عجبا لمن ترك الحقيقة جانباً

عجبا لمن ترك الحقيقة جانباً

وغدا لأرباب الصواب مجانبا

وغدا لأرباب الصواب مجانبا

How strange that one should cast the truth aside

How astonishing is one who has set the truth aside,

and become estranged from the masters of sound judgment,

and become estranged from the masters of sound judgment,

وابتاع بالحق المصحح حاضرا

وابتاع بالحق المصحح حاضرا

ما شاء للزور المعلل غائبا

ما شاء للزور المعلل غائبا

exchanging the manifest truth before him

and bought, at the price of verified truth before him,

for whatever speciously reasoned falsehood he pleased, though absent—

whatever unseen, rationalized falsehood he desired,

من بعد ما قد صار أنفذ أسهما

من بعد ما قد صار أنفذ أسهما

وأشدَّ عادية وأمضى قاضبا

وأشدَّ عادية وأمضى قاضبا

after truth had become more piercing than arrows,

after his arrows had grown more piercing,

fiercer in assault and keener in its cutting edge.

his assault more fierce, and his blade more keen.

لا تَخدَعَنكَ سوابق من سابق

لا تَخدَعَنكَ سوابق من سابق

حتى ترى الإحضار منه عواقبا

حتى ترى الإحضار منه عواقبا

Do not let the precedents of those before you deceive you

Do not let a frontrunner's early feats deceive you

until you see what consequences their adducing brings.

until you see the final outcome of his galloping.

فلربما اشتد الخيال وعاقه

فلربما اشتد الخيال وعاقه

دون الصواب هوى وأصبح غالبا

دون الصواب هوى وأصبح غالبا

For perhaps imagination grows intense, while passion hinders it

For often the horseman speeds ahead, yet is held back

from what is right and becomes dominant.

from the right course by desire, which comes to prevail.

ولَكُم إمام قد أضر بفهمه

ولَكُم إمام قد أضر بفهمه

كتب تعبّ من الضلال كتائبا

كتب تعبّ من الضلال كتائبا

How many a learned imam has had his understanding harmed

And you have a master whose understanding was harmed

by books that muster battalions of error.

by books that muster battalions of error.

فاقذف بأفلاطون أو رسطالس

فاقذف بأفلاطون أو رسطالس

وذويهما تسلك طريقاً لاحبا

وذويهما تسلك طريقاً لاحبا

So cast Plato aside, or Aristotle,

So cast aside Plato or Aristotle,

and those like them; you will tread a broad, open road.

and their followers; you will take a clear, open road.

ودع الفلاسفة الذميم جميعهم

ودع الفلاسفة الذميم جميعهم

ومقالهم تأتي الأحق الواجبا

ومقالهم تأتي الأحق الواجبا

Leave the philosophers—that blameworthy lot, all of them—

Leave all the blameworthy philosophers behind,

and their doctrines; you will reach the more rightful, necessary truth.

and their doctrines; you will reach what is truer and binding.

يا طالب البرهان في أوضاعهم

يا طالب البرهان في أوضاعهم

أعزز عليَّ بأن تعمر جانبا

أعزز عليَّ بأن تعمر جانبا

O seeker of demonstrative proof within their propositions,

O seeker of proof in their formulations,

how grievous to me that you should cultivate a byway!

how painful it is to me that you dwell apart!

أعرضت عن شط النجاة ملججا

أعرضت عن شط النجاة ملججا

في بحر هلك ليس ينجي عاطبا

في بحر هلك ليس ينجي عاطبا

You have turned from salvation’s shore, plunging deep

You turned away from salvation's shore, plunging deep

into a sea of ruin that saves no drowning man.

into a sea of ruin that rescues no one in peril.

فصفا الدليل فما نفعت بصفوه

فصفا الدليل فما نفعت بصفوه

حتى جعلت له التحير شائبا

حتى جعلت له التحير شائبا

The proof became clear, yet you gained nothing from its clarity

The proof became clear, yet its clarity did you no good,

until you made painstaking refinement an adulterant in it.

until you had tainted it with bewilderment.

فانظر بعقلك هل ترى متفلسفاً

فانظر بعقلك هل ترى متفلسفاً

فيمن ترى إلا دعيَّاً كاذبا

فيمن ترى إلا دعيَّاً كاذبا

Consider with your reason: do you see any professed philosopher

Look with your reason: do you see a would-be philosopher

among those before you except a lying pretender?

among those you see who is not a lying pretender?

أعيته أعباء الشريعة شدةً

أعيته أعباء الشريعة شدةً

فارتدَّ مسلوباً ويحسب سالبا

فارتدَّ مسلوباً ويحسب سالبا

The burdens of the Sacred Law exhausted him through their rigor,

The burdens of sacred law exhausted him with their severity,

so he apostatized, stripped bare, while thinking himself a despoiler.

so he apostatized, despoiled, yet thinks himself the despoiler.

