هنيتُ بالشهرِ بل هنى بيَ الشهرُ

هنيتُ بالشهرِ بل هنى بيَ الشهرُ

وما له بالذي يجري به أمرُ

وما له بالذي يجري به أمرُ

I was congratulated on the month—rather, the month was congratulated on me.

I congratulated the month, but the month congratulated me,

Yet it has no say in what takes place through it.

It has no control over what it brings,

له التصرف في الأركان أجمعها

له التصرف في الأركان أجمعها

والحكم في يده والنفعُ والضرُّ

والحكم في يده والنفعُ والضرُّ

It has sway over all the elements,

It has power over all corners,

And rule is in its hand, as are benefit and harm.

And the command is in its hand, as well as benefit and harm,

وما له خبر بما يكوّنه

وما له خبر بما يكوّنه

عنه الإله العليمِ الواحد البرُّ

عنه الإله العليمِ الواحد البرُّ

Yet it knows nothing of what is brought into being

It has no knowledge of what shapes it,

Through it by God, the All-Knowing, the One, the Beneficent.

Other than the Exalted, All-Knowing, One God,

لو أنَّ يونس والحيتان تطلبه

لو أنَّ يونس والحيتان تطلبه

يكونُ من مكة لم يدر ما البحر

يكونُ من مكة لم يدر ما البحر

If Yunus, while the whales were seeking him,

If Jonah and the whale sought it,

Were from Mecca, he would not know what the sea was.

It would be from Mecca, unaware of what the sea is,

لطمنا بالذي أعطتْ معالمها

لطمنا بالذي أعطتْ معالمها

من الذي أخبرت بكونه الزهر

من الذي أخبرت بكونه الزهر

We were struck by what their signs imparted,

We are content with what its features gave,

Of what the bright stars announced would come to be.

From the One who informed of its existence as decoration,

فإنَّ ربك أوحى أمرها بكذا

فإنَّ ربك أوحى أمرها بكذا

فيها وما عندها ذوق ولا خبر

فيها وما عندها ذوق ولا خبر

For your Lord inspired their appointed task thus

Indeed, your Lord revealed its command as such,

Within them, though they have neither experiential taste nor knowledge.

In it, it has no taste or knowledge,

مسخراتٌ بأمرِ الله ليس لها

مسخراتٌ بأمرِ الله ليس لها

إلا الشهادةُ والتسبيحُ والذكر

إلا الشهادةُ والتسبيحُ والذكر

Subjected to God's command, they have

Subjugated by God's command, having nothing

Nothing but witnessing, glorification, and remembrance,

Except praising, glorifying, and remembering,

بألسنٍ ما لنا فقه بما نطقتْ

بألسنٍ ما لنا فقه بما نطقتْ

لأنَّ حاجبها الحكم والفقر

لأنَّ حاجبها الحكم والفقر

In tongues whose utterance we cannot understand,

With tongues whose eloquence we do not comprehend,

For decree and poverty are their veil.

For their veil is destiny and divine decree,

تثني عليه بطبعٍ فيه قد جُبلت

تثني عليه بطبعٍ فيه قد جُبلت

وما لها في الذي تثني به فكر

وما لها في الذي تثني به فكر

They praise Him by a nature in which they were formed,

Praising Him instinctively as they were created,

And give no thought to that with which they praise Him.

With no thought of what they praise,

بالله عالمةٌ لله قائمةٌ

بالله عالمةٌ لله قائمةٌ

في الله جاهدة في أمره الأمر

في الله جاهدة في أمره الأمر

Knowing through God, standing for God,

Signs of God standing for God,

Striving in God; command rests in His command.

Struggling for His great command,

قال الخليل بها ستراً محكمة

قال الخليل بها ستراً محكمة

وحجة للذي أودى به الفكر

وحجة للذي أودى به الفكر

The Friend invoked them as a firmly fashioned veil,

Al-Khalil called it an impenetrable veil,

And as a proof for one whom thought had ruined.

And proof perplexing the mind,

وقد أتاها رسولُ الله وهو بها

وقد أتاها رسولُ الله وهو بها

أدرى وأعلم فهو العالم البحر

أدرى وأعلم فهو العالم البحر

And God's Messenger came to them, and concerning them he was

The Messenger of God came to it while knowing it best,

More discerning and more knowing—the scholar who is an ocean.

So he is the most knowledgeable and aware scholar,

وما له في الذي يدريه من حكم

وما له في الذي يدريه من حكم

مثل يعادله عبدٌ ولا حر

مثل يعادله عبدٌ ولا حر

And in the wisdom he knows, he has

He has no equal in the wisdom he knows,

No equal to match him, slave or free.

