زعم الخشوع هي الجوارح تضطرب

زعم الخشوع هي الجوارح تضطرب

والوجد حركات وساعات تثب

والوجد حركات وساعات تثب

He claimed humble reverence is the trembling of the limbs,

They claim devotion makes their limbs quiver,

And ecstasy is movements and moments of leaping.

And fervor, motions and moments that deliver.

الكل يفعل مثل هذا ان طرب

الكل يفعل مثل هذا ان طرب

فتساويا الضدّان من جدّ أو لعب

فتساويا الضدّان من جدّ أو لعب

Everyone does such things if moved by delight;

All act the same when passion they deliver,

Thus the two opposites became alike—the earnest and the playful.

So opposites are equal in jest or fervor.

واللَه لو حلّ الخشوع بقلبه

واللَه لو حلّ الخشوع بقلبه

ظهرت سكينته وذلّ لربه

ظهرت سكينته وذلّ لربه

By God, if humble reverence dwelt in his heart,

But if devotion filled a heart for real

His tranquility would appear, and he would humble himself before his Lord,

Calmness would show, and for God, obeisance he'd feel.

وأجرى الدموع مخافة من ذنبه

وأجرى الدموع مخافة من ذنبه

ورعى من الأدب الحقيقي ما يجب

ورعى من الأدب الحقيقي ما يجب

And he would let tears flow for fear of his sin,

Tears of remorse from sins would then reveal,

And he would observe what true propriety requires.

And from etiquette what's right he'd obtain.

ان قيل هذا قد جرى من مثلهم

ان قيل هذا قد جرى من مثلهم

فذاك نادر غير دائم فعلهم

فذاك نادر غير دائم فعلهم

If it is said, “This has occurred among people like them,”

It's said this happens in the likes of them,

Then that is rare, not their constant practice—

But that is rare, not lasting in most of them.

من بعضهم ضعفا به لا كلهم

من بعضهم ضعفا به لا كلهم

ما غالب للحال مثل المغتلب

ما غالب للحال مثل المغتلب

It comes from some of them, through weakness in it, not from them all.

Some weak ones do it, not the whole of them,

One who masters the spiritual state is not like one overcome by it.

What mostly happens is unlike the rare.

أعمالهم تقوى وآداب كثير

أعمالهم تقوى وآداب كثير

سهل اليسير عليك واغتاص العسير

سهل اليسير عليك واغتاص العسير

Their deeds are piety and abundant good manners.

Their deeds are pious and etiquette aplenty,

The easy was easy for you, and the hard proved difficult;

Easy on you, hard only on the many.

فتركته وتبعتهم في اليسير

فتركته وتبعتهم في اليسير

شتان ما بين الحقيقة والكذب

شتان ما بين الحقيقة والكذب

So you left it and followed them in what was easy.

You shunned the hard and followed them aplenty,

How far apart are truth and falsehood!

Far between truth and lies is the contrast plenty.

فلا تكن متجاهراً أو مخفتا

فلا تكن متجاهراً أو مخفتا

فلا يصمّ من تناجي يا فتى

فلا يصمّ من تناجي يا فتى

So be neither ostentatiously loud nor hushed,

So do not pretend or try to hide,

For the One you commune with is not deaf, young man.

Lest none you confide in chide.

اجعل بواعث قصد قلبك مجتبا

اجعل بواعث قصد قلبك مجتبا

وما سوى المقصود طرّا فاجتنب

وما سوى المقصود طرّا فاجتنب

Let the motives of your heart's intention be carefully chosen,

Make your heart's quest sincere inside,

And shun altogether whatever is other than the intended goal.

And all but your goal, aught beside.