عجبتُ لإنسانٍ يراحم رحماناً

عجبتُ لإنسانٍ يراحم رحماناً

فأوسعُ أهل الأرضِ رُوحاً وريحانا

فأوسعُ أهل الأرضِ رُوحاً وريحانا

I marveled at a human who shows mercy to the All-Merciful.

I'm amazed at one who pities the Most Merciful

Thus he is the most bountiful of earth’s people in spirit and sweet basil.

The most generous of people in spirit and fragrance

فقام له الإيمان بالغيبِ ناصحاً

فقام له الإيمان بالغيبِ ناصحاً

فأرسلَ دَمعَ العينِ للغيب طوفانا

فأرسلَ دَمعَ العينِ للغيب طوفانا

Then faith in the unseen arose to counsel him,

So faith in the unseen stood up advising him

And he poured out his eye’s tears for the unseen in a flood.

And sent tears streaming from the eye like a flood

فعارضه علمُ الحقائقِِ مُفصحاً

فعارضه علمُ الحقائقِِ مُفصحاً

بصورةِ من سوَّاه أصبحَ رحمانا

بصورةِ من سوَّاه أصبحَ رحمانا

Then knowledge of realities countered him, speaking plainly:

Then the knowledge of truths refuted him clearly

In the image of the One who fashioned him, he became all-merciful.

With the image of Him who made him the Most Merciful

وأنزله في الأرض وَجهاً خليفةً

وأنزله في الأرض وَجهاً خليفةً

على الملأ الأعلى وسمَّاه إنسانا

على الملأ الأعلى وسمَّاه إنسانا

And He set him on earth as a countenance, a vicegerent

And sent him down to earth with a face as successor

Over the highest assembly, and named him human.

Over the highest assembly, naming him human

فلم يك هذا منه دعوى أتى بها

فلم يك هذا منه دعوى أتى بها

ولكنه بالحال كوَّن محانا

ولكنه بالحال كوَّن محانا

So this was no claim of his that he put forward;

This claim did not come from him boastfully

But through his state he created—he effaced us.

Rather, he intrinsically formed this favor

وشرفه بالشحِّ إذْ كانَ مانعاً

وشرفه بالشحِّ إذْ كانَ مانعاً

فكان النقصانُ فضلاً ما وإحسانا

فكان النقصانُ فضلاً ما وإحسانا

And He honored him with stinginess, since he was a withholder;

And honored him with deficiency, as He withheld

So deficiency became a kind of merit and beneficence.

So imperfection became a virtue and kindness

فلو لم يكن في الكونِ نقصٌ محققٌ

فلو لم يكن في الكونِ نقصٌ محققٌ

لكانَ أخيّ النقصِ يخسر ميزانا

لكانَ أخيّ النقصِ يخسر ميزانا

For if no actual deficiency existed in the cosmos,

For if deficiency did not truly exist in the universe

Then, my little brother, deficiency would upset a balance.

Deficiency's brother would lose all balance

ولم يك مخلوقاً على الصورة التي

ولم يك مخلوقاً على الصورة التي

أقام بها عند التنازع برهانا

أقام بها عند التنازع برهانا

Nor would he have been created in the image through which

And no creature was made in the form

He established a proof when dispute arose.

In which he stood in dispute with proof

فمن كان بالنقصانِ أصلُ كماله

فمن كان بالنقصانِ أصلُ كماله

فلا بد أن يعطيك رِبحاً وخُسرانا

فلا بد أن يعطيك رِبحاً وخُسرانا

So whoever has the root of his perfection in deficiency

So he whose origin of perfection is deficiency

Must therefore give you gain and loss.

Must inevitably give you profit and loss

إذا كان بالنقصانِ عينُ كماله

إذا كان بالنقصانِ عينُ كماله

فأصبحَ كالميزان بالحمدِ ملآنا

فأصبحَ كالميزان بالحمدِ ملآنا

If the very essence of his perfection lies in deficiency,

Since deficiency itself is the essence of his perfection

Then he becomes like the balance, filled with praise.

He became like a scale, full of praise

فإن عموم الحمدِ ليس كبيرة

فإن عموم الحمدِ ليس كبيرة

من أذكاره في كلِّ شيءٍ وإن هانا

من أذكاره في كلِّ شيءٍ وإن هانا

For the universality of praise is no great matter

For the generality of praise is no great matter

Among his remembrances in everything, however lowly.

Among His remembrances, though trivial

فما هان في الأذكار إلا لعزَّة

فما هان في الأذكار إلا لعزَّة

يميل بها عنهم مكاناً وإمكانا

يميل بها عنهم مكاناً وإمكانا

So it was humbled among remembrances only by a dignity

What is trivial in remembrance is only for the Almighty’s dignity

Through which it turns away from them in place and possibility.

That he may incline from them in place and possibility

وآخرُ دعوانا أنِ الحمد فاستمع

وآخرُ دعوانا أنِ الحمد فاستمع

وما ثَمَّ قولٌ بعدَ آخرِ دَعوانا

وما ثَمَّ قولٌ بعدَ آخرِ دَعوانا

And our final invocation is praise—so listen.

Our final call is that all praise belongs to God, so listen

And there is no utterance after our final invocation.

There is no word after the final call

إذا جاءتِ الأذكارُ للعدلِ تبتغي

إذا جاءتِ الأذكارُ للعدلِ تبتغي

مفاضلةً يأتين رَجلاً ورُكبانا

مفاضلةً يأتين رَجلاً ورُكبانا

When the remembrances come for justice, seeking

When remembrances come seeking justice

A comparison of merits, they come on foot and mounted.

To rank men and mounts they come

فيظهر فضلُ الحمد إذ كنَّ سوقة

فيظهر فضلُ الحمد إذ كنَّ سوقة

وكان وجودُ الحمد فيهنَّ سُلطانا

وكان وجودُ الحمد فيهنَّ سُلطانا

Then praise’s superiority appears, since they were commoners,

So the superiority of praise appears as they were its driver

And praise, present among them, was a sovereign.

And the existence of praise in them was a sultanate

تأمل فإني أعلمُ الخلقِِ بالذي

تأمل فإني أعلمُ الخلقِِ بالذي

أتيت به علماً صحيحاً وإيمانا

أتيت به علماً صحيحاً وإيمانا

Reflect, for I am the most knowledgeable of creation about what

Contemplate, for I know people best regarding what

I have brought forth, with sound knowledge and faith.

I have brought in true and certain knowledge