أَلا مَن لِهَمٍّ آخِرَ اللَيلِ مُنصِبِ

أَلا مَن لِهَمٍّ آخِرَ اللَيلِ مُنصِبِ

وَشِعبِ العَصا مِن قَومِكِ المُتَشَعِّبِ

وَشِعبِ العَصا مِن قَومِكِ المُتَشَعِّبِ

Ah, who will tend to a wearisome sorrow at night's end,

Alas! Who has deep sorrows in the late night,

And the splitting of the staff among your divided people?

And the people's path split into branches,

وَجَربى أَراها مِن لُؤَيِّ بنِ غالِبٍ

وَجَربى أَراها مِن لُؤَيِّ بنِ غالِبٍ

مَتى ما تُزاحِمُها الصَحيحَةُ لجربِ

مَتى ما تُزاحِمُها الصَحيحَةُ لجربِ

And mangy ones I see among Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib's people,

I have seen Jarba from the tribe of Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib,

Whenever a healthy one jostles against them, it too becomes mangy.

Whenever the sincere confront him in dispute,

إِذا قائِمٌ في القَومِ قامَ بِخُطَّةٍ

إِذا قائِمٌ في القَومِ قامَ بِخُطَّةٍ

أَقاموا جَميعاً ثُمَّ صاحوا وَأَجلَبوا

أَقاموا جَميعاً ثُمَّ صاحوا وَأَجلَبوا

When someone among the people stands up with a plan,

When a cunning man arises among the people,

They all take their stand, then shout and raise a clamor.

They all stand together, then shout and become agitated.

وَما ذَنبُ مَن يَدعو إِلى اللَهِ وَحدَهُ

وَما ذَنبُ مَن يَدعو إِلى اللَهِ وَحدَهُ

وَدين قَديم أَهلُهُ غَيرُ خُيَّبِ

وَدين قَديم أَهلُهُ غَيرُ خُيَّبِ

And what fault has one who calls to God alone,

What is the fault of one who calls to Allah alone,

And to an ancient faith whose followers are not disappointed?

And the ancient religion whose people are not disappointed.

وَما ظُلمُ مَن يَدعو إِلى البِرِّ وَالتُقى

وَما ظُلمُ مَن يَدعو إِلى البِرِّ وَالتُقى

وَرَأب الثَأيِ في يَومِ لا حينَ مَشعَبِ

وَرَأب الثَأيِ في يَومِ لا حينَ مَشعَبِ

And what wrong does one do who calls to righteousness and piety,

What injustice is there against one who calls for righteousness and piety,

And mending the breach on a day when division is untimely?

And mending the rift on a day with no safe passage.

وَقَد جرِّبوا فيما مَضى غِبَّ أَمرِهِم

وَقَد جرِّبوا فيما مَضى غِبَّ أَمرِهِم

وَما عالمٌ أَمراً كَمَن لَم يُجَرِّبِ

وَما عالمٌ أَمراً كَمَن لَم يُجَرِّبِ

And they were tested in times gone by, in the aftermath of their affairs;

They had already in the past tasted the bitterness of their affairs,

One who knows a matter is not like one who has not experienced it.

A scholar is not like one who has never experienced.

وَقَد كانَ في أَمرِ الصَحيفَةِ عِبرَةٌ

وَقَد كانَ في أَمرِ الصَحيفَةِ عِبرَةٌ

أَتاكَ بِها مِن عائِبٍ مُتَعَصِّبِ

أَتاكَ بِها مِن عائِبٍ مُتَعَصِّبِ

And in the matter of the document there was indeed a lesson,

There was a lesson in the matter of the scripture,

Brought to you from a fanatical faultfinder.

Brought to you by a biased criticizer.

محا اللَهُ مِنها كُفرَهُم وَعُقوقَهُم

محا اللَهُ مِنها كُفرَهُم وَعُقوقَهُم

وَما نَقَموا مِن صادِقِ القَولِ مُنجِبِ

وَما نَقَموا مِن صادِقِ القَولِ مُنجِبِ

God erased from it their disbelief and their breaches of kinship,

Allah has erased their disbelief and defiance,

And what they held against a noble speaker of truth.

They resent not the truthful speaker.

فَأَصبَحَ ما قالوا مِنَ الأَمرِ باطِلاً

فَأَصبَحَ ما قالوا مِنَ الأَمرِ باطِلاً

وَمَن يَختَلِق ما لَيسَ بِالحَقِّ يَكذِبِ

وَمَن يَختَلِق ما لَيسَ بِالحَقِّ يَكذِبِ

So what they said about the matter proved false,

So their talk became invalid,

And whoever fabricates what is not true lies.

And whoever fabricates what is not true, lies.

فَأَمسى اِبنُ عَبدِ اللَهِ فينا مصَدّقاً

فَأَمسى اِبنُ عَبدِ اللَهِ فينا مصَدّقاً

عَلى ساخِطٍ مِن قَومِنا غَيرِ مُعتَبِ

عَلى ساخِطٍ مِن قَومِنا غَيرِ مُعتَبِ

So the son of 'Abd Allah came to be believed among us,

Thus the son of Abdullah became among us as one truthful,

Despite a resentful man of our people, still unappeased.

