تَوالتْ وفودُ اللهِ تَختارُ دِينَهُ

تَوالتْ وفودُ اللهِ تَختارُ دِينَهُ

وترضاهُ ربّاً مالها غيره ربُّ

وترضاهُ ربّاً مالها غيره ربُّ

God’s delegations came one after another, choosing His religion,

God's delegations came in succession, choosing His religion,

and accepting Him as Lord—they have no lord but Him.

and accepting Him as Lord; they have no lord but Him.

دَعاها فلبَّتْ تَبتَغي الحقَّ مَذهباً

دَعاها فلبَّتْ تَبتَغي الحقَّ مَذهباً

وجاءت يَظَلُّ الرَّكبُ يتبعهُ الرَكبُ

وجاءت يَظَلُّ الرَّكبُ يتبعهُ الرَكبُ

He called them, and they answered, seeking truth as their way;

He called them, and they answered, seeking truth as their path,

they came, caravan after caravan following without cease.

and they came, caravan continually following caravan.

هَداها إلى الإسلامِ رأيٌ مُسدَّدٌ

هَداها إلى الإسلامِ رأيٌ مُسدَّدٌ

فلا شَغبٌ يُؤذِي النُّفوسَ ولا حَرْبُ

فلا شَغبٌ يُؤذِي النُّفوسَ ولا حَرْبُ

Sound counsel guided them to Islam:

Sound judgment guided them to Islam,

no turmoil to wound souls, and no war.

so neither unrest nor war afflicts souls.

إذ المرءُ لم يَزْجُرْ عن الغَيِّ نفسَهُ

إذ المرءُ لم يَزْجُرْ عن الغَيِّ نفسَهُ

فلا الطعنُ يهديه السّبيلَ ولا الضَّربُ

فلا الطعنُ يهديه السّبيلَ ولا الضَّربُ

If a man does not restrain his own soul from error,

When a man has not restrained himself from error,

neither spear-thrust nor blow will guide him to the path.

then neither thrusts nor blows guide him to the path.

وشَرُّ سجايا النَّفسِ أن تُؤثِرَ العمى

وشَرُّ سجايا النَّفسِ أن تُؤثِرَ العمى

وتَكره أن يستلَّ أدواءها الطِبُّ

وتَكره أن يستلَّ أدواءها الطِبُّ

The worst trait of the soul is that it should prefer blindness

And the worst of the soul's traits is to prefer blindness

and dislike medicine’s drawing out its maladies.

and to hate having medicine draw out its ailments.

تَرامَتْ بهم آمالهم ومَطيُّهم

تَرامَتْ بهم آمالهم ومَطيُّهم

إلى واسعِ الأكنافِ مَنزلهُ رَحْبُ

إلى واسعِ الأكنافِ مَنزلهُ رَحْبُ

Their hopes and their mounts bore them far onward,

Their hopes and their mounts carried them afar,

to one whose precincts are broad and whose dwelling is spacious.

to one whose shelter is broad, whose dwelling is spacious,

جَليلِ الأيادِي ما يَغُبُّ نَزِيلَهُ

جَليلِ الأيادِي ما يَغُبُّ نَزِيلَهُ

قِرىً فاضلٌ من جُودِه وندىً سَكْبُ

قِرىً فاضلٌ من جُودِه وندىً سَكْبُ

Great in benefactions, he never lets his guest go without

great in benefactions; his guest never goes without

abundant hospitality from his bounty and largesse pouring forth.

abundant hospitality from his bounty and generosity poured forth.

إذا جاءَهُ المكروبُ والهمُّ جاثِمٌ

إذا جاءَهُ المكروبُ والهمُّ جاثِمٌ

كفَى ما به حتَّى كأنْ لم يكُنْ كَرْبُ

كفَى ما به حتَّى كأنْ لم يكُنْ كَرْبُ

When the afflicted comes to him while care weighs heavily,

When a distressed man comes to him, with sorrow crouching upon him,

he relieves what afflicts him until it is as though no anguish ever was.

he relieves his affliction until it is as though no anguish ever was.

