أرَى الدنيا وزخرفَها غروراً

أرَى الدنيا وزخرفَها غروراً

وكم أرَى للورى فيها سرورا

وكم أرَى للورى فيها سرورا

I see the world and its finery as a deception,

I see the world and its vanities as an illusion,

And how much joy I see in it for humankind!

How much illusion of joy I see in it.

وأيُّ فتىً يدومُ له سرورٌ

وأيُّ فتىً يدومُ له سرورٌ

إذا كان البقاءُ بها قصيرَا

إذا كان البقاءُ بها قصيرَا

And what young man has joy that endures,

Which youth's joy in it will last,

When his stay in it is brief?

When remaining in it is so short.

فأيْنَ الأولونَ مِن البرايَا

فأيْنَ الأولونَ مِن البرايَا

ومَنْ ملك الخَورْنَق والسديرَا

ومَنْ ملك الخَورْنَق والسديرَا

So where are the earliest generations of humankind,

Where are the ancients from the tombs,

And those who possessed al-Khawarnaq and al-Sadir,

And who ruled Khawarnaq and Sadira.

وشدَّادُ بن عادٍ والجلَنْدَى

وشدَّادُ بن عادٍ والجلَنْدَى

وفرعونُ الذى يدعُو ثُبورَا

وفرعونُ الذى يدعُو ثُبورَا

And Shaddad son of Ad, and al-Julanda,

And Shaddad son of Ad and Jalandi,

And Pharaoh, who cries out for destruction,

And Pharaoh who summoned Thabura.

وعمرٌو وامرؤ القيسِ بن حجرٍ

وعمرٌو وامرؤ القيسِ بن حجرٍ

وداودُ الذى حازَ الزَّبُورَا

وداودُ الذى حازَ الزَّبُورَا

And Amr, and Imru al-Qays son of Hujr,

And Amr and Imru’ al-Qais ibn Hujr,

And David, who possessed the Psalms,

And David who attained the Psalms.

ومَنْ أعلاهُمُ مجداً وعيصاً

ومَنْ أعلاهُمُ مجداً وعيصاً

وأفخرُهمْ وأكثرهم نفيرَا

وأفخرُهمْ وأكثرهم نفيرَا

And whoever was loftiest among them in glory and lineage,

And the one most glorious and defiant among them,

And the most illustrious of them, with the largest following,

The most prideful and most clamorous among them.

وأنداهُم يداً وأشدُّ بطشاً

وأنداهُم يداً وأشدُّ بطشاً

مَضَوا لم يلبثُوا إلا يسيرَا

مَضَوا لم يلبثُوا إلا يسيرَا

And the most openhanded of them, and the fiercest in might?

The most vociferous among them, and the fiercest in might,

They passed away; they had stayed only briefly.

They passed away, having only tarried briefly.

ولو ملك الفَتى مالا عظيما

ولو ملك الفَتى مالا عظيما

وشيَّدَ في ذُرى الدنيا قُصورَا

وشيَّدَ في ذُرى الدنيا قُصورَا

And even if a young man owned vast wealth

If a youth gained great wealth,

And built palaces on the world's heights,

And built lofty palaces in the abode of the world,

فما يغِنيه عن شيء عظيمٍ

فما يغِنيه عن شيء عظيمٍ

من الدنيا إذا سكَن القُبورَا

من الدنيا إذا سكَن القُبورَا

It would avail him nothing of consequence

It will not avail him anything tremendous,

From this world, once he dwelt in the graves.

When he inhabits the graves, from the life of the world.

فيما وَيلَ العصاةِ مِن المعاصي

فيما وَيلَ العصاةِ مِن المعاصي

غدا يصْليهمُ ربِّي سعيرَا

غدا يصْليهمُ ربِّي سعيرَا

In this lies woe for the disobedient because of their sins:

Woe to the disobedient from the disobediences,

Tomorrow my Lord will make them burn in a blazing fire.

Tomorrow my Lord will roast them in Hellfire.

لهم فيها شرابٌ من حَميمٍ

لهم فيها شرابٌ من حَميمٍ

وصيَّر يومهم يوماً عسيرَا

وصيَّر يومهم يوماً عسيرَا

There their drink will be scalding water,

For them therein is a drink of boiling water,

And He has made their day a day of hardship.

And their day has been made a difficult day.

