زَعَموا بِأَنَّهُمُ صَفَوا لِمَليكِهِم

زَعَموا بِأَنَّهُمُ صَفَوا لِمَليكِهِم

كَذَبوكَ ما صافَوا وَلَكِن صافوا

كَذَبوكَ ما صافَوا وَلَكِن صافوا

They claimed they were sincere toward their king.

They claimed that they aligned for their king

They lied to you: they showed no loyalty, but turned aside.

You lied, they did not align but maligned

شَجَرُ الخِلافِ قُلوبُهُم وَيحٌ لَها

شَجَرُ الخِلافِ قُلوبُهُم وَيحٌ لَها

غَرَضي خِلافُ الحَقِّ لا الصَفصافُ

غَرَضي خِلافُ الحَقِّ لا الصَفصافُ

Their hearts are trees of discord—alas for them!

The tree of conflict planted in their hearts, oh woe to it

I mean opposition to truth, not willow trees.

My aim is against truth not to align

فَتَبارَكَ اللَهُ الَّذي هُوَ قادِرٌ

فَتَبارَكَ اللَهُ الَّذي هُوَ قادِرٌ

تَعيا وَتَقصُرُ دونَهُ الأَوصافُ

تَعيا وَتَقصُرُ دونَهُ الأَوصافُ

So blessed is God, who is powerful:

So blessed is Allah who is able

Descriptions falter and fall short of Him.

To fail and fall short of His attributes

الظُلمُ أَكثَرُ ما يَعيشُ بِهِ الفَتى

الظُلمُ أَكثَرُ ما يَعيشُ بِهِ الفَتى

وَأَقَلُّ شَيءٍ عِندَهُ الإِنصافُ

وَأَقَلُّ شَيءٍ عِندَهُ الإِنصافُ

Injustice is what a young man mostly lives by,

Oppression is what the youth mostly live by

And fairness is what he has least of.

And fairness least in their eyes

مُنِعَت مِنَ القِسمِ الحُقوقُ كَأَنَّها

مُنِعَت مِنَ القِسمِ الحُقوقُ كَأَنَّها

رَجَزٌ تَهافَتَ مالَهُ أَنصافُ

رَجَزٌ تَهافَتَ مالَهُ أَنصافُ

Rights were denied a share, as though they were

Rights were denied in the share as if they were

Broken rajaz verse with no half-lines.

A faulty poem whose rhymes mismatch

وَعُنوا فَقالَ الشافِعيُّ وَمالِكٌ

وَعُنوا فَقالَ الشافِعيُّ وَمالِكٌ

وَأَبو حَنيفَةَ قَبلُ وَالخَصّافُ

وَأَبو حَنيفَةَ قَبلُ وَالخَصّافُ

And they concerned themselves with 'Al-Shafi‘i said,' and Malik,

So said Ash-Shafi’i, Malik

And Abu Hanifa before them, and al-Khassaf.

And Abu Hanifah before and Al-Khassaf