أمِنَ النُّجومِ إذا تَحَوَّلَ سَجْفُها

خَبَرٌ أتى أمْ ذاكَ سِرٌّ هابِطُ

Are there tidings from the stars when their aspect changes,

Or is that a mystery descending?

لا نحنُ قومٌ عندنا بِفُهومِنا

ما كانَ من غيرِ المُهَيْمِنِ ساقِطُ

We are not a people who by our understandings

Fathom what is not from the Omnipotent Controller.

قد قالَ قومٌ للنُّجومِ مَواقعٌ

والنَّصُّ في هذا عِصامٌ ضابطُ

A people have said the stars have positions,

And the text in this is a binding authority.

تلكَ المَواقعُ واقِعٌ أسلوبُها

ولها من السِّرِّ المُطَلْسَمِ رابِطُ

Those positions are a method in their reality,

And they have from the concealed mystery a linking.

الأمرُ وَقَّعَها بِمَوْقِعِها فَمَنْ

جَهِلَ المُقيمَ الحَقَّ فهوَ الغالطُ

The Command established them in their positions, so whoever

Is ignorant of the Determiner of Truth, he is the straying.

النَّجْمُ يَلْمَعُ والمُنَجِّمُ خابطٌ

والرَّملُ يُنْثَرُ والمُرَمِّلُ ناقِطُ

The star gleams and the astrologer is deluded,

And the sand is scattered and the sand-divider is lacking.

وسَوابِحُ الأقْدارِ تَفْعَلُ حُكْمَها

وأخو الحِجابِ بِغيرِ علمٍ خابِطُ

And the swimmer of the decrees does its judgment,

While the brother of illusion without knowledge is confused.

قَبْضٌ وبَسْطٌ كُلُّها أفْعالُهُ

هو قابضٌ سُبْحانَهُ هو باسطُ

Grasping and releasing - all of them are His actions;

He grasps, Glory be to Him! He releases!