لَهابَكَ الكُفرُ حَتّى حَلَّ ما رَبَطا

لَهابَكَ الكُفرُ حَتّى حَلَّ ما رَبَطا

وَخافَكَ الدَهرُ حَتّى رَدَّ ما فَرَطا

وَخافَكَ الدَهرُ حَتّى رَدَّ ما فَرَطا

Unbelief so feared you that it loosed what it had bound;

Truly, unbelief feared you until it undid what it had bound.

and Time feared you until it restored what it had let slip.

And Time feared you until it restored what had slipped away.

وَالدَهرُ يَكتُبُ شُكراً يَستَمِدُّ لَهُ

وَالدَهرُ يَكتُبُ شُكراً يَستَمِدُّ لَهُ

نِقسَ الدُجى ثُمَّ يُهدِي زَهرَهُ نُقَطا

نِقسَ الدُجى ثُمَّ يُهدِي زَهرَهُ نُقَطا

Time writes out its thanks, drawing for it

And Time writes its thanks, for which it draws

the ink of night, then offering its stars as dots.

the ink of night's darkness, then offers its blossoms as dots.

أَمُلزِمَ الدَهرِ عَدلاً مِن سَجِيَّتِهِ

أَمُلزِمَ الدَهرِ عَدلاً مِن سَجِيَّتِهِ

وَقاسِمَ العَدلِ فيهِ نائِلاً وَسُطا

وَقاسِمَ العَدلِ فيهِ نائِلاً وَسُطا

O you who compel Time to justice from his—or its—own nature,

O you who compel Time to justice born of your nature,

and apportion justice within it as bounty and an equitable mean,

and dispense justice within it through bounty and force,

جُزِيتُمُ عَن رَسولِ اللَهِ صالِحَةً

جُزِيتُمُ عَن رَسولِ اللَهِ صالِحَةً

فَقَد حَفِظتُم عَلَيهِ الأُمَّةَ الوَسَطا

فَقَد حَفِظتُم عَلَيهِ الأُمَّةَ الوَسَطا

may you receive a good reward on behalf of God’s Messenger,

may you be well rewarded on behalf of God's Messenger,

for you have preserved for him the community of the middle way.

for you have preserved for him the justly balanced community.

أَنامِلٌ خَلَقَ اللَهُ الحَياةَ لَنا

أَنامِلٌ خَلَقَ اللَهُ الحَياةَ لَنا

وَالمَوتَ تَحريرَ فَتكٍ وَاِنبِجاسَ عَطا

وَالمَوتَ تَحريرَ فَتكٍ وَاِنبِجاسَ عَطا

Fingertips through which God fashioned life for us—

Fingertips through which God created life for us

and death: the unleashing of deadly force and the gushing forth of bounty.

and death, through the deft execution of deadly blows and the outpouring of bounty.