1. How cruel time can be in its gentleness,
And how it deceives man with its changes,

2. It moves man from his glory,
To his abasement with utmost speed.

3. And it surprises man by stirring him,
When he feels most secure in its tranquility.

4. And none of its vileness equals,
Any of its adornment to the wilds.

5. All the people of this world are seen as unjust,
The cause of their injustice being their human weakness.

6. And the matter has become so confusing,
That its confusion has become clarification.

7. If minds reflect, they find,
A veil through which truth appears.

8. Who has ever grasped his desires,
From the submissiveness and security of time?

9. It was never safe from its tyranny,
For one who trusted its past and present.

10. We belong to Allah through one who passed away,
Guarding him being the goal of its humiliation.

11. He has granted the reward to his people,
Like one whose judgment makes the contented aggrieved.

12. He made the eyes of the immortal Houri weep over his loss,
Along with his own eyes.

13. And he chose the veil of dust out of a desire,
To conceal himself from us and be isolated.

14. And every heart after him,
Is as if bound with chains.

15. And every eye whose possession he was,
Has now become offered for free.

16. O Master, called Khall by a friend of his,
With the prayer of one with tearful, grieving eyes.

17. Be patient or accept those who guard you,
And do not face this calamity with weakness.

18. Do not blame your flowing tears,
For they have come to you at the right time.

19. The Master of creation wept for his uncle,
Yet he was never deficient in his faith.