إن الوجودَ وجودَ ربك لا تقل

إن الوجودَ وجودَ ربك لا تقل

فيما تراه من الوجودِ برمتهْ

فيما تراه من الوجودِ برمتهْ

Indeed, existence is your Lord's existence; do not say

Existence is the existence of your Lord, do not say

of what you see of existence, in its entirety,

In what you see of existence in its entirety

خلقاً فذاك الخلقُ في أعيانها

خلقاً فذاك الخلقُ في أعيانها

واقسمه فالعلم الصحيح بقسمتهْ

واقسمه فالعلم الصحيح بقسمتهْ

'Creation,' for that creation lies in its individual entities.

Creation, for that creation in its realities

And divide it, for sound knowledge lies in its division.

And divide it, so the correct knowledge is in its division

هبت عليك إذا قسمتَ وجودَه

هبت عليك إذا قسمتَ وجودَه

قسماً صحيحاً نفحته من قسمته

قسماً صحيحاً نفحته من قسمته

There wafts upon you, when you divide His existence,

If you divide His existence

in a sound division, His breath from His apportionment.

A correct division, its breeze is from its division

أنا لا فضل أمّة خرجتْ لنا

أنا لا فضل أمّة خرجتْ لنا

من أجل شخصٍ إنني من أمَّته

من أجل شخصٍ إنني من أمَّته

I belong to the best community brought forth for us [uncertain reading],

I am not superior to any nation that

because of a person—indeed, I am of his community.

Emerged for us because of any person, I am from his nation

لما تقسمتِ المراتبُ كلها

لما تقسمتِ المراتبُ كلها

أبدى لك التحقيقُ صحةَ قسمته

أبدى لك التحقيقُ صحةَ قسمته

When all the ranks were divided,

When all the ranks were divided

realization revealed to you the soundness of its division.

The investigation showed you the correctness of its division

سلخ النهار لعينِ كلِّ محققٍ

سلخ النهار لعينِ كلِّ محققٍ

سلخاً يشعشعُ نورَه من ظلمته

سلخاً يشعشعُ نورَه من ظلمته

He stripped away the day for every realized knower's eye,

The day peeled for the eye of every investigator

a stripping that makes its light radiate from its darkness.

A peel whose light shines from its darkness

أبداه للأبصار بعد حجابه

أبداه للأبصار بعد حجابه

والليلُ مستورٌ بخالصِ حكمته

والليلُ مستورٌ بخالصِ حكمته

He revealed it to the eyes after its veiling,

He showed it to sights after its veil

while the night is veiled by the purity of His wisdom.

And the night is covered with the essence of His wisdom

من ضمه أعطاه كلَّ مكتم

من ضمه أعطاه كلَّ مكتم

من علمه كشفاً له في ضمته

من علمه كشفاً له في ضمته

Whomever He embraces, He grants every hidden thing

Whoever He gathered, He gave everything hidden

of His knowledge, unveiled to him within His embrace.

To him from knowledge, an unveiling for him in his gathering

ظن اللعينُ قصدَّقوا ما ظنه

ظن اللعينُ قصدَّقوا ما ظنه

فيهم فقابله الرحيم برحمته

فيهم فقابله الرحيم برحمته

The accursed one supposed, and they confirmed what he supposed

The accursed thought, they believed what he thought

about them; the Merciful confronted him with His mercy.

About them, so the Merciful met him with His mercy

إلا القليلُ فإنهم عضموا بما

إلا القليلُ فإنهم عضموا بما

شكروا لما أولاهمُ من نعمته

شكروا لما أولاهمُ من نعمته

Except the few, who were protected by

Except a few, as they were strengthened by what

their thanks for the bounty He had bestowed upon them.

They thanked when He granted them from His bounty

فلذاك زادهم الإله أيادياً

فلذاك زادهم الإله أيادياً

واختص من كفرِ النعيم بنقمته

واختص من كفرِ النعيم بنقمته

For that, God granted them still more favors,

So for that God increased them with more hands

and singled out for His retribution whoever was ungrateful for the blessings.

