سلِ الشَّرقَ: هل صبحُهُ أسفَرَا؟

سلِ الشَّرقَ: هل صبحُهُ أسفَرَا؟

وهل ذادَ عن مقلتيه الكَرَى؟

وهل ذادَ عن مقلتيه الكَرَى؟

Ask the East: has its dawn shone forth?

Ask the East, has its dawn become yellow?

And has it driven sleep from its eyes?

And has sorrow departed from its eyelids?

وهل صار للشرق أُذْنٌ تعي؟

وهل صار للشرق أُذْنٌ تعي؟

وهل صار للشرق عينٌ ترى؟

وهل صار للشرق عينٌ ترى؟

And has the East gained an ear that understands?

Has the East gained an ear that hears?

And has the East gained an eye that sees?

Has the East gained eyes that see?

أرى في سماءِ العُروبة برقًا

أرى في سماءِ العُروبة برقًا

إذا صحَّ ظنِّي به، أمطرَا

إذا صحَّ ظنِّي به، أمطرَا

I see lightning in the sky of the Arab world;

I see in the sky of Arabdom a lightning

If my surmise about it proves true, it will bring rain.

That if my assumption of it is true, it will rain

فعمّ الحواضرَ طوفانُهُ

فعمّ الحواضرَ طوفانُهُ

وفاضَتْ شآبيبُه بالقرى

وفاضَتْ شآبيبُه بالقرى

Then its deluge will engulf the cities,

So its downpour flooded the cities

And its downpours will flood the villages.

And its showers overflowed the villages

ويا رُبَّ غيثٍ يَبُلُّ الصدى

ويا رُبَّ غيثٍ يَبُلُّ الصدى

وغيثٍ، إذا ما هَمَى، دمَّرا

وغيثٍ، إذا ما هَمَى، دمَّرا

And oh, many a rain quenches thirst,

Oh Lord of a rain that makes the echoes talk

And many a rain, when it pours, destroys.

And a rain, if it intends, it destroys

وكم نقمةٍ أعقبَتْ نعمةً

وكم نقمةٍ أعقبَتْ نعمةً

وكم مِعْوَلٍ هادمٍ عَمَّرَا

وكم مِعْوَلٍ هادمٍ عَمَّرَا

And many a calamity has brought a blessing in its wake,

How many blessings were followed by wrath

And many a wrecking pickaxe has built anew.

And how many destroying hammers have built

تنبَّهَ بعد الرُّقَاد أُناسٌ

تنبَّهَ بعد الرُّقَاد أُناسٌ

تقلَّدَهم دهرُهم مدْبرَا

تقلَّدَهم دهرُهم مدْبرَا

Some people awoke after their slumber;

After long sleep, people have awakened

Their age bore them along as it retreated.

Whom their lifetime has turned backwards

تقدّمَ كلُّ بطيءِ الخُطَا

تقدّمَ كلُّ بطيءِ الخُطَا

وهُمْ وحدَهم رَجَعُوا القهقرى

وهُمْ وحدَهم رَجَعُوا القهقرى

All who were slow of step advanced,

Every slow walker went forward

While they alone went backward.

While they alone turned backwards

تعبَّدهُم كلُّ شعبٍ ذليلٍ

تعبَّدهُم كلُّ شعبٍ ذليلٍ

وكان لهم أمسِ مُلْكُ الثَّرى

وكان لهم أمسِ مُلْكُ الثَّرى

Every abject people enslaved them,

Every subdued nation worshipped them

Yet yesterday dominion over the earth was theirs.

And yesterday they owned the land’s kingdom

صحا الشرقُ بعد عميق السُّبَاتِ

صحا الشرقُ بعد عميق السُّبَاتِ

أهابَ الأذانُ به، فانبرى

أهابَ الأذانُ به، فانبرى

The East awoke after deep slumber;

The East woke up after deep sleep

The call to prayer summoned it, and it sprang forth.

Its ears were erect for it, so it stood up

وجرّدَ للنصر إيمانَهُ

وجرّدَ للنصر إيمانَهُ

وما خاب شعبٌ به استنصرا

وما خاب شعبٌ به استنصرا

And for victory it unsheathed its faith;

And for victory, it stripped its faith

No people seeking victory through it has failed.

No people failed when they sought its help

ولم أَرَ كالدِّين سيفًا لمنْ

ولم أَرَ كالدِّين سيفًا لمنْ

أراد النضالَ، ولا مِغْفَرا

أراد النضالَ، ولا مِغْفَرا

And I have seen no sword like religion for one

I have not seen anything like religion a sword

Who seeks to struggle, nor any helmet like it.

