أيَا مُطرِياً في مَدحِهِ الشيخَ أحمدَا

أيَا مُطرِياً في مَدحِهِ الشيخَ أحمدَا

ألِمَّتَ فقد جَاوزَت في الكذِبِ المَدَى

ألِمَّتَ فقد جَاوزَت في الكذِبِ المَدَى

O you who lavish praise upon Sheikh Ahmad,

O you who lavish praise upon Shaykh Ahmad,

Has madness seized you? You have gone too far in lying.

you have erred, for you have exceeded all bounds in lying.

أتَمدَحُ بِالعلمِ إمرءاً غَيرَ عَالمٍ

أتَمدَحُ بِالعلمِ إمرءاً غَيرَ عَالمٍ

وتَحسِبُ مِن أهلِ الهُدَى جَاهلَ الهُدَى

وتَحسِبُ مِن أهلِ الهُدَى جَاهلَ الهُدَى

Do you praise as learned a man who has no learning,

Do you praise an unlearned man for his learning,

And count one ignorant of guidance among the rightly guided?

and count one ignorant of guidance among the rightly guided?

وتَزعُمُ أنَّ اللهَ يَاخُذُ جاهِلاً

وتَزعُمُ أنَّ اللهَ يَاخُذُ جاهِلاً

وَلِيّاً فَيُبقِى دِينَهُ هَمَلاً سُدَى

وَلِيّاً فَيُبقِى دِينَهُ هَمَلاً سُدَى

Do you claim that God would take an ignorant man

And you claim that God takes an ignorant man

As a saint, while His religion remains neglected and unattended?

as a saint, thus leaving his religion neglected and untended.

فإِن قُلتَ قَد شاهدتُ فِيه كرامةً

فإِن قُلتَ قَد شاهدتُ فِيه كرامةً

وألفَيتُه بينَ العَشِيرِ مُسَوَّدَا

وألفَيتُه بينَ العَشِيرِ مُسَوَّدَا

If you say, “I have witnessed a saintly marvel in him,”

So if you say, 'I have indeed witnessed a miracle in him,

And found him honored as a chief among the clan;

and found him made chief among the clan;

يَغذِّيهِ مَن وَالاَهُ منهم بِنَفسِه

يَغذِّيهِ مَن وَالاَهُ منهم بِنَفسِه

ويُعطُونَهُ الأمَ الحِسَانض والأعبُدَا

ويُعطُونَهُ الأمَ الحِسَانض والأعبُدَا

Whoever among them is loyal to him personally serves him supper,

whoever among them is loyal to him feeds him personally,

And they give him lovely bondwomen and male slaves;

and they give him beautiful female slaves and male slaves;

ويأخذ من أموالهم أخذَ مالِكٍ

ويأخذ من أموالهم أخذَ مالِكٍ

ويَففونُه إن راحَ يَوماً أو اغتَدَى

ويَففونُه إن راحَ يَوماً أو اغتَدَى

He takes from their wealth as an owner takes his own,

and he takes from their wealth as an owner would,

And they throng around him whenever he goes forth, evening or morning.

and they follow him if he goes out one day, in the evening or the morning,'

فإن قُلتَ قَد شاهدتُ فِيه كرامةً

فإن قُلتَ قَد شاهدتُ فِيه كرامةً

وألفَيتُه بينَ العَشِيرِ مُسَوَّدَا

وألفَيتُه بينَ العَشِيرِ مُسَوَّدَا

If you say, “I have witnessed a saintly marvel in him,”

So if you say, 'I have indeed witnessed a miracle in him,

And found him honored as a chief among the clan;

and found him made chief among the clan;

يُغَدِّيهِ مَن وَالاَهُ منهم بِنَفسِه

يُغَدِّيهِ مَن وَالاَهُ منهم بِنَفسِه

ويُعطُونَه الأمَ الحِسَانَ والأَعبُدَا

ويُعطُونَه الأمَ الحِسَانَ والأَعبُدَا

Whoever among them is loyal to him personally serves him breakfast,

whoever among them is loyal to him serves him his morning meal personally,

And they give him lovely bondwomen and male slaves;

and they give him beautiful female slaves and male slaves;

ويأخذُ من أموالهم أخذَ مالِكٍ

ويأخذُ من أموالهم أخذَ مالِكٍ

ويَقفَونُه إِن رَاحَ يَوماً أو اغتَدَى

ويَقفَونُه إِن رَاحَ يَوماً أو اغتَدَى

He takes from their wealth as an owner takes his own,

and he takes from their wealth as an owner would,

And they follow him whenever he goes forth, evening or morning.

and they follow him if he goes out one day, in the evening or the morning,'

أَقُل لَكَ سِحرٌ ما بذلك كِلهِ

أَقُل لَكَ سِحرٌ ما بذلك كِلهِ

فَزنهُ بِميزَانِ الشريعة إن بَدَا

فَزنهُ بِميزَانِ الشريعة إن بَدَا

I say to you: “Sorcery?”—there is nothing in all of that.

I tell you: what lies in all of that is sorcery.

Then weigh him in the scales of Sacred Law when he appears.

So weigh it in the balance of the Sharia, if it appears.

وإن جئتَه سَائِلهُ عَن فَرضِ عَينِه

وإن جئتَه سَائِلهُ عَن فَرضِ عَينِه

وإِنَّكَ لَو ساءَلتَهُ لَتَبَلَّدَا

وإِنَّكَ لَو ساءَلتَهُ لَتَبَلَّدَا

And if you visit him, ask him about the duty individually incumbent upon him;

And if you come to him, ask him about his individual religious duty;

If you were to question him, he would surely be confounded.

and indeed, were you to question him, he would surely be at a loss.

وَسائِلهُ عَمَّا فَات مِن صَلَوَاتِهِ

وَسائِلهُ عَمَّا فَات مِن صَلَوَاتِهِ

وهوَّ صَحِيحٌ دونَ عُذرٍ تَعُمَّدَا

وهوَّ صَحِيحٌ دونَ عُذرٍ تَعُمَّدَا

Ask him about the prayers he has missed,

And ask him about the prayers he missed,

Deliberately, though sound in health and without excuse.

deliberately, while healthy and without an excuse.

يُجِبكَ جَواباً فيه أعظمُ رِدَّةٍ

يُجِبكَ جَواباً فيه أعظمُ رِدَّةٍ

بجهل وليس الجهلُ يُشفي مِنَ الصّدَى

بجهل وليس الجهلُ يُشفي مِنَ الصّدَى

He will answer you with an answer containing the gravest apostasy,

He will give you an answer containing the gravest apostasy,

Through ignorance—and ignorance does not quench thirst.

out of ignorance—and ignorance does not quench thirst.

أعِد نَظَراً يَا عَبدَقَيسٍ لَعَلَّمَا

أعِد نَظَراً يَا عَبدَقَيسٍ لَعَلَّمَا

أضاءت لَكَ النَّارُ الحِمَارَ المُقَيَّدَا

أضاءت لَكَ النَّارُ الحِمَارَ المُقَيَّدَا

Look again, O ʿAbd Qays; perhaps

Look again, O Abd Qays; perhaps

The fire has illuminated for you the tethered donkey.

the fire has illuminated the tethered donkey for you.