1. بيتكمو أبا لهب

    أكبر بيت في العرب

    Your house, Abu Lahab,

    is the greatest house among the Arabs.

  2. تالله لو آمنتم

    ما قيل في القرآن تب

    By God, had you believed,

    'Perish!' would not have been said in the Qur'an.

  3. أنتم وإبليس لكم

    في النار أرفع النسب

    You and Iblis have

    the loftiest lineage in the Fire.

  4. والله مأمول الرضى

    في الخلق مأمون الغضب

    And God's favor may be hoped for;

    His wrath need not be feared among His creatures.

  5. فربما عُينت في ال

    نار لتحمل الحطب

    So perhaps you will be appointed in the

    Fire, to carry the firewood,

  6. أو لتطوف بالألى

    هناك من أهل الطرب

    or to make your rounds among those

    there who are devotees of merriment:

  7. كحافظ أخي النهى

    أو كالنواسي ذى الأدب

    like Hafiz, a man of reason,

    or like al-Nuwasi, a man of letters,

  8. أو مثل مطران الذي

    أقبل يوما وانقلب

    or like Mutran, who

    came one day and turned back;

  9. أو كأبي اللطف الذي

    أمنَّه الله العطب

    or like Abu al-Lutf, whom

    God kept safe from ruin;

  10. أو كأبي الإِشاد من

    لسوء حظ قد خطب

    or like Abu al-Ishad, who

    to his ill luck, had proposed marriage.

  11. لكن أرى مستغربا

    من أهل مجد وأدب

    But I see something strange

    from people of glory and letters,

  12. من عِترة الصِدِّيق من

    ساد وفاز وغلب

    from the lineage of al-Siddiq, who

    held sway, triumphed, and prevailed,

  13. ومن به عن دينه

    فرّج الله الكرب

    and through whom his religion

    was freed from distress by God.

  14. إني لأجل جدّه

    أفطرت من غير سبب

    Indeed, for his forefather's sake, I

    broke my fast for no reason,

  15. محترما معظِّما

    مبجلا هذا النسب

    honoring and revering,

    venerating this lineage.

  16. وكنت أرجو أنني

    أنال كيسا من ذهب

    And I had hoped that I

    would receive a bag of gold;

  17. عاداتهم في زمن

    يا للرجال قد ذهب

    such were their customs in an age

    —O men!—that has passed.

  18. فمالهم قد منحو

    ك منهمُ شر لقب

    So why have they given

    you their worst nickname,

  19. إذ جئتهم في جبة

    تزرى بأنفس الجبب

    when you came to them in a robe

    that puts the finest robes to shame,

  20. منَّعما مهفهفا

    تليس قفطانا عجب

    pampered and slender,

    wearing a wondrous caftan?

  21. آل أبى بكر لكم

    في الناس أرفع الرتب

    O house of Abu Bakr, you hold

    the highest ranks among the people.

  22. قمتم عن السادات مَن

    حبا وأعطى ووهب

    You stood in for al-Sadat, who

    bestowed, gave, and granted,

  23. وكان في ليلته

    مقرِّبا من اقترب

    and on that night of his he was

    bringing close whoever came near,

  24. يمنح من شاء الكنى

    مجاملا لمن طلب

    granting honorific names to whomever he wished,

    as a courtesy to whoever asked.

  25. فما لكم من بعده

    أتيتم ما لا يجب

    So why, after him, have you

    done what is not proper?

  26. لقبتم أبا الضيا

    ضيفكم أبا لهب

    You nicknamed Abu al-Diya—

    your guest—Abu Lahab.