لهم فيها شهيقٌ واضطرابٌ

لهم فيها شهيقٌ واضطرابٌ

وتسمعُ في البُكا لهمُ زفيرَا

وتسمعُ في البُكا لهمُ زفيرَا

There they will gasp and writhe,

For them therein is shrieking and tumult,

And amid their weeping you will hear their groans.

And you hear in their weeping loud wailing.

أينفعُهم خليلٌ ذاتَ يوم

أينفعُهم خليلٌ ذاتَ يوم

يكون الشرُّ فيه مستطيرَا

يكون الشرُّ فيه مستطيرَا

Will an intimate friend help them on a day

Will a close friend avail them on a day,

When evil spreads far and wide?

When evil therein is raging?

ويغشَاهم عذابٌ من حميم

ويغشَاهم عذابٌ من حميم

يُصَبُّ عليهمُ صبّاً كبيرَا

يُصَبُّ عليهمُ صبّاً كبيرَا

And torment of scalding water engulfs them,

An intense punishment will envelop them,

Poured over them in great torrents.

Poured upon them extensively.

إذا فيها استغاثُوا لم يغاثوا

إذا فيها استغاثُوا لم يغاثوا

ولم يجدُوا هناكَ لهم مجيرَا

ولم يجدُوا هناكَ لهم مجيرَا

When they cry for help there, they receive no help,

When they cry out for help therein, they are not helped,

And they find no protector for themselves there.

And they do not find therein for them any protector.

لهم فيها صريخٌ لم يغاثُوا

لهم فيها صريخٌ لم يغاثُوا

وهم قد خلِّدوا فيها دُهُورَا

وهم قد خلِّدوا فيها دُهُورَا

There they cry out for help, but are not helped,

For them therein is a scream but they are not saved,

And they have been made to dwell there for endless ages.

And they are made to abide therein eternally.

أعدَّ اللهُ للعاصى جَحيما

أعدَّ اللهُ للعاصى جَحيما

له صارتْ أماكنُها مصيرَا

له صارتْ أماكنُها مصيرَا

God has prepared a blazing Hell for the disobedient,

God has prepared Hell for the disobedient,

Its abodes have become his destination.

To it, its places have been made their destiny.

فحيث أتَى بقول غير صدقٍ

فحيث أتَى بقول غير صدقٍ

وجاءَ يقوله ظلماً وزورَا

وجاءَ يقوله ظلماً وزورَا

For he has uttered words devoid of truth,

So when he came with words other than truth,

And come saying them in wrongdoing and falsehood.

And uttered them unjustly and falsely.

ألم يتلُ النبيُّ عليك قولا

ألم يتلُ النبيُّ عليك قولا

من القرآن ذكراً يا كَفُورَا

من القرآن ذكراً يا كَفُورَا

Did the Prophet not recite words to you

Did not the Prophet recite to you words,

From the Quran as a reminder, O ungrateful one?

From the Quran, O ungrateful one.

غفلتَ وما غفلتَ عن المعاصى

غفلتَ وما غفلتَ عن المعاصى

لك النيران قد جُعلتْ حصيرَا

لك النيران قد جُعلتْ حصيرَا

You were heedless, yet not heedless of sins;

You were heedless but not heedless of disobediences,

The fires have been made a prison for you.

For you, Hellfire has been made a bed.

وما مِن غافلٍ في الأرض إلا

وما مِن غافلٍ في الأرض إلا

وربُّ العرش كان به بصيرَا

وربُّ العرش كان به بصيرَا

There is no heedless person on earth

There is none heedless on earth but

But the Lord of the Throne has always seen him.

The Lord of the Throne has been of him All-Seeing.

ألا لا تَغْفَلَنَّ عن المنايَا

ألا لا تَغْفَلَنَّ عن المنايَا

وأَحْسِن واعبدِ الربَّ القديرَا

وأَحْسِن واعبدِ الربَّ القديرَا

Take heed: never be heedless of death,

Beware, be not heedless of death,

And do good, and worship the Almighty Lord.

And do good and worship the Almighty Lord.

وكنْ في اللهِ مجتهداً مطيعَا

وكنْ في اللهِ مجتهداً مطيعَا

له فيما يشاءُ ومُستجيرَا

له فيما يشاءُ ومُستجيرَا

And be diligent for God's sake, obedient

And be earnest and obedient to God in what He wills,

To Him in what He wills, and seeking His refuge.

And take refuge in Him and make Him your protector.