وإن راحَ يَسْتَسْقِي به الغيثَ مُسنِتٌ

وإن راحَ يَسْتَسْقِي به الغيثَ مُسنِتٌ

تَقَشَّعَ عنه الجدبُ واطَّرَدَ الخِصْبُ

تَقَشَّعَ عنه الجدبُ واطَّرَدَ الخِصْبُ

And if a drought-stricken man goes to seek rain through him,

And if one stricken by famine goes to seek rain through him,

the drought clears away from him and plenty flows unbroken.

the drought lifts from him, and abundance spreads unbroken.

لَكَمْ جاحدٍ لمَّا رأى نُورَ وَجْهِهِ

لَكَمْ جاحدٍ لمَّا رأى نُورَ وَجْهِهِ

تجلّى العَمى عن عَيْنِهِ وصحا القلبُ

تجلّى العَمى عن عَيْنِهِ وصحا القلبُ

How many a denier, when he saw the light of his face,

How many a denier, when he saw the light of his face,

had blindness lifted from his eyes and his heart awaken!

had blindness lifted from his eye and his heart awakened!

به عَرَفَ القومُ السّبيلَ إلى الهُدَى

به عَرَفَ القومُ السّبيلَ إلى الهُدَى

فلا مَسْلَكُ وعرٌ ولا مَرْكَبٌ صَعْبُ

فلا مَسْلَكُ وعرٌ ولا مَرْكَبٌ صَعْبُ

Through him the people learned the path to guidance:

Through him the people learned the path to guidance,

no path was rugged, and no mount hard to ride.

so no path is rugged and no mount hard to ride.

وفي ظلِّهِ الممدودِ حَطُّوا ذُنُوبهم

وفي ظلِّهِ الممدودِ حَطُّوا ذُنُوبهم

فَعادوا ولا وِزْرٌ عليهم ولا ذَنْبُ

فَعادوا ولا وِزْرٌ عليهم ولا ذَنْبُ

In his far-spreading shade they laid down their sins,

And in his outstretched shade they laid down their sins,

then returned with neither burden nor sin upon them.

so they returned with no burden of guilt upon them and no sin,

طَهارَى عليهم من سَنا الحقِّ بَهجةٌ

طَهارَى عليهم من سَنا الحقِّ بَهجةٌ

لها وَهَجٌ باقٍ على الدّهرِ لا يَخْبُو

لها وَهَجٌ باقٍ على الدّهرِ لا يَخْبُو

Purity clothed them—a splendor from truth’s radiance,

pure, with splendor upon them from the radiance of truth.

with a glow that endures through time and never dims.

Its glow endures through time and never dims.

بَني الدّهرِ ناموا آخرَ الدّهرِ أو هُبُّوا

بَني الدّهرِ ناموا آخرَ الدّهرِ أو هُبُّوا

تكشّفَتِ الظَّلُماء وَانْجابتْ الحُجْبُ

تكشّفَتِ الظَّلُماء وَانْجابتْ الحُجْبُ

O children of the age, sleep until the end of time—or awake!

O sons of time, sleep to the end of time, or awake!

The darkness has dispersed and the veils have withdrawn.

The darkness has cleared, and the veils have parted.

أبى اللَّهُ إلا أن يُؤيّدَ دِينَهُ

أبى اللَّهُ إلا أن يُؤيّدَ دِينَهُ

فليس لِمن يأباهُ عَقْلٌ ولا لُبُّ

فليس لِمن يأباهُ عَقْلٌ ولا لُبُّ

God has willed nothing but to uphold His religion;

God wills nothing but to uphold His religion,

whoever rejects it has neither reason nor discernment.

so whoever rejects it has neither reason nor discernment.

إذا أخذ السيْلُ الأَتِيُّ سبيلَه

إذا أخذ السيْلُ الأَتِيُّ سبيلَه

فلا الشّرقُ مَسْدودُ الفجاجِ ولا الغربُ

فلا الشّرقُ مَسْدودُ الفجاجِ ولا الغربُ

When the onrushing torrent takes its course,

When the torrent from afar takes its course,

no passes in East or West are closed before it.

then neither East nor West has its passes blocked.

