إِنَّ الذَوائِبَ مِن فِهرٍ وَإِخوَتَهُم

إِنَّ الذَوائِبَ مِن فِهرٍ وَإِخوَتَهُم

قَد بَيَّنوا سُنَّةً لِلناسِ تُتَّبَعُ

قَد بَيَّنوا سُنَّةً لِلناسِ تُتَّبَعُ

Indeed, the foremost men of Fihr and their brothers

The exemplars from the clan of Fihr and their brethren

Have set forth a way for people to follow.

Have set a tradition for people to follow

يَرضى بِها كُلُّ مَن كانَت سَريرَتُهُ

يَرضى بِها كُلُّ مَن كانَت سَريرَتُهُ

تَقوى الإِلَهِ وَبِالأَمرِ الَّذي شَرَعوا

تَقوى الإِلَهِ وَبِالأَمرِ الَّذي شَرَعوا

It pleases everyone whose inward disposition is

Pleasing to all whose inner thoughts are

Reverence for God, as does the order they established.

Devotion to God and to the way they pioneered

قَومٌ إِذا حارَبوا ضَروا عَدُوَّهُمُ

قَومٌ إِذا حارَبوا ضَروا عَدُوَّهُمُ

أَو حاوَلوا النَفعَ في أَشياعِهِم نَفَعوا

أَو حاوَلوا النَفعَ في أَشياعِهِم نَفَعوا

A people who, when they fight, harm their enemy,

A people who in warfare injured their enemies

Or, when they seek to benefit their followers, do them good.

Or in seeking benefit benefited their partisans

سَجِيَّةٌ تِلكَ مِنهُم غَيرُ مُحدَثَةٍ

سَجِيَّةٌ تِلكَ مِنهُم غَيرُ مُحدَثَةٍ

إِنَّ الخَلائِقَ حَقّاً شَرُّها البِدَعُ

إِنَّ الخَلائِقَ حَقّاً شَرُّها البِدَعُ

That is their innate disposition, not newly acquired;

Such is their natural disposition, no innovation

Truly, the worst of dispositions are those newly contrived.

Truly the worst of all creatures are innovations

لا يَرقَعُ الناسُ ما أَوهَت أَكُفُّهُمُ

لا يَرقَعُ الناسُ ما أَوهَت أَكُفُّهُمُ

عِندَ الدِفاعِ وَلا يوهونَ ما رَقَعوا

عِندَ الدِفاعِ وَلا يوهونَ ما رَقَعوا

People cannot mend what their hands have damaged

Men do not mend what their palms have rent

In battle, nor do they weaken what they have mended.

In defense, nor do they damage what they have mended

إِن سابَقوا الناسَ يَوماً فازَ سَبقُهُمُ

إِن سابَقوا الناسَ يَوماً فازَ سَبقُهُمُ

أَو وازَنوا أَهلَ مَجدٍ بِالنَدى مَتَعوا

أَو وازَنوا أَهلَ مَجدٍ بِالنَدى مَتَعوا

If ever they race against others, theirs is the winning lead;

If they outstripped people one day, their outstripping triumphed

Or if they vie with men of glory in generosity, they excel.

Or if they vied with men of glory, they took enjoyment

إِن كانَ في الناسِ سَبّاقونَ بَعدَهُمُ

إِن كانَ في الناسِ سَبّاقونَ بَعدَهُمُ

فَكُلُّ سَبقٍ لِأَدنى سَبقِهِم تَبَعُ

فَكُلُّ سَبقٍ لِأَدنى سَبقِهِم تَبَعُ

If there are frontrunners among the people after them,

If there are any outstrippers among people after them

Then every lead follows even the least of their leads.

Then each outstripping is a consequence of their outstripping

وَلا يَضِنّونَ عَن مَولىً بِفَضلِهِمِ

وَلا يَضِنّونَ عَن مَولىً بِفَضلِهِمِ

وَلا يُصيبُهُمُ في مَطمَعٍ طَبَعُ

وَلا يُصيبُهُمُ في مَطمَعٍ طَبَعُ

Nor do they begrudge an ally their bounty,

They do not begrudge a patron his favors upon them

Nor does disgrace touch them in any pursuit of gain.

