هو القضا فخذ المبسوط مختصرا

هو القضا فخذ المبسوط مختصرا

وما جرا لا تسائل عنه كيف جرا

وما جرا لا تسائل عنه كيف جرا

It is fate—so take the full account in brief.

It is fate, so accept the outstretched decree briefly

And as for what happened, do not ask how it happened.

And do not ask about what has passed, how it passed

إذا قضى الله أمرا فهو ينفذه

إذا قضى الله أمرا فهو ينفذه

كما يشاء ويغضي السمع والبصرا

كما يشاء ويغضي السمع والبصرا

When God decrees a matter, He carries it out

When Allah decrees a matter, He executes it

as He wills, and veils hearing and sight.

As He wills, turning away hearing and sight

ما كان ملك الورى والله يكلؤه

ما كان ملك الورى والله يكلؤه

ممكنا بشرا يوم الهوى بشرا

ممكنا بشرا يوم الهوى بشرا

The king of humankind, with God guarding him, would not have

The kingdom of the world was not for Allah to entrust

given one mortal power over another on the day of downfall.

To a human, the day desire was human

لكن جرى قدر ماض ليشكره

لكن جرى قدر ماض ليشكره

من بعد تجريبه للغير من شكرا

من بعد تجريبه للغير من شكرا

But an inexorable decree took its course, so that he might be thanked

But a foreordained destiny passed, so that he may thank

by those who had given thanks, after their experience of others.

After experiencing it, thanking for others

للدين عشرون عاما في خلافته

للدين عشرون عاما في خلافته

ينمو نمو زروع تغتذى المطرا

ينمو نمو زروع تغتذى المطرا

For twenty years during his caliphate, the faith

Twenty years for the religion in his caliphate

grew like crops nourished by rain;

Growing like crops nourished by rain

وهو المعاني لأهليه يجمعهم

وهو المعاني لأهليه يجمعهم

باللطف حتى استفاض العلم وانتشرا

باللطف حتى استفاض العلم وانتشرا

and he cared for its people, gathering them

He collects meanings for his people

with kindness, until learning abounded and spread.

With kindness until knowledge spread and circulated

وشب للعلم فتيان بدولته

وشب للعلم فتيان بدولته

صالوا بجدة فهم يقطع الحجرا

صالوا بجدة فهم يقطع الحجرا

And under his rule young men grew up devoted to learning,

And youth grew in knowledge in his state

charging forth with a keen understanding that could cleave stone.

They excelled with effort, cutting through stone

فشتتهم يد ظنت وقد قدرت

فشتتهم يد ظنت وقد قدرت

بأنه من شفا غيظا فقد ظفرا

بأنه من شفا غيظا فقد ظفرا

Then a hand scattered them, thinking, once it had gained power,

But a hand that thought it could, since it was able

that whoever assuaged his rage had triumphed.

To quench rage, was victorious, scattered them

هيهات ما ظفرت الا يدا رجل

هيهات ما ظفرت الا يدا رجل

مقدم لرضى الباري إذا قدرا

مقدم لرضى الباري إذا قدرا

Far from it! No hands triumph but those of a man

Alas! No hand was victorious except the hand

who puts the Creator's pleasure first when he has power.

Of a man advancing to please the Creator, when it decreed

يسلم الأمر في أيام محنته

يسلم الأمر في أيام محنته

وإن تمكن من أعدائه نظرا

وإن تمكن من أعدائه نظرا

He surrenders the matter in the days of his ordeal,

Submitting the matter in his days of affliction

and if he gains power over his enemies, he considers:

And being able over his enemies, he looked

فإن رأى أنهم أخطوا أقالهم

فإن رأى أنهم أخطوا أقالهم

وإن رأى أنه دانا الخطا أعتذرا

وإن رأى أنه دانا الخطا أعتذرا

if he sees that they erred, he pardons them;

If he saw they erred, he dismissed them

and if he sees that he came close to error, he apologizes.

And if he saw he was wrong, he apologized

يا عصبة في سمآء العلم قد طلعوا

يا عصبة في سمآء العلم قد طلعوا

والجهل داج فكانوا الأنجم الزهرا

والجهل داج فكانوا الأنجم الزهرا

O company who rose in the sky of learning,

O party in the heavens of knowledge who rose

while ignorance lay dark, and became the radiant stars!

And ignorance was dark, so they were the shining stars

أحييتم العلم بحثا والقلوب تقى

أحييتم العلم بحثا والقلوب تقى

واليوم صوما وظلماء الدجا سهرا

واليوم صوما وظلماء الدجا سهرا

You revived learning through inquiry, and hearts through piety,

You revived knowledge with research and pious hearts

and the day through fasting, and night's darkness through vigil.

And fasting by day and staying up by night in darkness

إذا تكلف أن يخفى محاسنكم

إذا تكلف أن يخفى محاسنكم

لسان ذى حسد في مجلس عثرا

لسان ذى حسد في مجلس عثرا

If it strains to conceal your virtues,

If an envious tongue in a gathering tries to hide

an envious man's tongue stumbles in the gathering.

Your virtues, stumbling in speech

كنتم إذا عرضت في الدرس مشكلة

كنتم إذا عرضت في الدرس مشكلة

تطايرت نحوها أفهامكم شررا

تطايرت نحوها أفهامكم شررا

You were such that, when a difficulty arose in a lesson,

Whenever an issue was presented in class

your minds flew toward it like sparks.

