خَيرُ أَيّامِ الفَتى يَومَ نَفَع

خَيرُ أَيّامِ الفَتى يَومَ نَفَع

وَاصطِناعُ الخَيرِ أَبقى ما صَنَع

وَاصطِناعُ الخَيرِ أَبقى ما صَنَع

The best of a young man's days is the day he benefits others.

The best of a young man's days is the day he benefits others,

And doing good is the most enduring thing he has done.

And doing good is the most lasting thing one can make.

وَنَظيرُ المَرءِ في مَعروفِهِ

وَنَظيرُ المَرءِ في مَعروفِهِ

شافِعٌ مَتَّ إِلَيهِ فَشَفَع

شافِعٌ مَتَّ إِلَيهِ فَشَفَع

And a man's equal in his kindness

And one's peer in kindness,

Is an intercessor who invokes a bond with him and intercedes.

Is an intercessor who interceded for him.

ما يُنالُ الخَيرُ بِالشَرِّ وَلا

ما يُنالُ الخَيرُ بِالشَرِّ وَلا

يَحصِدُ الزارِعُ إِلّا ما زَرَع

يَحصِدُ الزارِعُ إِلّا ما زَرَع

Good cannot be gained through evil, nor

Good cannot be attained through evil,

Does the sower reap anything but what he sowed.

And the farmer reaps only what he sows.

لَيسَ كُلُّ الدَهرِ يَوماً واحِداً

لَيسَ كُلُّ الدَهرِ يَوماً واحِداً

رُبَّما ضاقَ الفَتى ثُمَّ اتَّسَع

رُبَّما ضاقَ الفَتى ثُمَّ اتَّسَع

Time is not all one and the same day;

Not all of fate is but one day,

Sometimes a young man is in straits, then finds plenty.

Sometimes the youth feels constricted then finds relief.

خُذ مِنَ الدُنيا الَّذي دَرَّت بِهِ

خُذ مِنَ الدُنيا الَّذي دَرَّت بِهِ

وَاسلُ عَمّا فاتَ مِنها وَانقَطَع

وَاسلُ عَمّا فاتَ مِنها وَانقَطَع

Take from the world what it yields,

Take from this life what flows easily,

And let go of what passed you by in it and is gone.

And let go of what has passed and ceased.

إِنَّما الدُنيا مَتاعٌ زائِلٌ

إِنَّما الدُنيا مَتاعٌ زائِلٌ

فَاقتَصِد فيهِ وَخُذ مِنهُ وَدَع

فَاقتَصِد فيهِ وَخُذ مِنهُ وَدَع

This world is only a passing enjoyment;

Verily this life is fleeting vanity,

So be moderate in it; take some and leave some.

So be moderate in it, take what you need and leave the rest.

وَاِرضَ لِلناسِ بِما تَرضى بِهِ

وَاِرضَ لِلناسِ بِما تَرضى بِهِ

وَاِتبَعِ الحَقَّ فَنِعمَ المُتَّبَع

وَاِتبَعِ الحَقَّ فَنِعمَ المُتَّبَع

And accept for others what you accept for yourself,

And be content with people as you would have them be with you,

And follow the truth—how excellent a thing to follow!

And follow the truth, for excellent is he who follows it.

وَاِبغِ ما اِستَعتَ عَنِ الناسِ الغِنى

وَاِبغِ ما اِستَعتَ عَنِ الناسِ الغِنى

فَمَنِ اِحتاجَ إِلى الناسِ ضَرَع

فَمَنِ اِحتاجَ إِلى الناسِ ضَرَع

And seek, as far as you can, independence from people;

And seek independence from people through self-sufficiency,

For whoever needs people becomes abased.

For he who needs people, pleads to them in misery.

أَبلِغِ الجامِعَ أَن لَو قَد أَتى

أَبلِغِ الجامِعَ أَن لَو قَد أَتى

يَومُهُ لَم يُغنِ عَنهُ ما جَمَع

يَومُهُ لَم يُغنِ عَنهُ ما جَمَع

Tell the hoarder that, should there come

Inform the hoarder that when his day comes,

His day, what he amassed would not avail him.

What he gathered will not avail him.

إِنَّ لِلخَيرِ لَرَسماً بَيِّناً

إِنَّ لِلخَيرِ لَرَسماً بَيِّناً

طَبَعَ اللَهُ عَلَيهِ مَن طَبَع

طَبَعَ اللَهُ عَلَيهِ مَن طَبَع

Indeed, goodness has a clear pattern;

Goodness indeed has a clear imprint,

God has formed according to it those He has formed.

God has stamped it on those who have the capacity.

قَد بَلَونا الناسَ في أَخلاقِهِم

قَد بَلَونا الناسَ في أَخلاقِهِم

فَرَأَيناهُم لِذي المالِ تَبَع

فَرَأَيناهُم لِذي المالِ تَبَع

We have tested people in their character,

We have tested people through their manners,

And found them followers of the wealthy.

And found them to follow whoever has wealth.