Nor does greed afflict them in ambition

لا يَجهَلونَ وَإِن حاوَلتَ جَهلَهُمُ

لا يَجهَلونَ وَإِن حاوَلتَ جَهلَهُمُ

في فَضلِ أَحلامِهِم عَن ذاكَ مُتَّسَعُ

في فَضلِ أَحلامِهِم عَن ذاكَ مُتَّسَعُ

They do not act rashly, even if you try to goad them;

They are not ignorant even if you seek their ignorance

Their abundant forbearance leaves ample room to avoid that.

Spacious is their sagacity, beyond that, latitude

أَعِفَّةٌ ذُكِرَت في الوَحيِ عِفَّتُهُم

أَعِفَّةٌ ذُكِرَت في الوَحيِ عِفَّتُهُم

لا يَطمَعونَ وَلا يُرديهِمُ الطَمَعُ

لا يَطمَعونَ وَلا يُرديهِمُ الطَمَعُ

Men of restraint, whose restraint is mentioned in revelation;

Their chastity was mentioned in revelation, their continence

They do not covet, nor does greed bring them to ruin.

They covet not, nor does covetousness cast them down

كَم مِن صَديقٍ لَهُم نالوا كَرامَتَهُ

كَم مِن صَديقٍ لَهُم نالوا كَرامَتَهُ

وَمِن عَدُوٍّ عَلَيهِم جاهِدٍ جَدَعوا

وَمِن عَدُوٍّ عَلَيهِم جاهِدٍ جَدَعوا

How many a friend of theirs whose favor they have won,

How many a friend whose honor they attained

And a foe striving against them whose nose they have severed!

And how many a hostile foe they broke

أَعطَوا نَبِيَّ الهُدى وَالبِرِّ طاعَتَهُم

أَعطَوا نَبِيَّ الهُدى وَالبِرِّ طاعَتَهُم

فَما وَنى نَصرُهُم عَنهُ وَما نَزَعوا

فَما وَنى نَصرُهُم عَنهُ وَما نَزَعوا

They gave the Prophet of guidance and righteousness their obedience;

They gave obedience to the Prophet of guidance and righteousness

So their support for him never faltered, nor did they withdraw.

Never did their support of him waver, nor withdraw

إِن قالَ سيروا أَجَدّوا السَيرَ جَهدَهُمُ

إِن قالَ سيروا أَجَدّوا السَيرَ جَهدَهُمُ

أَو قالَ عوجوا عَلَينا ساعَةً رَبَعوا

أَو قالَ عوجوا عَلَينا ساعَةً رَبَعوا

If he said, ‘March,’ they pressed on with all their might;

If he said march they strove their utmost in marching

Or said, ‘Turn aside to us awhile,’ they halted.

Or if he said turn askance from us awhile, they wheeled

ما زالَ سَيرُهُمُ حَتّى اِستَفادَ لَهُم

ما زالَ سَيرُهُمُ حَتّى اِستَفادَ لَهُم

أَهلُ الصَليبِ وَمَن كانَت لَهُ البِيَعُ

أَهلُ الصَليبِ وَمَن كانَت لَهُ البِيَعُ

Their march continued until it won for them

Their marching did not cease until the people of the cross

The people of the Cross and those to whom the churches belonged.

And whoever else submitted gained their advantage

خُذ مِنهُمُ ما أَتى عَفواً إِذا غَضِبوا

خُذ مِنهُمُ ما أَتى عَفواً إِذا غَضِبوا

وَلا يَكُن هَمَّكَ الأَمرُ الَّذي مَنَعوا

وَلا يَكُن هَمَّكَ الأَمرُ الَّذي مَنَعوا

Take from them what comes freely when they are angry,

Take from them ungrudgingly when they are wrathful

And let not what they have withheld be your concern.

