إنَّ الليالِيَ والأيّامَ يُدْرِكُها

إنَّ الليالِيَ والأيّامَ يُدْرِكُها

شَيبٌ وَيعقبها مِن بَعْدِهِ هُلُكُ

شَيبٌ وَيعقبها مِن بَعْدِهِ هُلُكُ

Indeed, the nights and days are overtaken

The nights and days, old age will overtake them

by gray hair, and after it, destruction follows them.

And after it perdition will ensue

فَشَيبُ لَيلِكَ مِن إِصباحِهِ يَقَقٌ

فَشَيبُ لَيلِكَ مِن إِصباحِهِ يَقَقٌ

وَشَيبُ يَومِكَ مِن إِمسائِهِ حلَكُ

وَشَيبُ يَومِكَ مِن إِمسائِهِ حلَكُ

So your night's gray hair is the pure whiteness of its dawn,

So the graying of your night is from its dawn

and your day's gray hair is the deep blackness of its dusk.

And the graying of your day is from its dusk

وَالعَيشُ وَالمَوتُ بَينَ الخلقِ في شُغُلٍ

وَالعَيشُ وَالمَوتُ بَينَ الخلقِ في شُغُلٍ

حَتّى يُسكَّنَ مِن تَحريكِهِ الفلكُ

حَتّى يُسكَّنَ مِن تَحريكِهِ الفلكُ

And life and death are at work among creatures,

Between people, life and death are busily engaged

until the celestial sphere is stilled in its motion,

Until the revolving of the cosmos is stilled

ويَبعثَ اللَّه مِن جَوْفِ الثَّرى أُممَاً

ويَبعثَ اللَّه مِن جَوْفِ الثَّرى أُممَاً

كانتْ عظامُهُمُ تبلى وتَنتَهكُ

كانتْ عظامُهُمُ تبلى وتَنتَهكُ

and God raises peoples from the depths of the earth,

And God resurrects from the belly of the dust, nations

whose bones had been decaying and wearing away,

Whose bones had wasted away and been battered

في موقِفٍ ما لِخَلقٍ عنه من حِوَلٍ

في موقِفٍ ما لِخَلقٍ عنه من حِوَلٍ

ولا يُحَقِّرُ فيهِ سَوقَةً ملكُ

ولا يُحَقِّرُ فيهِ سَوقَةً ملكُ

at a gathering place from which no creature can escape,

In a stand where no creature has any power

and no king there belittles the common folk.

And no angel will show contempt in it