أسبِّح الله بأسمائه

أسبِّح الله بأسمائه

من كلِّ مذمومٍ ومحمود

من كلِّ مذمومٍ ومحمود

I glorify God by His names,

I glorify God with His names

from all that is blamed and all that is praised.

From every blameworthy and praised one

إن نطقتْ بحمده ألسنٌ

إن نطقتْ بحمده ألسنٌ

فبينَ مفقودٍ وموجود

فبينَ مفقودٍ وموجود

If tongues utter His praise,

If tongues speak His praise

then between the absent and the present.

Between the lost and found

فحامد يجري بإطلاقه

فحامد يجري بإطلاقه

وحامدٌ يجري بتقييد

وحامدٌ يجري بتقييد

So one praiser proceeds with His absoluteness,

So the praiser flows with His absoluteness

and another praiser proceeds with qualification.

And the praiser flows with His confinement

وكلهم في حمده محسنٌ

وكلهم في حمده محسنٌ

وإن أتوا فيه بتحديد

وإن أتوا فيه بتحديد

And all of them do well in praising Him,

And all of them are good doers in His praise

even if they impose limits in doing so.

Even if they come to it with limitation

وليس في الوسع سوى ما بدا

وليس في الوسع سوى ما بدا

فإنه جمع بتبديد

فإنه جمع بتبديد

And nothing lies within our capacity but what has appeared,

And there is no capacity except what appeared

for it is a gathering through dispersal.

For He gathered with dispersion

لو كان من الوسع لقلنا به

لو كان من الوسع لقلنا به

ولم نقل فيه بتجريد

ولم نقل فيه بتجريد

Were it within our capacity, we would affirm it,

If there was capacity we would have said it

and would not speak of it in abstraction.

And not said of Him with abstraction

والله إني عابد للهوى

والله إني عابد للهوى

ليس له فأين توحيدي

ليس له فأين توحيدي

By God, I am a worshipper of desire,

And God I am a worshipper of passion

not of Him—where, then, is my affirmation of His oneness?

I have no so where is my monotheism

حكم الهوى صيَّرني عابداً

حكم الهوى صيَّرني عابداً

لربه فذاك معبودي

لربه فذاك معبودي

Desire's sway has made me a worshipper

The rule of passion made me a worshipper

of its Lord; that, then, is the one I worship.

Of its Lord so that is my worshipped

إني لما جئتُ به منصفٍ

إني لما جئتُ به منصفٍ

لستُ كمن قد ضلَّ في البيد

لستُ كمن قد ضلَّ في البيد

Indeed, I am fair regarding what I have put forth.

I am fairly coming with what I came with

I am not like one who has gone astray in the desert wastes.

I am not like one who is lost in waste

ولم أقل عجّل لنا قطنا

ولم أقل عجّل لنا قطنا

سخرية يا خيرَ مشهودِ

سخرية يا خيرَ مشهودِ

Nor have I said, 'Hasten our allotted share for us,'

And I did not say hurry cotton for us

in mockery, O best of all that is beheld.

Mockingly, O best witnessed

لا بد من يوم لنا جامعٍ

لا بد من يوم لنا جامعٍ

ما بين منحوسٍ ومسعودِ

ما بين منحوسٍ ومسعودِ

There must be a day that gathers us,

There must be a day for us comprehensive

both the ill-fated and the fortunate.

Between ominous and felicitous