طولُ التَعاشُرِ بَينَ الناسِ مَملولُ

طولُ التَعاشُرِ بَينَ الناسِ مَملولُ

ما لِاِبنِ آدامَ إِن كَشَّفتَ مَعقولُ

ما لِاِبنِ آدامَ إِن كَشَّفتَ مَعقولُ

Long companionship among people grows wearisome.

The length of socializing amongst people becomes burdensome

The son of Adam has no sound judgment, if you examine him closely.

What is there for the son of Adam once mysteries are unveiled

لِلمَرءِ أَلوانُ دُنيا رَغبَةً وَهَوى

لِلمَرءِ أَلوانُ دُنيا رَغبَةً وَهَوى

وَعَقلُهُ أَبَداً ما عاشَ مَدخولُ

وَعَقلُهُ أَبَداً ما عاشَ مَدخولُ

For man, worldly life has many hues of longing and passion,

A person has various worldly desires and passions

And his reason remains flawed for as long as he lives.

And his intellect is never free for as long as he lives

يا راعِيَ النَفسِ لا تُغفِل رِعايَتَها

يا راعِيَ النَفسِ لا تُغفِل رِعايَتَها

فَأَنتَ عَن كُلِّ ما اِستُرعيتَ مَسؤولُ

فَأَنتَ عَن كُلِّ ما اِستُرعيتَ مَسؤولُ

O guardian of the soul, do not neglect its care,

O guardian of the soul, do not neglect caring for it

For you are accountable for everything entrusted to your care.

For you will be held accountable for all that you shepherd

خُذ ما عَرَفتَ وَدَع ما أَنتَ جاهِلُهُ

خُذ ما عَرَفتَ وَدَع ما أَنتَ جاهِلُهُ

لِلأَمرِ وَجهانِ مَعروفٌ وَمَجهولُ

لِلأَمرِ وَجهانِ مَعروفٌ وَمَجهولُ

Take what you know, and leave what you do not know.

Take what you know and leave what you are ignorant of

A matter has two sides: the known and the unknown.

For every matter has two faces, the known and the unknown

وَاِحذَر فَلَستَ مِنَ الأَيّامِ مُنفَلِتاً

وَاِحذَر فَلَستَ مِنَ الأَيّامِ مُنفَلِتاً

حَتّى تَغولَكَ مِن أَيّامِكَ الغولُ

حَتّى تَغولَكَ مِن أَيّامِكَ الغولُ

And beware, for you cannot escape the days,

And beware, for you will never escape days

Until the ghoul from among your days carries you off.

Until they overpower you, those wolves of your days

فَالدائِراتُ بِرَيبِ الدَهرِ دائِرَةٌ

فَالدائِراتُ بِرَيبِ الدَهرِ دائِرَةٌ

وَالمَرءُ عَن نَفسِهِ ما عاشَ مَختولُ

وَالمَرءُ عَن نَفسِهِ ما عاشَ مَختولُ

For calamities circle round with the vicissitudes of time,

For the rotations of fate’s doubt are a rotation

And man is deceived about himself for as long as he lives.

And a person, for as long as he lives, is deranged

لَن تَستَسِمَّ جَميلاً أَنتَ فاعِلُهُ

لَن تَستَسِمَّ جَميلاً أَنتَ فاعِلُهُ

إِلّا وَأَنتَ طَليقُ الوَجهِ بُهلولُ

إِلّا وَأَنتَ طَليقُ الوَجهِ بُهلولُ

You will never perfect a kindness you perform,

You will never perform a good deed, you who do it

Unless you are open-faced and cheerful.

Unless you have a joyful, radiant face like a clown

ما أَوسَعَ الخَيرَ فَاِبسُط راحَتَيكَ بِهِ

ما أَوسَعَ الخَيرَ فَاِبسُط راحَتَيكَ بِهِ

وَكُن كَأَنَّكَ عِندَ الشَرِّ مَغلولُ

وَكُن كَأَنَّكَ عِندَ الشَرِّ مَغلولُ

How vast goodness is! Open both your palms to give it,

How vast is goodness! So extend your arms with it

And in the face of evil, be as though you were fettered.

