يا ناعي الإسلام ُم وانعَهُ

يا ناعي الإسلام ُم وانعَهُ

قدماتَ عُرفٌ وأتى منكرُ

قدماتَ عُرفٌ وأتى منكرُ

O herald of Islam’s death, rise and mourn him!

O herald of Islam’s death, [unclear fragment] and lament it.

Right has died, and evil has come.

Goodness has died, and evil has come.

ما لِقُريشٍ لا علا كعبُها

ما لِقُريشٍ لا علا كعبُها

من قدموا اليومَ ومن أخروا

من قدموا اليومَ ومن أخروا

What ails Quraysh—may its stature never rise—

What ails Quraysh—may its standing never rise!

whom they advanced today, and whom they held back?

Whom have they put forward today, and whom have they held back?

مثل عليٍّ قد خفى أمرُهُ

مثل عليٍّ قد خفى أمرُهُ

عليهمُ والشمسُ لا تسترُ

عليهمُ والشمسُ لا تسترُ

Could the true worth of one like Ali be hidden

One like Ali—his standing has become obscure

from them, when the sun cannot be veiled?

to them, though the sun cannot be concealed.

وليسَ يُطوى علمٌ باهِرٌ

وليسَ يُطوى علمٌ باهِرٌ

سامٍ يداللَهِ له تَنشُرُ

سامٍ يداللَهِ له تَنشُرُ

Nor can a radiant banner be furled,

Nor can a radiant banner be folded away,

lofty—the hand of God unfurls it for him—

Lofty, unfurled by the hand of God,

حتى يُزيلُوا صدعَ ملمُومةٍ

حتى يُزيلُوا صدعَ ملمُومةٍ

والصدعُ في الصخرةِ لا يُجبَرُ

والصدعُ في الصخرةِ لا يُجبَرُ

until they mend the breach within their close-knit body;

Until they erase a fissure in a compact mass;

yet a fissure in rock cannot be repaired.

And a fissure in rock cannot be mended.

كَبشُ قُرَيشٍ في وغى حَربِها

كَبشُ قُرَيشٍ في وغى حَربِها

فاروقُها صديقُها الأكبرُ

فاروقُها صديقُها الأكبرُ

Quraysh’s champion amid the tumult of its wars,

The ram of Quraysh amid the din of its war,

its Discerner, its Greatest Truthful One,

Its discerner of right from wrong, its greatest man of truth,

وكاشِفُ الكربِ إذا خُطَّةٌ

وكاشِفُ الكربِ إذا خُطَّةٌ

أعيا على وارِدِها المصدَرُ

أعيا على وارِدِها المصدَرُ

and the dispeller of anguish whenever a dire plight

And the dispeller of anguish, when a predicament

leaves whoever enters it unable to find a way out.

makes the way out too hard for the one who enters it.

كبرَ للّهِ وصلَّى وما

كبرَ للّهِ وصلَّى وما

صلَّى ذَوُو العيبِ ولا كبَّرُوا

صلَّى ذَوُو العيبِ ولا كبَّرُوا

For God he proclaimed His greatness and prayed, whereas

He proclaimed God’s greatness and prayed, while

those stained by fault neither prayed nor proclaimed His greatness.

those with faults neither prayed nor proclaimed His greatness.

تدبيرُهُم أدى إلى ما أتوا

تدبيرُهُم أدى إلى ما أتوا

تباً لهم يا بئسَ ما دبرُوا

تباً لهم يا بئسَ ما دبرُوا

Their scheming led to the deed they committed;

Their plotting led to what they did;

ruin upon them—how vile was what they plotted!

Ruin to them! Oh, how vile was what they plotted!