والله سأل عصمة وكفاية

والله سأل عصمة وكفاية

من أن أكون عن المحجة ناكبا

من أن أكون عن المحجة ناكبا

Ask God for protection from error and for sufficiency,

And I ask God for protection and sufficiency,

lest I stray from the clear highway.

lest I turn aside from the clear path.

إليك مددت الكفّ في كل شدة

إليك مددت الكفّ في كل شدة

ومنك وجدت اللطف في كل نائب

ومنك وجدت اللطف في كل نائب

To You the hand is outstretched in every hardship,

Toward You I stretched out my hand in every hardship,

and from You I have found kindness in every calamity.

and from You I found kindness in every calamity.

وأنت ملاذ والأنام بمعزل

وأنت ملاذ والأنام بمعزل

وهل مستحيل في الرَّجاء كواجب

وهل مستحيل في الرَّجاء كواجب

You are a refuge while all humankind stands far apart;

You are a refuge, while humankind stands apart;

and in hope, is the impossible like the inevitable?

and in hope, can the impossible be like the necessary?

فحقِّق رجائي فيك يا ربّ واكفني

فحقِّق رجائي فيك يا ربّ واكفني

شمات عدوّ أو إساءة صاحب

شمات عدوّ أو إساءة صاحب

Then fulfill my hope in You, O Lord, and shield me from

So fulfill my hope in You, O Lord, and shield me from

an enemy’s gloating or a companion’s ill-treatment.

an enemy's gloating or a companion's mistreatment.

ومن اين أخشى من عدو أساءة

ومن اين أخشى من عدو أساءة

وسترك ضاف من جميع الجوانب

وسترك ضاف من جميع الجوانب

Whence could I fear harm from an enemy

And how could I fear harm from an enemy,

when Your shelter enfolds me, ample on every side?

when Your shelter is ample on every side?

وكم كربةٍ نجيّتني من غِمارها

وكم كربةٍ نجيّتني من غِمارها

وكانت شجا بين الحشا والتّرايب

وكانت شجا بين الحشا والتّرايب

How many a distress You have rescued me from its depths,

And You have saved me from the depths of so many sorrows,

when it was a choking thorn between my innards and my ribs.

when each was a choking bone between my entrails and chest bones.

فلا قوةً عندي ولا لي حيلة

فلا قوةً عندي ولا لي حيلة

سوى حسن ظني بالجميل المواهب

سوى حسن ظني بالجميل المواهب

I possess no strength, nor have I any stratagem,

For I have no strength, nor any means,

except my fair hope in the One whose gifts are beautiful.

except my trust in Him whose gifts are beautiful.

فيا منجى المضطر عند دعائه

فيا منجى المضطر عند دعائه

أغثني فقد سدَّت عليَّ مذاهبي

أغثني فقد سدَّت عليَّ مذاهبي

O Rescuer of the desperate when he calls,

So, O Deliverer of the distressed when he calls upon You,

come to my aid, for all my paths have been closed against me.

help me, for my paths have been closed to me.

رجاؤك رأسُ المالِ عندي وربحُهُ

رجاؤك رأسُ المالِ عندي وربحُهُ

وزهدي في المخلوق أسنى المواهب

وزهدي في المخلوق أسنى المواهب

My hope in You is my capital, and its profit

Hope in You is my capital and its profit,

is my renunciation of created beings—the loftiest of gifts.

and my detachment from creatures is the loftiest of gifts.

إذا عجزوا عن نفعهم في نفوسهم

إذا عجزوا عن نفعهم في نفوسهم

فتأميلهم بعض الظُّنون الكواذب

فتأميلهم بعض الظُّنون الكواذب

When they are powerless to benefit even themselves,

If they cannot bring benefit to their own selves,

to place hope in them is among the lying delusions.

then hoping in them is one of the false conjectures.

فيا محسناً فيما مضى أنت قادر

فيا محسناً فيما مضى أنت قادر

على اللُّطف في حالي وحسن العواقب

على اللُّطف في حالي وحسن العواقب

O You who have shown me kindness in the past, You are able

So, O You who have shown goodness in the past, You are able

to deal gently with my present state and grant a good outcome.

to show kindness in my present state and grant good outcomes.

وإني لأرجو منك ما أنت أهله

وإني لأرجو منك ما أنت أهله

وإن كنت خطاءً كثيرَ المعائب

وإن كنت خطاءً كثيرَ المعائب

Indeed, I hope from You for what befits You,

And I surely hope from You for what befits You,

though I am a habitual sinner, laden with faults.

though I am oft-erring and full of faults.

فصلِّ على المختار من آل هاشم

فصلِّ على المختار من آل هاشم

إمام الورى عند اشتداد النوائب

إمام الورى عند اشتداد النوائب

So bless the Chosen One from the House of Hashim,

So bless the Chosen One from the house of Hashim,

the leader of all creation when calamities grow severe.

the leader of humankind when calamities grow severe.