عجبت لمن دعا ولمن أجابا

عجبت لمن دعا ولمن أجابا

وما علم الدعاء ولا الجوابا

وما علم الدعاء ولا الجوابا

I marveled at the one who called and the one who answered,

I wondered at the one who prayed and the one who answered,

Though he knew neither the call nor the answer.

And did not know the prayer or the answer.

فلما ان تحققَّ من دعاه

فلما ان تحققَّ من دعاه

وحقق ما دعاه به أنابا

وحقق ما دعاه به أنابا

Then, when he truly knew who had called him,

So when the one who prayed was sure,

And realized what he had called him by, he turned back.

And made sure what he prayed for humbly,

ولكن بالإيابةِ عن قبولٍ

ولكن بالإيابةِ عن قبولٍ

لدعوته فأخطأ ما أصابا

لدعوته فأخطأ ما أصابا

But with a return prompted by acceptance

But in answering the acceptance of his prayer he missed what he hit.

Of his call—so he erred in what he got right.

As for the knowers of Him, they stood

وأما العارفون به فقاموا

وأما العارفون به فقاموا

عن الكشف الذي يهدي الصوابا

عن الكشف الذي يهدي الصوابا

As for those who know him, they arose

Above the unveiling which guides to the right.

From the unveiling that guides to what is right.

And His law affirmed the affirmation of a scholar,

وقرر شرعّه تقرير حبر

وقرر شرعّه تقرير حبر

وأنزله على شخص كتابا

وأنزله على شخص كتابا

And he set forth his law with a scholar's exposition,

And revealed it to the person of a book.

And sent it down upon a person as a book.

And the believers won through it and obtained

وفازَ المؤمنون به ونالوا

وفازَ المؤمنون به ونالوا

من الله السعادةَ والثوابا

من الله السعادةَ والثوابا

And those who believed in it triumphed and attained

From God happiness and reward.

From God felicity and reward.

And the sinners obtained much forgiveness,

ونالَ المذنبون كثيرَ عفوٍ

ونالَ المذنبون كثيرَ عفوٍ

وفي الدنيا فما أمنوا العقابا

وفي الدنيا فما أمنوا العقابا

And sinners received abundant pardon,

And in the world so they feared no punishment,

Yet in this world they were not safe from punishment:

Establishing His ordained limit in them

إقامة حدِّه المشروعِ فيهم

إقامة حدِّه المشروعِ فيهم

يقامُ به وقد قبلَ المتابا

يقامُ به وقد قبلَ المتابا

The enforcement among them of his prescribed penalty.

Is established by which he accepted the penitent.

It is carried out upon him, though he has accepted repentance.

And no repentance he accepts will avail him from it,

ولا ينجيه منه قبولُ توبٍ

ولا ينجيه منه قبولُ توبٍ

إذا علم الإمامُ وقد أنابا

إذا علم الإمامُ وقد أنابا

Nor does acceptance of repentance save him from it,

When the Imam knows and he has turned in penance.

When the imam knows, though he has repented.

And the Imam judges him by his religion and chooses him

وبدينه الإمام ويصطفيه

وبدينه الإمام ويصطفيه

ويوليه العقوبةَ والعقابا

ويوليه العقوبةَ والعقابا

And in his religion is the imam, and he chooses him,

And assigns him punishment and penalty.

And entrusts him with punishment and retribution.

And this is not the judgement of the Resurrection in him,

وما حكمُ القيامة فيه هذا

وما حكمُ القيامة فيه هذا

وإنْ وفاه خالقه الحسابا

وإنْ وفاه خالقه الحسابا

And this is not the judgment concerning him at the Resurrection,

Even if his Creator absolved him in accounting.

Even if his Creator calls him fully to account.

The Ash’ari sees him without limit,

يراه الأشعريُّ بغير حدٍّ

يراه الأشعريُّ بغير حدٍّ

ويثبتُ منكروه له الحجابا

ويثبتُ منكروه له الحجابا

Al-Ashʿarī sees him without limit,

And its deniers veil it from him.

And those who deny him affirm a veil for him.

And whoever witnessed matters without a veil

ومن شهدَ الأمور بلا غطاء

ومن شهدَ الأمور بلا غطاء

تراه وما تراه إذا يحابى

تراه وما تراه إذا يحابى

And whoever beholds things without a covering,

Sees it and does not see it when it is hidden.

You see him, yet do not see him when he is favored.

And the All-Knowing witnesses it in every aspect

ويشهده العليم بكلِّ وجه

ويشهده العليم بكلِّ وجه

ويعلم أنه إنْ خابَ خابا

ويعلم أنه إنْ خابَ خابا

And the knowing one beholds him in every aspect,

And knows that if he erred, he erred.

And knows that, if he fails, he fails.

And were it not for His being, there would be no being,

ولولا كونُه ما كان كون

ولولا كونُه ما كان كون

وبالإتيان أشهدنا السحابا

وبالإتيان أشهدنا السحابا

But for his being, there would be no existence.

And by bringing us the clouds He showed us witnesses.

And through the coming he made us witness the clouds.

The decisive judgment came to you in us,

أتاك بها الحكمُ الفصلِ فينا

أتاك بها الحكمُ الفصلِ فينا

ويفتح ظُله فيه وبابا

ويفتح ظُله فيه وبابا

The decisive judgment concerning us brought it to you,

And opens its shade in it and a door.

And opens his shade within it, and a door.