وما الدِّينُ إلا ما محا الشرَّ والأذَى

وما الدِّينُ إلا ما محا الشرَّ والأذَى

فلا أُمَّةٌ تشكو الشّقاءَ ولا شعبُ

فلا أُمَّةٌ تشكو الشّقاءَ ولا شعبُ

Religion is only that which effaces evil and harm,

And religion is only what wipes away evil and harm,

so that no nation and no people laments misery.

so neither a nation nor a people complains of misery.

وما يَستَوِي البحرانِ هذا مذَاقُه

وما يَستَوِي البحرانِ هذا مذَاقُه

أُجاجٌ وهذا طعمهُ سائِغٌ عذبُ

أُجاجٌ وهذا طعمهُ سائِغٌ عذبُ

The two seas are not alike: this one’s taste

And the two seas are not alike: this one's taste

is bitterly salt, while the other is sweet and pleasant to drink.

is bitterly salty, while that one's flavor is palatable and sweet.

قضاها لنا ربُّ السّماءِ شَريعةً

قضاها لنا ربُّ السّماءِ شَريعةً

مُطَهَّرَةً لا الظلمُ منها والغَصبُ

مُطَهَّرَةً لا الظلمُ منها والغَصبُ

The Lord of heaven ordained it for us as sacred law,

The Lord of heaven ordained it for us as a law,

purifying—with neither injustice nor usurpation issuing from it.

purified: neither injustice nor usurpation belongs to it.

لنا دِينُنا نسمو بِه وكتابُنا

لنا دِينُنا نسمو بِه وكتابُنا

إلى حيثُ لا الأديانُ تَسمو ولا الكُتْبُ

إلى حيثُ لا الأديانُ تَسمو ولا الكُتْبُ

Ours is our religion, by which we rise, and ours our Book,

We have our religion and our Book, through which we rise

to heights no other religions or scriptures can attain.

to where neither religions nor books rise.

رَعى اللهُ قوماً ما رَعَوْا غيرَ حقِّهِ

رَعى اللهُ قوماً ما رَعَوْا غيرَ حقِّهِ

ولا رَاعَهم فيه مَلامٌ ولا عَتْبُ

ولا رَاعَهم فيه مَلامٌ ولا عَتْبُ

May God preserve a people who honor nothing but His right,

May God watch over a people who honored only His due,

whom neither reproach nor censure daunts in serving it.

and whom neither blame nor reproach concerning it frightened.

يُحبِّونَهُ حُبّاً تَلينُ قلوبُهم

يُحبِّونَهُ حُبّاً تَلينُ قلوبُهم

بهِ وَهْوَ فيها مِثلُ إيمانِها صُلْبُ

بهِ وَهْوَ فيها مِثلُ إيمانِها صُلْبُ

They love Him with a love by which their hearts grow tender,

They love Him with a love; their hearts grow tender

yet within them that love, like their faith, is firm.

through it, yet it is firm within them, like their faith.

فَمن يكُ عن حالِ المُحِبّينَ سائلاً

فَمن يكُ عن حالِ المُحِبّينَ سائلاً

فتلكَ سجاياهم وهذا هُوَ الحُبُّ

فتلكَ سجاياهم وهذا هُوَ الحُبُّ

Whoever asks about the state of lovers—

So if anyone asks about the state of the lovers,

those are their qualities, and this indeed is love.

then those are their traits, and this is love.

تَعلَّمْ سجايا القومِ واسْلُكْ سَبيلَهم

تَعلَّمْ سجايا القومِ واسْلُكْ سَبيلَهم

أُولئكَ حِزبُ اللَّهِ ما مِثلهُ حِزْبُ

أُولئكَ حِزبُ اللَّهِ ما مِثلهُ حِزْبُ

Learn the people’s qualities and follow their path:

Learn the people's traits and follow their path.

those are the party of God—no party is like them.

Those are God's party; no party is like it.