وَحَبيبُ الناسِ مَن أَطمَعَهُم

وَحَبيبُ الناسِ مَن أَطمَعَهُم

إِنَّما الناسُ جَميعاً بِالطَمَع

إِنَّما الناسُ جَميعاً بِالطَمَع

And people's darling is whoever makes them hope for gain;

And the people's beloved is he who gives them hope,

People, all of them, are moved only by greed.

Truly people are altogether moved by greed.

اِحمَدِ اللَهَ عَلى تَقديرِهِ

اِحمَدِ اللَهَ عَلى تَقديرِهِ

قَدَّرَ الرِزقَ فَأَعطى وَمَنَع

قَدَّرَ الرِزقَ فَأَعطى وَمَنَع

Praise God for His decree;

Thank God for His ordainment,

He apportioned sustenance, then gave and withheld.

He apportioned rizq, so gave and denied.

سُمتُ نَفسي وَرَعاً تَصدُقُهُ

سُمتُ نَفسي وَرَعاً تَصدُقُهُ

فَنَهاها النَقصُ عَن ذاكَ الوَرَع

فَنَهاها النَقصُ عَن ذاكَ الوَرَع

I charged my soul with piety it would sincerely uphold,

I imagined myself to have devoutness, but perfectionism

But imperfection held it back from that piety.

Prevented me from that devotion.

فَلِنَفسي عِلَلٌ لاتَنقَضي

فَلِنَفسي عِلَلٌ لاتَنقَضي

وَلَها مَكرٌ لَطيفٌ وَخُدَع

وَلَها مَكرٌ لَطيفٌ وَخُدَع

For my soul has ailments that never end,

I have endless shortcomings,

And it has subtle cunning and tricks.

And subtle tricks and deceptions.

وَلِنَفسي غَفَلاتٌ لَم تَزَل

وَلِنَفسي غَفَلاتٌ لَم تَزَل

وَلَها بِالشَيءِ أَحياناً وَلَع

وَلَها بِالشَيءِ أَحياناً وَلَع

And my soul has lapses of heedlessness that never cease,

And I have lapses that never cease,

And at times it is infatuated with something.

And sometimes desire for things.

وَلِنَفسي حينَ تُعطى فَرَحٌ

وَلِنَفسي حينَ تُعطى فَرَحٌ

وَاضطِرابٌ عِندَ مَنعٍ وَجَزَع

وَاضطِرابٌ عِندَ مَنعٍ وَجَزَع

And my soul has joy when it is given,

And when my soul is given, it rejoices,

And agitation and anguish when it is denied.

And when denied, is troubled and despairs.

عَجَباً مِن مُطمَئِنٍ آمِنٍ

عَجَباً مِن مُطمَئِنٍ آمِنٍ

إِنَّما يُغذى بِأَلوانِ الفَزَع

إِنَّما يُغذى بِأَلوانِ الفَزَع

How strange is one who feels at ease and secure,

How strange is one feeling secure and safe,

Yet is nourished only on varieties of terror!

Yet is nourished by varieties of fear.

عَجَباً لِلناسِ ما أَغفَلَهُم

عَجَباً لِلناسِ ما أَغفَلَهُم

مِن وُقوعِ المَوتِ عَمّا سَيَقَع

مِن وُقوعِ المَوتِ عَمّا سَيَقَع

How strange are people—how heedless they are

How strange that people forget,

Of death's coming, of what is yet to happen!

The inevitability of death and what will come to pass.

عَجَباً إِنّا لَنَلقى مَرتَعاً

عَجَباً إِنّا لَنَلقى مَرتَعاً

كُلُّنا قَد عاثَ فيهِ وَرَتَع

كُلُّنا قَد عاثَ فيهِ وَرَتَع

How strange! We do indeed find a pasture

How strange! We will all arrive at a pasture,

Where we have all wreaked havoc and grazed.

Where each of us roamed and grazed.

يا أَخا المَيتِ الَّذي شَيَّعَهُ

يا أَخا المَيتِ الَّذي شَيَّعَهُ

فَحَثا التُربَ عَلَيهِ وَرَجَع

فَحَثا التُربَ عَلَيهِ وَرَجَع

O brother of the dead man, you who escorted him,

O brother of a dead one, who was escorted,

Then heaped earth over him and returned,

As soil was heaped upon him whence he came.

لَيتَ شِعري ما تَزَوَّدتَ مِنَ ال

لَيتَ شِعري ما تَزَوَّدتَ مِنَ ال

زادِ يا هَذا لِهَولِ المُطَلَع

زادِ يا هَذا لِهَولِ المُطَلَع

If only I knew what you have laid up of the

I wonder what provisions you prepared,

Provisions, O you, for the terror of what awaits,

For the awfulness of what you now face.

يَومَ يَهديكَ مُحِبّوكَ إِلى

يَومَ يَهديكَ مُحِبّوكَ إِلى

ظُلمَةِ القَبرِ وَضيقِ المُضطَجَع

ظُلمَةِ القَبرِ وَضيقِ المُضطَجَع

The day those who love you lead you to

The day your loved ones walk you,

The grave's darkness and the narrow resting place.

To the darkness of the grave and your constricted resting place.