لقدْ نامَ أَهلُ العِلْم نوماً مغنطَساً

لقدْ نامَ أَهلُ العِلْم نوماً مغنطَساً

فلمْ يسمعوا مَا رَدَّدَتْهُ العوالِمُ

فلمْ يسمعوا مَا رَدَّدَتْهُ العوالِمُ

Indeed, the learned have fallen into a hypnotic sleep,

The people of knowledge have fallen into a deep slumber

The people of learning have slept a magnetized slumber,

And have not heard what the worlds have echoed.

Unhearing of what the universe proclaims

And hear not what the echoing worlds proclaim,

ولكنَّ صوتاً صارخاً متصاعداً

ولكنَّ صوتاً صارخاً متصاعداً

من الرُّوحِ يَدري كُنْهَهُ المُتَصامِمُ

من الرُّوحِ يَدري كُنْهَهُ المُتَصامِمُ

Yet a shrill, rising voice

But a crying voice, rising up

Yet there is a screaming voice, ascending high,

From the spirit, whose essence even one feigning deafness knows,

From the soul, knows its essence, O resolute one

From the Spirit—its essence known to those who feign they cannot hear.

سيُوقِظُ منهمْ كلّ منْ هوَ نائمٌ

سيُوقِظُ منهمْ كلّ منْ هوَ نائمٌ

ويُنطِقُ منهمْ كلَّ من هو واجِمُ

ويُنطِقُ منهمْ كلَّ من هو واجِمُ

Will awaken every sleeper among them,

It will awaken any of them who sleep

It shall awaken every sleeper within their ranks,

And make every silent, downcast one among them speak.

And make speak any of them who are silent

And grant speech to all who sit in sullen silence.

سَكَتُّمْ حماةَ الدِّين سَكْتَةَ واجمٍ

سَكَتُّمْ حماةَ الدِّين سَكْتَةَ واجمٍ

ونمْتُمْ بمِلْءِ الجَفْنِ والسَّيلُ داهِمُ

ونمْتُمْ بمِلْءِ الجَفْنِ والسَّيلُ داهِمُ

You fell silent, guardians of religion, with the silence of one in dismay,

You who protect religion, your silence is the silence of one resigned

You have fallen silent, O guardians of the Faith, a silence grim and deep,

And slept with eyelids fully closed, while the torrent swept upon you.

You slept with eyes and torrents raging

And you slept with heavy lids while the sweeping flood draws near.

سَكَتُّمْ وقد شِمتم ظلاماً غُضُونُهُ

سَكَتُّمْ وقد شِمتم ظلاماً غُضُونُهُ

علائمُ كفرٍ ثائرٍ ومعالِمُ

علائمُ كفرٍ ثائرٍ ومعالِمُ

You fell silent, though you had discerned a darkness whose folds

You were silent though you sensed a darkness, its omens

You kept silent though you glimpsed a darkness within whose folds,

Are signs and landmarks of rebellious unbelief.

Signs of defiant blasphemy and warnings

Are signs of rampant disbelief and evident landmarks.

مواكبُ إلحادٍ وراءَ سكوتِكُم

مواكبُ إلحادٍ وراءَ سكوتِكُم

تَضُجُّ وها إنَّ الفضاءَ مَآثِمُ

تَضُجُّ وها إنَّ الفضاءَ مَآثِمُ

Processions of atheism, behind your silence,

Processions of atheism behind your silence

Processions of godlessness march behind your silence,

Clamor—and behold, the expanse is filled with sins.

Clamoring, behold the sky is blemished

Clamoring aloud, for behold, the very air is filled with sin.

أَفيقوا فليلُ النَّومِ ولَّى شبابُهُ

أَفيقوا فليلُ النَّومِ ولَّى شبابُهُ

ولاحتْ للألاءِ الصَّباحِ عَلائِمُ

ولاحتْ للألاءِ الصَّباحِ عَلائِمُ

Awake, for the night of sleep has spent its youth,

Awaken, the night of sleep has passed its vigor

Awake! For the prime of slumber’s night has passed away,

And signs of morning's radiance have appeared.