And singled out the ungrateful from the blessing with His vengeance

فإذا وفي العبد المطيع بعهده

فإذا وفي العبد المطيع بعهده

لله قامَ له الإله بحرمته

لله قامَ له الإله بحرمته

So when the obedient servant fulfills his covenant

So when the obedient servant fulfills his covenant

with God, God stands for him in defense of his sanctity.

With God, God stands for him with His sanctity

لولا الكذوب لما علمت محققاً

لولا الكذوب لما علمت محققاً

شرف الذي خص الإله بعصمته

شرف الذي خص الإله بعصمته

Were it not for the habitual liar, you would not truly know

If not for the lies, I would not have known an investigator

the honor of the one God singled out for His protection,

The honor of the one God distinguished with His protection

كالأنبياءِ ومن جرى مجراهمُ

كالأنبياءِ ومن جرى مجراهمُ

من وارثٍ أمنوا بها من فصمته

من وارثٍ أمنوا بها من فصمته

like the prophets and those who followed their course,

Like the prophets and those who followed their course

among the heirs; through it they were safe from its rupture.

From the inheritors who believed it from His judgment

يغتم من يدري الذي قد قلته

يغتم من يدري الذي قد قلته

لمقالتي ونجاته في غمتهْ

لمقالتي ونجاته في غمتهْ

Whoever understands what I have said is troubled

Whoever knows what I have said worries

by my words, and his salvation lies in his distress.

Because of my words and his salvation in his worry

وبهمّ بي فيردّه تنينه

وبهمّ بي فيردّه تنينه

عني فيرجع همه عن همته

عني فيرجع همه عن همته

And in concern over me, his dragon turns him back

And is anxious about me, so his dragon

from me; thus his concern retreats from his aspiration.

Turns it away from me, so his worry turns from his worry

الكون كور عمامة عمَّتْ به

الكون كور عمامة عمَّتْ به

رأسَ الوجودِ ونحن داخلَ عمته

رأسَ الوجودِ ونحن داخلَ عمته

The cosmos is a turban's winding, wrapped around

The universe is a dome that has covered

existence's head; and we are inside its turban.

The head of existence, and we are inside its covering

فانظر تر ما نحن فيه فإنه

فانظر تر ما نحن فيه فإنه

علم يعزُّ فحصلّوه لبهمته

علم يعزُّ فحصلّوه لبهمته

So look: you will see what we are in, for it is

So look and see what we are in, as it is

knowledge hard to attain; acquire it for its obscurity [uncertain reading].

Knowledge that is difficult to obtain, so acquire it for its significance

نهمٌ يحصله ويعلمُ أنه

نهمٌ يحصله ويعلمُ أنه

مع أنه قد حازه في نهمته

مع أنه قد حازه في نهمته

An avid seeker attains it and knows that,

Anxiety that obtains it and knows that he

although he has gained it in his avidity,

Although he has obtained it in his anxiety

لا يرتوي ظمئانٌ فاهُ فاغرٌ

لا يرتوي ظمئانٌ فاهُ فاغرٌ

ريانُ لا يشكو الجواد لحشمته

ريانُ لا يشكو الجواد لحشمته

he is never quenched—a thirsty man, his mouth agape.

A thirsty one with an open mouth does not quench

Sated, he does not complain of the Generous One, out of his modest reserve.

One quenched does not complain of generosity for his valour

إن الوجودَ لمن تحقق علمُه

إن الوجودَ لمن تحقق علمُه

ذوقٌ ترى أشياخه في علمته

ذوقٌ ترى أشياخه في علمته

Indeed, existence, for one whose knowledge is certain,

Existence for one who realizes His knowledge

is a tasting; you see his masters in his learning [uncertain reading].

Is a taste which you see its elders in its banner

صحَّ المزاجُ فصحَّ منه قبولهم

صحَّ المزاجُ فصحَّ منه قبولهم

علماً بقدر إمامه وبقيمته

علماً بقدر إمامه وبقيمته

The constitution was sound, so through it their reception was sound—

The disposition became healthy, so their acceptance became healthy

of knowledge, in proportion to his imam and his worth.

With knowledge according to its leader and by its worth