أما والنُّجومِ المُشْرِقاتِ من العُلى

أما والنُّجومِ المُشْرِقاتِ من العُلى

وبيضِ وُجوهٍ زَيَّنَتْ ساحَةَ الأرضِ

وبيضِ وُجوهٍ زَيَّنَتْ ساحَةَ الأرضِ

Indeed, by the stars shining from on high,

By the shining stars above,

and by white faces that adorned the earth’s expanse,

And the bright faces that adorned the land,

وآياتِ فُرْقانٍ بِمُحْكَمها بَدا

وآياتِ فُرْقانٍ بِمُحْكَمها بَدا

لنا الفَرقُ بينَ السُّنَّةِ المَحْضِ والفَرْضِ

لنا الفَرقُ بينَ السُّنَّةِ المَحْضِ والفَرْضِ

and by verses of the Furqan, whose clear passages revealed

And the clear verses that distinguished right from wrong,

to us the distinction between pure Sunna and obligatory duty;

We know the difference between tradition and duty.

وكُلِّ فُؤادٍ مَحَّضَ السِّرَّ خالصاً

وكُلِّ فُؤادٍ مَحَّضَ السِّرَّ خالصاً

فَناجى بحالٍ ضِمنَ خَلْوَتهِ مَحْضِ

فَناجى بحالٍ ضِمنَ خَلْوَتهِ مَحْضِ

and by every heart that made its inner secret wholly pure,

Every heart made its secret pure,

then communed in a pure state within its seclusion;

Whispering its state in solitude.

وألْسُنِ أقوامٍ قد انْعَقَدَتْ عن السِّ

وألْسُنِ أقوامٍ قد انْعَقَدَتْ عن السِّ

وى وأتَتْ للحِبِّ بالأدَبِ الغَضِّ

وى وأتَتْ للحِبِّ بالأدَبِ الغَضِّ

and by the tongues of people that fell silent about all

Some tongues refrained from gossip

else, and came to the Beloved with tender courtesy;

And spoke with refined love.

وآثارِ أنْواعِ الجَمالِ التي انْجَلَتْ

وآثارِ أنْواعِ الجَمالِ التي انْجَلَتْ

ومَضْمونُها قد لاحَ في طرَفِ الرَّوْضِ

ومَضْمونُها قد لاحَ في طرَفِ الرَّوْضِ

and by the traces of kinds of beauty that were unveiled,

Signs of beauty appeared,

and their meaning has gleamed at the garden’s edge;

Their essence shone at meadow's edge.

وحِكْمَةِ فَضلٍ أسْبَغَتْ فيضَ رَحْمَةٍ

وحِكْمَةِ فَضلٍ أسْبَغَتْ فيضَ رَحْمَةٍ

فَجازَ لَدَيها رَحمةُ البَعْضِ بالبَعْضِ

فَجازَ لَدَيها رَحمةُ البَعْضِ بالبَعْضِ

and by the wisdom of grace that bestowed a flood of mercy,

Wisdom's grace allowed mercy

so, in its presence, the mercy of some toward others became possible:

To let some pardon others.

على الحبِّ قد أقْبَلَتُ بالحُبِّ مُعْرِضاً

على الحبِّ قد أقْبَلَتُ بالحُبِّ مُعْرِضاً

عن النَشْئِ والإبْرازِ والطَّمْسِ والعَرْضِ

عن النَشْئِ والإبْرازِ والطَّمْسِ والعَرْضِ

toward the Beloved I have turned with love, turning away

I approached love with love,

from coming into being, manifestation, effacement, and display.

Turning from promotion, display, erasure, and bartering.