إِجعَل تُقاكَ الهاءَ تَعرِف هَمسَها

إِجعَل تُقاكَ الهاءَ تَعرِف هَمسَها

وَالراءَ كَرَّرَها الزَمانَ مُكَرِّرُ

وَالراءَ كَرَّرَها الزَمانَ مُكَرِّرُ

Make your piety like the letter hāʾ, and you will know its whisper;

Make your devotion know her whisper's caress

And rāʾ—a repeater has repeated it throughout time.

And time has repeated the letter R on and on

قالوا جَهَنَّمُ قُلتُ إِنَّ شَرارَها

قالوا جَهَنَّمُ قُلتُ إِنَّ شَرارَها

وَلَهيبَها يَصلاهُما المُتَشَرِّرُ

وَلَهيبَها يَصلاهُما المُتَشَرِّرُ

They said, “Hell!” I said, “Indeed, its sparks

They spoke of hell, I said its embers

and its blaze scorch the evildoer.”

And flames join the scattered sparks

لا تُخبِرَنَّ بِكُنهُ دينِكَ مَعشَراً

لا تُخبِرَنَّ بِكُنهُ دينِكَ مَعشَراً

شُطُراً وَإِن تَفعَل فَأَنتَ مُغَرِّرُ

شُطُراً وَإِن تَفعَل فَأَنتَ مُغَرِّرُ

Never reveal the essence of your faith to a gathering

Do not tell the essence of your faith to a people

of strangers; and if you do, you court danger.

Halfway, or you will be fooled

وَاِصمُت فَإِنَّ الصَمتَ يَكفي أَهلَهُ

وَاِصمُت فَإِنَّ الصَمتَ يَكفي أَهلَهُ

وَالنُطقُ يُظهِرُ كامِناً وَيُقَرِّرُ

وَالنُطقُ يُظهِرُ كامِناً وَيُقَرِّرُ

And keep silent, for silence suffices those who keep it;

Be silent, for silence suffices its people

and speech reveals what lies hidden and confirms it.

Speaking reveals the hidden and affirms