وَلَو أَنَّ لِلإِنسانِ عُمراً مُحَدَّداً

وَلَو أَنَّ لِلإِنسانِ عُمراً مُحَدَّداً

وَلَم يَكُن مِن ثانٍ بِهِ النَصُّ يُخبِرُ

وَلَم يَكُن مِن ثانٍ بِهِ النَصُّ يُخبِرُ

If only a human being had two fixed lifetimes—

And if a human being had a fixed lifespan,

though no revealed Text tells of any second—

and there were no second life of which scripture tells,

لِأَعطَيتُ نَفسي حَظَّها كُلَّ فُرصَةٍ

لِأَعطَيتُ نَفسي حَظَّها كُلَّ فُرصَةٍ

وَما خِفتُ شَيأً دونَهُ المَوتُ يَصدُرُ

وَما خِفتُ شَيأً دونَهُ المَوتُ يَصدُرُ

I would give my soul full opportunity to take its entire share,

I would have given my soul its share at every opportunity,

and fear nothing at which death itself would stop short.

and would have feared nothing before which death comes forth.

وَلَكِن لَنا عُمرانِ عُمرٌ مُغلَقٌ

وَلَكِن لَنا عُمرانِ عُمرٌ مُغلَقٌ

وَثانٍ يُسمي عِندَ رَبّي مَقدِرُ

وَثانٍ يُسمي عِندَ رَبّي مَقدِرُ

Yet we have two lifetimes: one life sealed shut,

But we have two lives: one life closed,

and a second that, in my Lord’s sight, is called “ordained.”

and a second, called 'decreed' in my Lord's sight.