فَما ساءَني شَيءٌ كَما ساءَني أَخي

فَما ساءَني شَيءٌ كَما ساءَني أَخي

وَلَم أَرضَ لِلَهِ الَّذي كانَ صانِعا

وَلَم أَرضَ لِلَهِ الَّذي كانَ صانِعا

Nothing grieved me as my brother grieved me,

Nothing grieved me as my brother grieved me.

nor could I approve before God of what he was doing.

Nor, for God's sake, did I approve of what he was doing.

وَلَكِن إِذا ما اللَهُ أَمضى قَضاءَهُ

وَلَكِن إِذا ما اللَهُ أَمضى قَضاءَهُ

فَلا بُدَّ يَوماً أَن تَرى الأَمرَ واقِعا

فَلا بُدَّ يَوماً أَن تَرى الأَمرَ واقِعا

Yet when God puts His decree into effect,

But when God carries out His decree,

the day must come when you see the matter come to pass.

Then one day you must see the matter come to pass.

وَلَو أَنَّني شووِرتُ فيهِ لَما رَأَوا

وَلَو أَنَّني شووِرتُ فيهِ لَما رَأَوا

قَريبَهُم إِلّا عَنِ الأَمرِ شاسِعا

قَريبَهُم إِلّا عَنِ الأَمرِ شاسِعا

Had I been consulted about it, they would have found

And had I been consulted about it, they would not have seen

their own kinsman far removed from such a course.

Their kinsman anything but far removed from the matter.

وَلَم أَكُ أَرضى بِالَّذي قَد رَضَوا بِهِ

وَلَم أَكُ أَرضى بِالَّذي قَد رَضَوا بِهِ

وَلَو جَمَعَت كُل إِلَيَّ المَجامِعا

وَلَو جَمَعَت كُل إِلَيَّ المَجامِعا

Nor would I have accepted what they had accepted,

Nor was I content with what they had accepted,

even had all the assembled hosts been mustered against me.

Even if all the assemblies had gathered around me.

وَلَو حُزَّ أَنفي قَبلَ ذَلِكَ حَزَّةً

وَلَو حُزَّ أَنفي قَبلَ ذَلِكَ حَزَّةً

بِموسى لَما أَلقَيتُ لِلصُلحِ تابِعا

بِموسى لَما أَلقَيتُ لِلصُلحِ تابِعا

Even had my nose been slashed before then in a single stroke—

Even had my nose been severed before that with a single cut,

with a razor—I would never have cast myself as a follower of peace.

With a razor, I would not have given myself over to following peace.