And let not your concern be for what they forbid

فَإِنَّ في حَربِهِم فَاِترُك عَداوَتُهُم

فَإِنَّ في حَربِهِم فَاِترُك عَداوَتُهُم

شَرّاً يُخاضُ عَلَيهِ الصابُ وَالسَلَعُ

شَرّاً يُخاضُ عَلَيهِ الصابُ وَالسَلَعُ

For in war with them—so abandon hostility toward them—

For in their warring, the shedding of their foe's blood

Lies an evil brewed with bitter spurge and salaʿ.

Is an evil that whets the sword and barters lives away

نَسمو إِذا الحَربُ نالَتنا مَخالِبُها

نَسمو إِذا الحَربُ نالَتنا مَخالِبُها

إِذا الزَعانِفُ مِن أَظفارِها خَشَعوا

إِذا الزَعانِفُ مِن أَظفارِها خَشَعوا

We rise when war lays its claws upon us,

We soar when warfare's talons clutch at us

When the rabble cower before its talons.

As the spines scatter beneath its claws and shrink away

لا فُرُحٌ إِن أَصابوا مِن عَدُوِّهِمُ

لا فُرُحٌ إِن أَصابوا مِن عَدُوِّهِمُ

وَإِن أُصيبوا فَلا خورٌ وَلا جُزُعُ

وَإِن أُصيبوا فَلا خورٌ وَلا جُزُعُ

They do not gloat if they make gains against their enemy;

No joy if they smote an enemy, no dejection if smitten

And if they suffer losses, they are neither fainthearted nor distraught.

As though war's death and havoc crouched, watching them, quiescent

كَأَنَّهُم في الوَغى وَالمَوتُ مُكتَنِعٌ

كَأَنَّهُم في الوَغى وَالمَوتُ مُكتَنِعٌ

أُسدٌ بِبيشَةَ في أَرساغِها فَدَعُ

أُسدٌ بِبيشَةَ في أَرساغِها فَدَعُ

In battle, with death closing in, they are like

When a lion lies at rest in his lair, withdrawn

Lions at Bisha, their paw-joints crooked inward.

If we take aim at a people we do not blame

إِذا نَصَبنا لِقَومٍ لا نَدِبُّ لَهُم

إِذا نَصَبنا لِقَومٍ لا نَدِبُّ لَهُم

كَما يَدِبُّ إِلى الوَحشِيَّةِ الذَرَعُ

كَما يَدِبُّ إِلى الوَحشِيَّةِ الذَرَعُ

When we take our stand against a people, we do not creep toward them

As the young gazelles yearn toward the wilderness, desire

As a calf creeps toward the wild cow.

Honor a people whose leader was God's Messenger

أَكرِم بِقَومٍ رَسولُ اللَهِ قائِدُهُم

أَكرِم بِقَومٍ رَسولُ اللَهِ قائِدُهُم

إِذا تَفَرَّقَتِ الأَهواءُ وَالشِيَعُ

إِذا تَفَرَّقَتِ الأَهواءُ وَالشِيَعُ

How noble are a people whose leader is God's Messenger,

When divers passions and sects became separated

When passions and factions diverge.

My heart's praise of them is seconded by a tongue shaping

أَهدى لَهُم مِدحَتي قَلبٌ يُؤازِرُهُ

أَهدى لَهُم مِدحَتي قَلبٌ يُؤازِرُهُ

فيما يُحِبُّ لِسانٌ حائِكٌ صَنَعُ

فيما يُحِبُّ لِسانٌ حائِكٌ صَنَعُ

A heart has offered them my praise, supported

Verily they are the best of all the living

In what it loves by a tongue, a skillful weaver.

If the earnestness of speech stirs people, or they kindle

فَإِنَّهُم أَفضَلُ الأَحياءِ كُلِّهِمِ

فَإِنَّهُم أَفضَلُ الأَحياءِ كُلِّهِمِ

إِن جَدَّ بِالناسِ جِدُّ القَولِ أَو شَمِعوا

إِن جَدَّ بِالناسِ جِدُّ القَولِ أَو شَمِعوا

For they are the best of all the clans,

Whether people speak in earnest or make merry.