And be as if you are bound when evil is present

الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ في آجالِنا قِصَرٌ

الحَمدُ لِلَّهِ في آجالِنا قِصَرٌ

نَبغي البَقاءَ وَفي آمالِنا طولُ

نَبغي البَقاءَ وَفي آمالِنا طولُ

Praise be to God: our lifespans are short,

Praise be to God, our lifespans are short

We seek to live on, while our hopes stretch far.

We desire longevity though our hopes are long

نَعوذُ بِاللَهِ مِن خِذلانِهِ أَبَداً

نَعوذُ بِاللَهِ مِن خِذلانِهِ أَبَداً

فَإِنَّما الناسُ مَعصومٌ وَمَخذولُ

فَإِنَّما الناسُ مَعصومٌ وَمَخذولُ

We always seek refuge in God from being forsaken by Him,

We seek refuge in God from being abandoned

For people are either protected or forsaken.

For people are protected or abandoned

إِنّي لَفي مَنزِلٍ ما زِلتُ أَعمُرُهُ

إِنّي لَفي مَنزِلٍ ما زِلتُ أَعمُرُهُ

عَلى يَقيني بِأَنّي عَنهُ مَنقولُ

عَلى يَقيني بِأَنّي عَنهُ مَنقولُ

I am indeed in a dwelling I keep building up,

I am in a house I have inhabited

Despite my certainty that I shall be taken from it.

Certain that I will move from it

وَأَنَّ رَحلي وَإِن أَوثَقتُهُ لَعَلى

وَأَنَّ رَحلي وَإِن أَوثَقتُهُ لَعَلى

مَطِيَّةٍ مِن مَطايا الحَينِ مَحمولُ

مَطِيَّةٍ مِن مَطايا الحَينِ مَحمولُ

And that my saddle, though I bind it firmly, is surely on

Although my bags are packed

A mount among the mounts of doom, which carries it.

On a mount from the steeds of era, carried

فَلَو تَأَهَّبتُ وَالأَنفاسُ في مَهلٍ

فَلَو تَأَهَّبتُ وَالأَنفاسُ في مَهلٍ

وَالخَيرُ بَيني وَبَينَ العَيشِ مَقبولُ

وَالخَيرُ بَيني وَبَينَ العَيشِ مَقبولُ

If only I made ready while my breaths still have respite,

If I prepared though my breaths are unhurried

And goodness between me and life is still accepted.

And goodness between me and life is accepted

وادي الحَياةِ مَحَلٌّ لا مُقامَ بِهِ

وادي الحَياةِ مَحَلٌّ لا مُقامَ بِهِ

لِنازِليهِ وَوادي المَوتِ مَحلولُ

لِنازِليهِ وَوادي المَوتِ مَحلولُ

The valley of life is a stopping-place, with no abiding there

The valley of life has no abode for its settler

For those who alight in it; the valley of death is inhabited.

And the valley of death takes all

وَالدارُ دارُ أَباطيلٍ مُشَبَّهَةٍ

وَالدارُ دارُ أَباطيلٍ مُشَبَّهَةٍ

الجِدُّ مُرٌّ بِها وَالهَزلُ مَعسولُ

الجِدُّ مُرٌّ بِها وَالهَزلُ مَعسولُ

And this abode is an abode of disguised falsehoods:

The house is one of vanishing illusions

Earnestness is bitter there, and jest is honey-sweet.

Truth in it is bitter and jest is sweetened

وَلَيسَ مَن مَوضِعٍ يَأتيهِ ذو نَفسٍ

وَلَيسَ مَن مَوضِعٍ يَأتيهِ ذو نَفسٍ

إِلّا وَلِلمَوتِ سَيفٌ فيهِ مَسلولُ

إِلّا وَلِلمَوتِ سَيفٌ فيهِ مَسلولُ

And there is no place a living soul enters

There is no place a soul comes to

But death has a sword unsheathed there.

