حروفletters أوائلbeginnings of السورthe surahs
حروف أوائل السور
يبينهاmakes them clear تباينهاtheir differences
يبينها تباينها
The letters opening the surahs—
The letters of the chapter beginnings
Their differences make them clear.
Reveal their differences
إنif أخفاهاconceals them تماثلهاtheir likeness
إن أخفاها تماثلها
لتبديهاwill surely reveal them مساكنهاtheir dwellings
لتبديها مساكنها
If their likeness conceals them,
If its hiddenness makes them similar
Their dwellings will surely reveal them.
It shows their dwellings
فمفردهاso their single form مثناهاtheir doubled form
فمفردها مثناها
إذاwhen ماemphatic particle جاءcomes ساكنهاtheir unvowelled letter
إذا ما جاء ساكنها
So their single form is their doubled form,
Its singular doubles it
When their unvowelled letter comes.
When its silent one comes
يثلثهاmakes them threefold لتربيعfor a quadrupling
يثلثها لتربيع
إلهيّdivine مساكنهاtheir dwellings
إلهيّ مساكنها
They are tripled for a quadrupling—
It triples it for the four
A divine one—by their dwellings.
My God, their dwellings
ويحفظهاand preserves them لخمستهاfor their fivefoldness الstart of الذي ('who')
ويحفظها لخمستها ال
ذيend of الذي ('who') منهاfrom them يعاينهاbeholds them
ذي منها يعاينها
And they are guarded in their fivefoldness by the one
And preserves it for its five that has
Who beholds them from among them.
He who sees it from it
فياso, O عجباًwonder لقدindeed أبدتrevealed
فيا عجباً لقد أبدت
منازلناour stations أماكنهاtheir places
منازلنا أماكنها
So, what a wonder! Revealed indeed
So wondrous indeed it has shown
Are our stations by their places.
Our dwellings their places
وبالإيمانand through faith يحجبهاveils them
وبالإيمان يحجبها
عنfrom إدراكيmy perception مصاونهاtheir safeguards
عن إدراكي مصاونها
And through faith they are veiled
And with faith it hides them
From my perception by their safeguards.
From my comprehension protected them
لهاthey have شطرhalf منof الفَلَكِthe celestial sphere الstart of الذي ('which')
لها شطر من الفَلَكِ ال
ذيend of الذي ('which') تبديreveal ضنائنهاtheir treasures
ذي تبدي ضنائنها
They have half of the celestial sphere,
It has a celestial hemisphere that
Which their treasures reveal.
Shows its storages
تولدهاgive birth to them إذاwhen نكحتare wed
تولدها إذا نكحت
بلاwithout مَهرٍa bridal gift كنائنُهاtheir daughters-in-law
بلا مَهرٍ كنائنُها
They are brought forth, when wed
It begets them when marries
Without a bridal gift, by their daughters-in-law.
Without dowry their spouses
فلوso if زادتthey increased علىbeyond خمسٍfive
فلو زادت على خمسٍ
فمنthen from عنديwith me بنائنهاtheir fingertips
فمن عندي بنائنها
So if they exceeded five,
So if it exceeds five
Their fingertips would come from me.
Then with me are their structures
لقدindeed أعيتbaffled خبيرthe expert of القوstart of القوم ('the people')
لقد أعيت خبير القو
مend of القوم ('the people') إعجازاًdefying his powers معانيهاtheir meanings
م إعجازاً معانيها
Indeed, the people's sage has been baffled—
Indeed it has exhausted the expert of people, its meanings a miracle
Their meanings defy his powers.
And where is the statement of its Arabizer
وأينand where بيانُclarity of معربهاtheir interpreter
وأين بيانُ معربها
وعجمتهاwhile their obscurity تراطُنُهاtheir foreign-tongued chatter
وعجمتها تراطُنُها
And where is their interpreter's clarity,
And its foreignness exaggerates it
When their obscurity is their foreign-tongued chatter?
Indeed it has appeared for notables
لقدindeed بانتbecame clear لأعيانto essences
لقد بانت لأعيان
تحققهاconfirm them مواطنهاtheir stations
تحققها مواطنها
They have indeed become clear to essences;
Realized are its settlements
Their stations confirm them.
It characterized in us its drinking-places
صفتhave grown clear فيناwithin us مشاربهاtheir drinking waters
صفت فينا مشاربها
وعزَّand is hard to attain عليكfor you آسنهاtheir stagnant water
وعزَّ عليك آسنها
Their drinking waters have grown clear within us,
And was difficult upon you its nomination
And their stagnant water is beyond your reach.
And nothing prevented it from the amicable approach
وماnor منعتprevented منfrom الزلفىnearness
وما منعت من الزلفى
إلىto ربيmy Lord معاطنُهاtheir camel-watering grounds
إلى ربي معاطنُها
Nor have we been kept from nearness
To my Lord its settlements
To my Lord by their camel-watering grounds.
The angels descend on us
تحلُّalight بناamong us ملائكةangels
تحلُّ بنا ملائكة
إذاwhen فرَّتْflee شياطنهاtheir devils
إذا فرَّتْ شياطنها
Angels alight among us
When its devils fleed
When their devils flee.
Letters all are flags
حروفٌletters كلهاall of them علمknowledge
حروفٌ كلها علم
أتتكhave come to you بهاwith them محاسنهاtheir beauties
أتتك بها محاسنها
Letters, all of them knowledge—
Brought to you by its beauties
Their beauties have brought them to you.
And no one knows it except one
ولاand not يدريهknows it إلاexcept مَنْone who
ولا يدريه إلا مَنْ
يكونis بهthrough it يحاسنهاvies with them in beauty
يكون به يحاسنها
And none knows it except one
Who will have fathomed it
Who, through it, vies with them in beauty.
And it has not shown but a hemisphere
وماand not أبدتthey revealed سوىother than شطرhalf
وما أبدت سوى شطر
وماand not أخفتthey concealed ضنائنهاtheir treasures
وما أخفت ضنائنها
They have revealed no more than half,
And not hidden are its storages
And have not concealed their treasures.
As for what it has hidden internally
فماfor what أخفاهhas hidden it مضمرهاtheir latent aspect
فما أخفاه مضمرها
لقدindeed أبداهhas revealed it كائنهاtheir existent aspect
لقد أبداه كائنها
For what their latent aspect has hidden,
Indeed has externalized it existing
Their existent aspect has indeed revealed.
Partial English translation: 39 of 40 Arabic lines translated.
Sol 6.1