Despite an angry one from our people who was unforgiving.

فَلا تَحسبونا خاذِلينَ مُحَمَّداً

فَلا تَحسبونا خاذِلينَ مُحَمَّداً

لِذي غُربَةٍ مِنّا وَلا مُتَقَرِّبِ

لِذي غُربَةٍ مِنّا وَلا مُتَقَرِّبِ

So do not think we will abandon Muhammad

So do not think we will abandon Muhammad,

For one estranged from us, nor one seeking closeness.

To one estranged from us, neither an ally nor loved one.

سَتَمنَعُهُ مِنّا يَدٌ هاشِمِيَّةٌ

سَتَمنَعُهُ مِنّا يَدٌ هاشِمِيَّةٌ

مُرَكَّبُها في المَجدِ خَيرُ مُرَكَّبِ

مُرَكَّبُها في المَجدِ خَيرُ مُرَكَّبِ

A Hashimite hand from among us will protect him,

A Hashimite hand will protect him from us,

Whose seat in glory is the finest seat.

Well-seated in glory, the best of mounts.

وَيَنصُرُهُ اللَهُ الَّذي هُوَ رَبُّهُ

وَيَنصُرُهُ اللَهُ الَّذي هُوَ رَبُّهُ

بِأَهلِ العُقَيرِ أَو بِسُكّانِ يَثرِبِ

بِأَهلِ العُقَيرِ أَو بِسُكّانِ يَثرِبِ

And God, who is his Lord, will aid him

And Allah, who is his Lord, will give him victory,

Through the people of al-'Uqayr or the inhabitants of Yathrib.

With the people of Ukaydir or the inhabitants of Yathrib.

فَلا وَالَّذي يَخدي لَهُ كُلّ مُرتَمٍ

فَلا وَالَّذي يَخدي لَهُ كُلّ مُرتَمٍ

طَليحٍ بِجَنبَي نَخلَةٍ فَالمُحَصَّبِ

طَليحٍ بِجَنبَي نَخلَةٍ فَالمُحَصَّبِ

No, by Him for whom every worn-out mount hastens,

No! By Him who spurs on every noble

Exhausted, along both sides of Nakhlah, then al-Muhassab—

Smooth rock by the side of a date palm heavy with fruit.

يَميناً صَدَقنا اللَهَ فيها وَلَم نَكُن

يَميناً صَدَقنا اللَهَ فيها وَلَم نَكُن

لِنَحلِفَ بُطلاً بِالعَتيقِ المُحَجَّبِ

لِنَحلِفَ بُطلاً بِالعَتيقِ المُحَجَّبِ

An oath in which we were true to God; we would not

We were true to Allah in this oath and were not

Swear falsely by the ancient, veiled House—

Swearing falsely by the hidden ancient.

نُفارِقُهُ حَتّى نُصَرَّعَ حَولَهُ

نُفارِقُهُ حَتّى نُصَرَّعَ حَولَهُ

وَما بالُ تَكذيبِ النَبِيِّ المُقَرَّبِ

وَما بالُ تَكذيبِ النَبِيِّ المُقَرَّبِ

We will not part from him until we are felled around him.

We will not abandon him until we lie slain around him

And why call the favored Prophet a liar?

Why deny the favored prophet?

فَيا قَومَنا لا تَظلِمونا فَإِنَّنا

فَيا قَومَنا لا تَظلِمونا فَإِنَّنا

مَتى ما نَخَف ظُلمَ العَشيرَةِ نَغضَبِ

مَتى ما نَخَف ظُلمَ العَشيرَةِ نَغضَبِ

So, our people, do not wrong us, for we

So O our people! Do not oppress us, for we

Grow angry whenever we fear the clan's injustice.

Become angry whenever we fear injustice from our clan.

وَكُفّوا إِلَيكُم مِن فُضولِ حلومِكُم

وَكُفّوا إِلَيكُم مِن فُضولِ حلومِكُم

وَلا تَذهَبوا مِن رَأيِكُم كُلَّ مَذهَبِ

وَلا تَذهَبوا مِن رَأيِكُم كُلَّ مَذهَبِ

And keep your excessive judgments to yourselves;

Refrain from excesses of your meat for us

And do not let your judgment wander down every path.

And do not go astray from your view in every direction.

وَلا تَبدَؤونا بِالظُلامَةِ وَالأَذى

وَلا تَبدَؤونا بِالظُلامَةِ وَالأَذى

فَنَجزيكُمو ضِعفاً مَعَ الأُمِّ وَالأَبِ

فَنَجزيكُمو ضِعفاً مَعَ الأُمِّ وَالأَبِ

And do not begin by wronging and harming us,

Do not begin with injustice and harm against us,

For then we shall repay you double, mother and father included.

Lest we repay you doubly, along with mother and father.