Your minds would fly to it like sparks

كنتم لجيد الهدى عقدا يزينه

كنتم لجيد الهدى عقدا يزينه

عدت على سلكه الأيام فانتثرا

عدت على سلكه الأيام فانتثرا

You were a necklace adorning the neck of guidance;

You were a necklace adorning the path of right guidance

the days assailed its thread, and it scattered.

The days counted its beads, so it scattered

مجالس العلم تشكو الوحش مذ فقدت

مجالس العلم تشكو الوحش مذ فقدت

من غوص أفهامكم ما يخرج الدررا

من غوص أفهامكم ما يخرج الدررا

The gatherings of learning lament their desolation since they lost

The gatherings of knowledge complain of loneliness since they lost

your minds' deep dives that brought forth pearls.

The diving of your minds that brings out pearls

فأي عين رمتها فيكم عميت

فأي عين رمتها فيكم عميت

لقد تفرق عنها جمعكم شذرا

لقد تفرق عنها جمعكم شذرا

So may any eye that struck them through you go blind!

Any eye that shed tears for you has gone blind

Indeed, your company has scattered away from them in fragments.

For your group has certainly dispersed, fragmented

ما كان تدريسكم إلا مناظرة

ما كان تدريسكم إلا مناظرة

مثيرة من كنوز العلم ما استترا

مثيرة من كنوز العلم ما استترا

Your teaching was nothing but debate,

Your teaching was only an exciting discussion

bringing to light what lay hidden in the treasures of learning.

Stirring treasures of knowledge that were hidden

تسابقون إلى المعنى مشائخكم

تسابقون إلى المعنى مشائخكم

فيحتوى قصبات السبق من بدرا

فيحتوى قصبات السبق من بدرا

You raced your teachers to the meaning,

You raced to meanings, your teachers

and whoever arrived first claimed the reeds of victory.

The horses of victory contained in enclosures

يخفي الصواب فيستدعي بكم فإذا

يخفي الصواب فيستدعي بكم فإذا

تعاودته يدا أفكاركم ظهرا

تعاودته يدا أفكاركم ظهرا

The right answer lies hidden and is sought through you; then,

The truth hidden, so it called you, and when

when the two hands of your thoughts return to it, it appears.

Your ideas reconsidered it, it appeared

ما كان أحسن ذاك الاجتماع على

ما كان أحسن ذاك الاجتماع على

تلك النصوص ببحث يشحذ الفكرا

تلك النصوص ببحث يشحذ الفكرا

How beautiful that gathering was around

How good was that gathering upon

those texts, with inquiry that sharpened thought!

Those texts with a discussion that sharpens the mind

مجالس للمعاني الشاردات بها

مجالس للمعاني الشاردات بها

من فهمكم قانص يصطاد ما خطرا

من فهمكم قانص يصطاد ما خطرا

Gatherings where, for wandering meanings,

Gatherings for meanings that strayed, in them

a hunter from your understanding caught whatever came to mind.

Your understanding had a falcon that hunted any thought

تقسمتهم بقاع الأرض فانقذفوا

تقسمتهم بقاع الأرض فانقذفوا

وخلفوا في القلوب الحزن مستعرا

وخلفوا في القلوب الحزن مستعرا

The earth's regions divided them up, and they were flung away,

They divided you in the regions of the earth and you were flung

and they left grief blazing in hearts.

Leaving behind in hearts sorrow kindled

ما هان هذا البلا عنهم ولا حبست

ما هان هذا البلا عنهم ولا حبست

غمائم الغم عن أهل الهدى مطرا

غمائم الغم عن أهل الهدى مطرا

This affliction has not eased for them, nor have

This affliction was not trivial to them, nor

the clouds of grief withheld rain from the people of guidance.

Did clouds of grief rain upon the people of guidance

في كل يوم فتى إما يحاط به

في كل يوم فتى إما يحاط به

منهم فيسحب سحب الجازر الجزرا

منهم فيسحب سحب الجازر الجزرا

Each day a young man is either hemmed in,

Every day, a youth either surrounded by them

one of them—then dragged as a butcher drags camels to slaughter;

Is dragged like the butcher drags the calf

أو هارب منه قد قامت قيامته

أو هارب منه قد قامت قيامته

فطار في الأفق لا يلقى له أثرا

فطار في الأفق لا يلقى له أثرا

or a fugitive from him, his doomsday already upon him,

Or fleeing, his doom arising

so he flies into the horizon, with no trace of him to be found.

So he flies in the horizon, no trace found

لعل اسرافه في الجور ينفعهم

لعل اسرافه في الجور ينفعهم

فربما حر نفعا جالب ضررا

فربما حر نفعا جالب ضررا

Perhaps his excess in oppression will benefit them,

Perhaps his excess in injustice benefits them

for a bringer of harm may sometimes bring benefit.

For sometimes harm brings beneficial harm

فأحمد لم يزل والعدل شيمته

فأحمد لم يزل والعدل شيمته

لمن تعدا عليه الخصم منتصرا

لمن تعدا عليه الخصم منتصرا

For Ahmad has always, with justice as his nature,

But Ahmad never ceased, and justice his trait

championed anyone wronged by an adversary.

Victorious for whoever the opponent wronged