَماهُ المُتَرجِمُ

So, Abd al-Aziz, son of the young man Umar, whom

So servant of The Mighty, the son of the excellent man Umar

the biographer traced to the family of Akkas,

Whom the lineage of Aqqas raised — the translated one.

عَهِدناكَ ذا فَهمٍ ذَكِيٍّ وَذا حِجاً

عَهِدناكَ ذا فَهمٍ ذَكِيٍّ وَذا حِجاً

وَأَنتَ بِحَمدِ اللَّهِ حَبرٌ مُقَدَّمُ

وَأَنتَ بِحَمدِ اللَّهِ حَبرٌ مُقَدَّمُ

we have known you for keen understanding and wisdom;

We know you to be of perceptive intellect and possessing pilgrimage

and, praise be to God, you are an eminent scholar.

And you are, by God's praise, a leading expert.

فَلا تَكتَرِث مِمّا قَضى اللَّهُ إِنَّهُ

فَلا تَكتَرِث مِمّا قَضى اللَّهُ إِنَّهُ

هُوَ الذُّخرُ وَالباغِي سِوى اللَّه يُعدِمُ

هُوَ الذُّخرُ وَالباغِي سِوى اللَّه يُعدِمُ

So do not fret over what God has decreed, for He

So do not worry about what God has ordained, for He

is the treasure; whoever seeks other than God becomes destitute.

Is the treasure, and without God the desirer is destroyed.