Except the sword of death in it is drawn

لَم يُشغَلِ المَوتُ عَنّا مُذأُعِدَّ لَنا

لَم يُشغَلِ المَوتُ عَنّا مُذأُعِدَّ لَنا

وَكُلُّنا عَنهُ بِاللَذاتِ مَشغولُ

وَكُلُّنا عَنهُ بِاللَذاتِ مَشغولُ

Death has not been distracted from us since it was readied for us,

Death did not distract us since it was prepared for us

While all of us are distracted from it by pleasures.

While we, by pleasures, are distracted

وَمَن يَمُت فَهوَ مَقطوعٌ وَمُجتَنَبٌ

وَمَن يَمُت فَهوَ مَقطوعٌ وَمُجتَنَبٌ

وَالحَيُّ ما عاشَ مَغشِيٌّ وَمَوصولُ

وَالحَيُّ ما عاشَ مَغشِيٌّ وَمَوصولُ

And whoever dies is cut off and shunned,

Who dies is cut off and avoided

And the living, as long as they live, are visited and kept in touch with.

And the living, for as long as he lives, covers and joins

كُل ما بَدا لَكَ فَالآكالُ فانِيَةٌ

كُل ما بَدا لَكَ فَالآكالُ فانِيَةٌ

وَكُلُّ ذي أُكُلٍ لا بُدَّ مَأكولُ

وَكُلُّ ذي أُكُلٍ لا بُدَّ مَأكولُ

Eat whatever you please, for food is perishable,

All you see will vanish, the eaters

And every eater will inevitably be eaten.

And all that is eaten will inevitably be eaten

وَكُلُّ شَيءٍ مِنَ الدُنيا فَمُنتَقِصٌ

وَكُلُّ شَيءٍ مِنَ الدُنيا فَمُنتَقِصٌ

وَكُلُّ عَيشٍ مِنَ الدُنيا فَمَملولُ

وَكُلُّ عَيشٍ مِنَ الدُنيا فَمَملولُ

And everything of this world dwindles,

Everything of this world is decreasing

And every way of life in this world grows wearisome.

And every life in it becomes burdensome

سُبحانَ مَن أَرضُهُ لِلخَلقِ مائِدَةٌ

سُبحانَ مَن أَرضُهُ لِلخَلقِ مائِدَةٌ

كُلٌّ يُوافيهِ رِزقٌ مِنهُ مَكفولُ

كُلٌّ يُوافيهِ رِزقٌ مِنهُ مَكفولُ

Glory to Him whose earth is a table spread for creation:

Glory to Him whose land is a table for creation

To each comes sustenance from Him, guaranteed.

Each provided guaranteed sustenance from Him

غَدّى الأَنامَ وَعَشاهُم فَأَوسَعَهُم

غَدّى الأَنامَ وَعَشاهُم فَأَوسَعَهُم

وَفَضلُهُ لِبُغاةِ الخَيرِ مَبذولُ

وَفَضلُهُ لِبُغاةِ الخَيرِ مَبذولُ

He fed creatures morning and evening, and provided for them amply,

He fed people at morning and evening, so He expanded

And His bounty is freely offered to seekers of goodness.

And His grace for the disobedient of goodness is given

يا طالِبَ الخَيرِ أَبشِر وَاِستَعِدَّ لَهُ

يا طالِبَ الخَيرِ أَبشِر وَاِستَعِدَّ لَهُ

فَالخَيرُ أَجمَعُ عِندَ اللَهِ مَأمولُ

فَالخَيرُ أَجمَعُ عِندَ اللَهِ مَأمولُ

O seeker of goodness, rejoice and prepare for it,

O seeker of goodness, rejoice and prepare for it

For all goodness is to be hoped for from God.

For all goodness altogether is hoped for from God