And signs of dawn have appeared for the banners

And the shimmering signs of the morning have begun to gleam.

فدونَ ضجيجِ الفاسقين سَكينةٌ

فدونَ ضجيجِ الفاسقين سَكينةٌ

هيَ الموتُ ممَّا أَورَثَتْهُ التَّمائِمُ

هيَ الموتُ ممَّا أَورَثَتْهُ التَّمائِمُ

For beneath the clamor of the wicked lies a stillness

Without the clamor of sinners, there is tranquility

For beneath the uproar of the corrupt lies a dead stillness,

That is death, part of what amulets have bequeathed.

It is death, from what sorrows have brought calamities

It is death itself, bequeathed by idle talismans.

عوائدُ تُحيي في البلادِ نوائباً

عوائدُ تُحيي في البلادِ نوائباً

تقُدُّ قُوامَ الدِّين والدِّينُ قائِمُ

تقُدُّ قُوامَ الدِّين والدِّينُ قائِمُ

Customs that bring calamities to life in the land,

Traditions that revive adversities in the land

Customs that revive calamities across the land,

That cleave religion's frame, while religion still stands.

Leading the faith and the faith remains standing

Shredding the stature of the Faith, even as the Faith stands tall.

أَفيقوا وهُبُّوا هَبَّةً ضَيْغَمِيَّةً

أَفيقوا وهُبُّوا هَبَّةً ضَيْغَمِيَّةً

ولا تحجُمُوا فالموتُ في الجبْنِ جاثِمُ

ولا تحجُمُوا فالموتُ في الجبْنِ جاثِمُ

Awake, and rise with a lion's surge!

Awaken and surge forth like a flood

Awake and rise up with the ferocity of a lion,

And do not shrink back, for death crouches in cowardice.

Do not hold back, for death lies in cowardice

And do not recoil, for death lies crouching in cowardice.

فدون نِقابِ الصَّمتِ تنمو ملامحٌ

فدون نِقابِ الصَّمتِ تنمو ملامحٌ

تبرقعتِ الشّرَّ الَّذي لا يُقاوِمُ

تبرقعتِ الشّرَّ الَّذي لا يُقاوِمُ

For beneath the veil of silence, features grow

Behind the veil of silence, features grow

For beneath the veil of silence, dark features grow,

Veiled in evil that meets no resistance.

That mask the evil that cannot be resisted

Masked in an evil that meets no resistance.

فقدْ فَتَّ في زَنْدِ الدِّيانَةِ معشرٌ

فقدْ فَتَّ في زَنْدِ الدِّيانَةِ معشرٌ

أثاروا على الإسلامِ مَنْ قَدْ يُهاجِمُ

أثاروا على الإسلامِ مَنْ قَدْ يُهاجِمُ

For a band has weakened religion's arm,

A group has unsheathed in the scabbard of religion

For a faction has sapped the strength of Religion’s arm,

Who stirred up against Islam those who might attack.

Raising against Islam one who may attack

Provoking against Islam those ready to attack.

فواالحقِّ مَا هذي الزَّوايا وأَهلُها

فواالحقِّ مَا هذي الزَّوايا وأَهلُها

سِوَى مصنعٍ فيهِ تُصاغُ السَّخائِمُ

سِوَى مصنعٍ فيهِ تُصاغُ السَّخائِمُ

So, by the Truth, these Sufi lodges and their people are nothing

By truth, what are these shrines and their people

By the Truth! These recluse corners and those who dwell within,

But a factory where grudges are forged.

Except a factory in which insults are forged

Are but a factory wherein malice is forged.

لحى اللهُ مَنْ لمْ تَسْتَثِره حميَّةٌ

لحى اللهُ مَنْ لمْ تَسْتَثِره حميَّةٌ

على دِينه إنْ داهمتهُ العَظائِمُ

على دِينه إنْ داهمتهُ العَظائِمُ

May God curse whoever is not stirred by zeal

May God shame those whom zeal does not fire

May God condemn the one who is not stirred by zeal,

For his religion, if great calamities assail it.

To protect their faith when faced with great perils

For his Faith when great calamities strike home.