Among servants or freemen,

القِل دان له والكثر دان له

القِل دان له والكثر دان له

فليس يعجزه قِلٌّ ولا كُثر

فليس يعجزه قِلٌّ ولا كُثر

Scarcity yields to him, and abundance yields to him;

Few and many submit to Him,

So neither scarcity nor abundance can thwart him.

Neither few nor many can exhaust Him,

الله أعظمُ أنْ يحظى به أحد

الله أعظمُ أنْ يحظى به أحد

وكيفَ يحظى بمن رداؤه الكبر

وكيفَ يحظى بمن رداؤه الكبر

God is too great for anyone to attain Him.

God is too Great for anyone to grasp Him,

And how can one attain Him whose mantle is grandeur—

How can anyone grasp the One whose mantle is Grandeur?

الكبرياء وما تُحصى عوارفُه

الكبرياء وما تُحصى عوارفُه

وليس يدري لها بجهلهم قدر

وليس يدري لها بجهلهم قدر

Majesty? And His favors cannot be counted,

Pride, with countless mysteries,

Nor, through their ignorance, is their worth known.

And they do not know their value in their ignorance,

إنَّ العوارفَ أستارُ المعارفِ لا

إنَّ العوارفَ أستارُ المعارفِ لا

يدخلك في ذاك إشكال ولا نكر

يدخلك في ذاك إشكال ولا نكر

Indeed, favors are the veils of knowledge; let no

Indeed, the mysteries are veils of knowledge,

Perplexity or denial enter you concerning this.

You will have no confusion or denial about that,

فعندها العجز عن إحصائها عدداً

فعندها العجز عن إحصائها عدداً

وعندها أنها النائل النَّزرُ

وعندها أنها النائل النَّزرُ

So with them comes inability to count their number,

Before them is the inability to count them,

And with them, the knowledge that they are a meager bounty.

And with them, the insignificant obtains little,

خزائنُ الجودِ ما انسدَّت مغالقُها

خزائنُ الجودِ ما انسدَّت مغالقُها

لو انتهت لانتهى في العالم الفقر

لو انتهت لانتهى في العالم الفقر

The treasuries of bounty have never had their locks shut;

The treasuries of generosity, their locks never closed,

If they ended, poverty in the world would end.

If they ended, poverty in the world would cease,

وفقرهُ دائمٌ لا ينتهي أبداً

وفقرهُ دائمٌ لا ينتهي أبداً

كذاك نائله لا ينقضي عمر

كذاك نائله لا ينقضي عمر

And its poverty is constant, never ending.

And its poverty is eternal, never-ending,

Likewise, the bounty it receives has a life that never ends.

Likewise its fulfillment, its lifetime never expires,

الفقر بالذاتِ ذاتيّ لصاحبه

الفقر بالذاتِ ذاتيّ لصاحبه

ولو يدوم له من ربِّه اليسر

ولو يدوم له من ربِّه اليسر

Poverty is intrinsic to the very being of its possessor,

Poverty is intrinsic to its owner,

Even if ease from his Lord endures for him.

And if ease from his Lord lasted, it would remain

ما قلت إلا الذي قال الإله لنا

ما قلت إلا الذي قال الإله لنا

فينا ففي كلِّ يسر مدرّجٍ عُسر

فينا ففي كلِّ يسر مدرّجٍ عُسر

I have said only what God told us

I only said what the God told us,

About us: within every ease lies enfolded hardship.

In us - in every ease is difficulty entwined,

إن الإله بلا حدٍ يحدِّدنا

إن الإله بلا حدٍ يحدِّدنا

مع الزمانِ لذا كان اسمه الدهر

مع الزمانِ لذا كان اسمه الدهر

God, without limit, sets limits upon us

God has no limit that defines us

Along with time; thus His name is Time.

Over time - thus His name is Eternal,

لله قومٌ ذوو أعلم مقامهمُ

لله قومٌ ذوو أعلم مقامهمُ

الشمسُ والتينُ والأحقاقُ والفجرُ

الشمسُ والتينُ والأحقاقُ والفجرُ

God has a people endowed with ...; I know their station:

God has people whose station is known -

The Sun, the Fig, the Caskets, and the Dawn.

The sun, the fig, the truth, and the dawn,

هم النجوم التي الأفلاك مركبها

هم النجوم التي الأفلاك مركبها

لا بل أقول هم الأحجار والتِّبر

لا بل أقول هم الأحجار والتِّبر

They are the stars, with the celestial spheres as their mounts;

They are the stars that the celestial spheres revolve around,

No—rather, I say they are the stones and the gold dust.