For whoever wants to struggle, nor forgiveness

إذا سادَ في الأرض، جَبَّ الفسادَ

إذا سادَ في الأرض، جَبَّ الفسادَ

من الأرض، واستأصَلَ المُنكَرا

من الأرض، واستأصَلَ المُنكَرا

When it prevails on earth, it cuts away corruption

When it prevails on earth, it eliminates corruption

From the earth, and uproots evil.

From the earth, and uproots evil

وما خاب شعبٌ بهَذِي السماءِ

وما خاب شعبٌ بهَذِي السماءِ

قويُّ الصِّلاتِ، وثيقُ العُرَا

قويُّ الصِّلاتِ، وثيقُ العُرَا

And no people has failed whose ties to this heaven

No people failed with this sky

Are strong, whose bonds are firm.

Strong prayer, and close ally

أوائلُكُم أيها المسلمون

أوائلُكُم أيها المسلمون

بشرعةِ أحمدَ ساسوا الورى

بشرعةِ أحمدَ ساسوا الورى

Your forebears, O Muslims,

O early Muslims, with

Governed humankind by Ahmad's law.

Ahmad's law you ruled the land

وباسم الحنيفةِ سادوا؛ فكانَ

وباسم الحنيفةِ سادوا؛ فكانَ

سواهم سُفوحًا، وكانوا الذُّرا

سواهم سُفوحًا، وكانوا الذُّرا

And in the name of the upright faith they prevailed; thus

And in the name of Hanifism you prevailed; thus

Others were mountain slopes, while they were the summits.

Beside you were hills, and you were the peaks

رأى منهم الناسُ ما لم يَرَوْ

رأى منهم الناسُ ما لم يَرَوْ

هُ من عدلِ كسرى، ولا قيصرا

هُ من عدلِ كسرى، ولا قيصرا

People saw from them what they had not seen

People saw from them what they have not seen

In the justice of Kisra or Caesar.

From Kisra's justice, nor Caesar's

كتابكُمو أيها المسلمونَ

كتابكُمو أيها المسلمونَ

بمشكاتِهِ يهتدي مَنْ سَرى

بمشكاتِهِ يهتدي مَنْ سَرى

Your Book, O Muslims—

Your book, O Muslims

By its lamp-niche, whoever travels by night finds guidance.

With its torches, the traveler is guided

به استمسك الأولون؛ فكانوا

به استمسك الأولون؛ فكانوا

أُسودًا، وكان حماهُمْ شَرى

أُسودًا، وكان حماهُمْ شَرى

The first generations held fast to it, and became

By it the early ones held fast; thus they were

Lions, and their domain was Shara.

Lions, and their protector was fierce

فسيروا على نهجه مؤمنينَ

فسيروا على نهجه مؤمنينَ

تَرُّوا من المجدِ ما أدبَرا

تَرُّوا من المجدِ ما أدبَرا

So walk along its path as believers;

So walk along its path as believers

You will see the glory that had departed.

See from glory what has passed

ومن تَمَّ بالله إيمانُهُ

ومن تَمَّ بالله إيمانُهُ

رأى الصخْرَ في يده عِثْيَرا

رأى الصخْرَ في يده عِثْيَرا

And whoever's faith in God is complete

Whoever's faith in God is complete

Sees rock in his hand as dust.

Sees rocks in his hand like powder

إذا ما مشى فوقَ الشوك القَتاد

إذا ما مشى فوقَ الشوك القَتاد

غدا تحته سندُسًا أخضرا

غدا تحته سندُسًا أخضرا

When he walks over the thorns of qatad,

When he walks on prickly pears

It becomes fine green silk beneath him.

They become green velvet beneath him

ولنْ ينفَعَ القومَ إِيمانُهُم

ولنْ ينفَعَ القومَ إِيمانُهُم

إذا كان إِيمانُهُم أبْتَرا

إذا كان إِيمانُهُم أبْتَرا

And their faith will never benefit the people

The people's faith will not benefit them

If their faith is incomplete.

If their faith is incomplete

ومن خطَبَ المجدَ، شدّ الرِّحال

ومن خطَبَ المجدَ، شدّ الرِّحال

إليه، وخاضَ الدّمَ الأحمرَا

إليه، وخاضَ الدّمَ الأحمرَا

And whoever woos glory saddles up

Whoever seeks glory, tightens his saddles

To reach it, and wades through crimson blood.

To it, and wades through the red blood