ما قدَّرَ اللَّهُ هو الغالبُ

ما قدَّرَ اللَّهُ هو الغالبُ

ليس الَّذي يحسُبُهُ الحاسِبُ

ليس الَّذي يحسُبُهُ الحاسِبُ

What God has decreed is what prevails,

What Allah has ordained will prevail

not what the reckoner calculates.

Not what the calculator calculates

قد صدَّقَ اللَّهُ رجاءَ الورَى

قد صدَّقَ اللَّهُ رجاءَ الورَى

وما رجاءٌ عندَهُ خائبُ

وما رجاءٌ عندَهُ خائبُ

God has indeed fulfilled humankind’s hope,

Allah has fulfilled the hope of mankind

and no hope placed in Him is disappointed.

And no hope with Him is ever unmet

وأنزلَ الغيثَ على راغبٍ

وأنزلَ الغيثَ على راغبٍ

رحمتَهُ إذ قنَطَ الراغبُ

رحمتَهُ إذ قنَطَ الراغبُ

And He sent down rain upon one yearning for

He sent down the rain upon the hopeful

His mercy, when the yearning one despaired.

His mercy when the hopeful despaired

قُلْ لابنِ عزرا أَلسَّخيفِ الحجا

قُلْ لابنِ عزرا أَلسَّخيفِ الحجا

زَرَى عليكَ الكوكبُ الثاقبُ

زَرَى عليكَ الكوكبُ الثاقبُ

Say to Ibn Ezra, feeble of intellect:

Say to the foolish son of Azra

The piercing star has brought shame upon you.

The piercing star has visited you

ما يُعْلمُ الشاهدُ من حُكمنا

ما يُعْلمُ الشاهدُ من حُكمنا

كيفَ بأمرٍ حكمُهُ غائبُ

كيفَ بأمرٍ حكمُهُ غائبُ

What can the witness reveal of our fate?

The witness does not know our decree

What, then, of a matter whose outcome is hidden?

How can one judge what is unseen?

وقُلْ لعباسٍ وأشياعهِ

وقُلْ لعباسٍ وأشياعهِ

كيفَ تَرى قَولكُمُ الكاذبُ

كيفَ تَرى قَولكُمُ الكاذبُ

And say to Abbas and his followers:

And say to Abbas and his followers

How do you regard your false claim?

How do you see your false words?

خانكمُ كِيوانُ في قَوسهِ

خانكمُ كِيوانُ في قَوسهِ

وغرَّكم في لوْنهِ الكاتبُ

وغرَّكم في لوْنهِ الكاتبُ

Kiwan betrayed you in its bow,

Kewan has betrayed you in his bow

and the Scribe deceived you with its hue.

And the writer has fooled you in his hue

فكلُّكُمْ يكذِبُ في عِلمهِ

فكلُّكُمْ يكذِبُ في عِلمهِ

وعلمُكمْ في أصلهِ كاذبُ

وعلمُكمْ في أصلهِ كاذبُ

So each of you lies in his learning,

So each of you lies in his knowledge

and your learning is false at its root.

And your knowledge is false in its origin

ما أنتمُ شيءٌ ولا عِلمُكمْ

ما أنتمُ شيءٌ ولا عِلمُكمْ

قد ضعُفَ المطلوبُ والطالبُ

قد ضعُفَ المطلوبُ والطالبُ

Neither you nor your learning amounts to anything;

You are nothing and your knowledge is naught

indeed, the sought and the seeker are weak.

The sought and seeker have grown frail

تُغالبونَ اللَّهَ في حُكمهِ

تُغالبونَ اللَّهَ في حُكمهِ

واللَّهُ لا يغلبُهُ غالبُ

واللَّهُ لا يغلبُهُ غالبُ

You vie with God over His decree,

You contend with Allah in His rule

and no conqueror overcomes God.

And Allah, no contender prevails over Him

محبوبٌ الحَبْرُ الذي ما لَهُ

محبوبٌ الحَبْرُ الذي ما لَهُ

في فهمهِ ندٌّ ولا صاحبُ

في فهمهِ ندٌّ ولا صاحبُ

Mahbub, the scholar who has no

Beloved is the ink which has no

peer in understanding, nor companion,

Peer or companion in its understanding

قد أَشهدَ اللَّهَ على نفسهِ

قد أَشهدَ اللَّهَ على نفسهِ

بأنَّه من جَهلكمْ تائبُ

بأنَّه من جَهلكمْ تائبُ

has called God to witness concerning himself

Allah has borne witness against Himself

that he repents of your ignorance.

That He is repentant of your ignorance