العلم بالرحمن لا يجهل

العلم بالرحمن لا يجهل

وهو على الجهل به يحملُ

وهو على الجهل به يحملُ

Knowledge of the All-Merciful is not unknown;

Knowledge of the Merciful is not ignorance,

yet it is construed as ignorance of Him.

Though He bears ignorance of Himself.

فالجهلُ بالرحمن علم به

فالجهلُ بالرحمن علم به

عليه أرباب النهى عوَّلوا

عليه أرباب النهى عوَّلوا

For ignorance of the All-Merciful is knowledge of Him;

Ignorance of the Merciful is knowledge of Him;

upon this the masters of understanding have relied.

The masters of prohibition have depended on it.

قد قال لا أحصي الذي قال لي

قد قال لا أحصي الذي قال لي

لأنه من عنده مرسل

لأنه من عنده مرسل

He who spoke to me has said, ‘I cannot enumerate,’

He said, I do not enumerate what He said to me,

for he is a messenger sent from His presence.

For it is sent from Him.

وقال صديق به عجزه

وقال صديق به عجزه

درك له كذا روى الأوّل

درك له كذا روى الأوّل

And Siddiq said: his inability concerning Him

And his friend said, his inability to comprehend Him,

is apprehension of Him; thus the first one related.

That is how the first related it.

وقال بسطامينا إنه

وقال بسطامينا إنه

دعا عباد الله أن ينزلوا

دعا عباد الله أن ينزلوا

And our Bistami said that he

And Bustamin said, He

called God's servants to descend

Called on God's servants to descend

إليه من حضرة أكوانهم

إليه من حضرة أكوانهم

فأعرضوا عنه ولم يقبلوا

فأعرضوا عنه ولم يقبلوا

to him from the realm of their created worlds;

From the presence of their universes,

but they turned away from him and did not respond.

But they turned away from Him and did not accept.

فعندما جاء إلى ربه

فعندما جاء إلى ربه

الفاهمُ ضمهمُ المنزل

الفاهمُ ضمهمُ المنزل

So, when to his Lord there came

So when the understanding one came to his Lord,

the one who understood, the abode gathered them in.

He who gathers them, home.

من حارب الألباب في وصفه

من حارب الألباب في وصفه

فإنها عن دركه تسفل

فإنها عن دركه تسفل

He who defies intellects in His description—

Whoever fights minds in describing Him,

for they fall short of apprehending Him—

They certainly fall short of perceiving Him.

الله لا يعرفه غيره

الله لا يعرفه غيره

وما هنا غير فلا تغفلوا

وما هنا غير فلا تغفلوا

is God; none but He knows Him.

God, none but He knows Himself,

And there is no other here, so do not be heedless.

And here there is no other, so do not neglect.

فكلُّ عقدٍ فيه من خلقه

فكلُّ عقدٍ فيه من خلقه

فثابت فيه ولو زلزلوا

فثابت فيه ولو زلزلوا

Thus every belief about Him held by His creatures

Every knot in His creation

is established in Him, even if they are shaken.

Is fixed in Him even if they shake.

فإنه أوسع من علمهم

فإنه أوسع من علمهم

بعلمه فيه فلم يحصلوا

بعلمه فيه فلم يحصلوا

For He is vaster than their knowledge,

He is vaster than their knowledge,

gained by knowing Him therein; so they have attained

With His knowledge of it they did not attain.

إلا على القدر الذي هم به

إلا على القدر الذي هم به

فاجمل المر الذي فصَّلوا

فاجمل المر الذي فصَّلوا

only the measure at which they stand.

Except to the extent to which they

So summarize the matter they have detailed.

So supreme is the command they detailed.

فلا يحيطون به قال لي

فلا يحيطون به قال لي

علماً سوى القدر الذي حصلوا

علماً سوى القدر الذي حصلوا

He told me: ‘They do not encompass Him

They cannot encompass Him, He said to me,

in knowledge, save for the measure they have attained.’

With knowledge beyond the extent they attained.

وهو على التحقيق علم به

وهو على التحقيق علم به

لكنه عن علمه أنزل

لكنه عن علمه أنزل

And this, in truth, is knowledge of Him,

And that is truly knowledge of Him,

but it is lower than His own knowledge.

Though it falls short of His knowledge.

لذاك قلنا عند علمي به

لذاك قلنا عند علمي به

سبحان من يعلم إذ يجهل

سبحان من يعلم إذ يجهل

For this we said, upon my knowing Him:

Thus we said, with my knowledge of Him:

‘Glory to Him who is known when He is unknown!’

Glory to Him who knows when there is ignorance.

ما علم الخلق سوى ربهم

ما علم الخلق سوى ربهم

ومنهم المدبر والمقبل

ومنهم المدبر والمقبل

The creatures have known none but their Lord;

The creation have no knowledge but their Lord's,

among them are those who turn away and those who approach.

And among them the Director and Turner.

إنعامه عمَّ فلم يقتصر

إنعامه عمَّ فلم يقتصر

لأنه المنعم والمفضل

لأنه المنعم والمفضل

His bounty embraced all; it was not confined,

His blessings extended universally, not restricted,

for He is the Benefactor and Bestower of bounty.

For He is the Benefactor, the Preferrer.

ولا تقل كقولهم في الذي

ولا تقل كقولهم في الذي

يشقى فإنَّ القوم قد عجَّلوا

يشقى فإنَّ القوم قد عجَّلوا

And do not speak as they do about the one

Do not say as they say about Him who

who is wretched; for those people have been hasty.

Suffers, the people have rushed.

لو نظروا بربهم أنصفوا

لو نظروا بربهم أنصفوا

وتابعوا الحق فلم يعدلوا

وتابعوا الحق فلم يعدلوا

Had they looked through their Lord, they would have judged fairly,

If they considered their Lord fairly,

and followed the Truth, without turning aside.

And followed the truth, they would not deviate.