Rather, I should say they are the pebbles and soil,

حازوا الكمالَ فلم يظفر بهم أحد

حازوا الكمالَ فلم يظفر بهم أحد

غيري لأنهم الأشفاعُ والوتر

غيري لأنهم الأشفاعُ والوتر

They attained perfection, so none laid hold of them

They attained perfection, none can grasp them

But me, for they are the paired and the unpaired.

Except me, for they are the noble and the witr,

سكرى حيارى تراهم في محاربهم

سكرى حيارى تراهم في محاربهم

وما لهم في سوى مطلوبهم فكر

وما لهم في سوى مطلوبهم فكر

Drunken and bewildered, you see them in their sanctuaries,

Bewildered, confused, seeing them battling,

And they have no thought for anything beyond what they seek.

Not thinking of anything besides their goal,

قد استوى عندهم من ليس يعرفهم

قد استوى عندهم من ليس يعرفهم

مع العليم بهم والسرُّ والجهر

مع العليم بهم والسرُّ والجهر

For them, one who does not know them is equal

To them, one who does not know them

To one who knows them well; secrecy and openness are alike.

Is equal to the knowledgeable, openly or secretly,

هم الوجودُ ولكن لا وجودَ لهم

هم الوجودُ ولكن لا وجودَ لهم

فليس يحجبهم نفعٌ ولاضَر

فليس يحجبهم نفعٌ ولاضَر

They are existence, yet they have no existence;

They are existence, but have no existence,

So neither benefit nor harm veils them.

So neither benefit nor harm veils them,

لهم من الفلك العلويِّ صورته

لهم من الفلك العلويِّ صورته

ومن ثرى الأرض ما يأتي به الزهر

ومن ثرى الأرض ما يأتي به الزهر

They have the form of the upper sphere,

Their image is of the highest celestial sphere,

And from the earth's soil, what the blossoms bring forth

And from the earth's soil comes what brings blossoms,

من المطاعم والأنهار شربهمُ

من المطاعم والأنهار شربهمُ

الماءُ والعسلُ النحليُّ والخمر

الماءُ والعسلُ النحليُّ والخمر

Of foods; and from the rivers their drink is

Their drinks are water, honey and wine,

Water, honey from bees, and wine.

Their drink is the milk brought by cows,

وشربهم لبن يأتي به بقرٌ

وشربهم لبن يأتي به بقرٌ

هذا شرابهم مما له ذرُّ

هذا شرابهم مما له ذرُّ

And their drink is milk that cows bring forth.

This is their drink of that which has no description,

This is their drink, from that which has particles.

A taste transcending sweet and bitter,

ويأكلون طعاماً ما له صفةٌ

ويأكلون طعاماً ما له صفةٌ

منزَّهُ الطعمِ لا حلوٌ ولا مُرُّ

منزَّهُ الطعمِ لا حلوٌ ولا مُرُّ

And they eat food that has no attribute,

Their station is where they are, their state

Unqualified in taste—neither sweet nor bitter.

Is what they desire - so for them the crescent wanes,

مقامهم ما همُ فيه وحالهمُ

مقامهم ما همُ فيه وحالهمُ

ما يشتهون فهم بهالِلُ غرّ

ما يشتهون فهم بهالِلُ غرّ

Their station is what they are in, and their state

They are neither ignorant nor understood in their purposes,

Is what they desire: they are radiant holy fools.

Their dwelling is the inhabited abode and the grave,

لا يجهلون ولا تدري مقاصدهم

لا يجهلون ولا تدري مقاصدهم

سكناهم المجلس المعمورُ والقبرُ

سكناهم المجلس المعمورُ والقبرُ

They are not ignorant, and you do not know their aims.

Mute when they speak, blind when they see,

Their dwelling is the peopled assembly and the grave.

Deaf when they hear, their faith is disbelief,

خُرسٌ إذا نطقوا عميٌ إذا نظروا

خُرسٌ إذا نطقوا عميٌ إذا نظروا

صمٌّ إذا سمعوا إيمانهم كفرُ

صمٌّ إذا سمعوا إيمانهم كفرُ

Mute when they speak, blind when they look,

They are not guided nor guide their companion,

Deaf when they hear; their faith is unbelief.

Umar - sand dunes with red terrain,

لا يهتدون ولا يهدون صاحِبَهم

لا يهتدون ولا يهدون صاحِبَهم

عمارٌ أنديةٍ كثبانها حمر

عمارٌ أنديةٍ كثبانها حمر

They find no guidance, nor do they guide their companion;

Frequenters of assemblies whose dunes are red.