فمن يطع الإله تقىً وعلماً

فمن يطع الإله تقىً وعلماً

يُجرْهُ وليس يحشرُه حقيرَا

يُجرْهُ وليس يحشرُه حقيرَا

Whoever obeys God with piety and knowledge,

Whoever obeys God in piety and knowledge,

He will shelter him, and not gather him in disgrace.

He will save him and not gather him contemptibly,

ويدخْله الجنان بلا ارتدادٍ

ويدخْله الجنان بلا ارتدادٍ

ويلبسُ وجهه ضوءاً ونورَا

ويلبسُ وجهه ضوءاً ونورَا

And admit him to the gardens, with no turning back,

And admit him to the Gardens without turning back,

And clothe his face in radiance and light.

And dress his face in light and brilliance.

فإنّ المؤمنينَ لهم نعيمٌ

فإنّ المؤمنينَ لهم نعيمٌ

سقاهُمْ ربهم ماءً طَهورَا

سقاهُمْ ربهم ماءً طَهورَا

For the believers shall have bliss;

The believers will have therein delights,

Their Lord has given them purifying water to drink.

Their Lord will give them to drink pure sealed wine.

أعدّ اللهُ للرهبانِ خيراً

أعدّ اللهُ للرهبانِ خيراً

وولداناً وجناتٍ وحُورَا

وولداناً وجناتٍ وحُورَا

God has prepared good things for the monks,

God has prepared for the devout monks good things,

And young boys, gardens, and houris.

Youths, gardens, and fair maidens.

وربّ عَقيلة فيهنَّ بكرٌ

وربّ عَقيلة فيهنَّ بكرٌ

فَمَا تْلقَى لها أبداً نظيرَا

فَمَا تْلقَى لها أبداً نظيرَا

And many a noble maiden among them is a virgin,

And the Lord of unwedded maidens among them,

So you will never find her equal.

She will never find for herself a peer.

إذا سفَرْتَ وبدرُ الليل سارِ

إذا سفَرْتَ وبدرُ الليل سارِ

لأَطْفأَ ضوؤها القمرَ المنيرَا

لأَطْفأَ ضوؤها القمرَ المنيرَا

If you unveil her as the full moon travels through the night,

If you travel and the night’s full moon departs,

Her radiance would extinguish the shining moon.

To eclipse its illumination the bright moon.

وإنْ سَدَلتْ ذَوائبَها نهارَا

وإنْ سَدَلتْ ذَوائبَها نهارَا

لخِلناه ظلاماً لنْ يُنيرَا

لخِلناه ظلاماً لنْ يُنيرَا

And if she let down her tresses by day,

And if it lets fall its tresses by day,

We would deem it darkness that would never brighten.

We will make it darkness, it will not illuminate.

وَيُزْرِى بالشمُوسٍ إذا تبدَّتْ

وَيُزْرِى بالشمُوسٍ إذا تبدَّتْ

وبالأقمارِ إن كَشفتْ سُتورَا

وبالأقمارِ إن كَشفتْ سُتورَا

And it puts the suns to shame when she appears,

And He displaces the suns when they appear,

And the moons, if she lifts her veils.

And the moons when they unveil their coverings.

فيَا طُوبى لهم فازُوا بخيرٍ

فيَا طُوبى لهم فازُوا بخيرٍ

وقد صارَ الرحيق لهم نميرَا

وقد صارَ الرحيق لهم نميرَا

How blessed they are! They have won good things,

Good tidings to them who won goodness,

And pure wine has become their refreshing draught.

And the wine made pure became for them a delight.

وهُم يتلذّذون بكلّ طيبٍ

وهُم يتلذّذون بكلّ طيبٍ

وأبدانٍ لهم كُسيَتْ حَريرَا

وأبدانٍ لهم كُسيَتْ حَريرَا

And they delight in every pleasant thing,

They delight in all manner of wholesome things,

And their bodies have been clothed in silk.

And their bodies are clothed in silk.

فلا يلقَوْنَ في الجنّاتِ شمساً

فلا يلقَوْنَ في الجنّاتِ شمساً

ولا يَلْقَوْنَ فيها زَمْهريرَا

ولا يَلْقَوْنَ فيها زَمْهريرَا

They encounter no sun in the gardens,

They experience neither sun nor piercing cold in the Gardens,

Nor do they encounter bitter cold there.

For the Omnipotent has said this,

لقدْ قالَ المهيمنُ إنّ هذا

لقدْ قالَ المهيمنُ إنّ هذا

لمن قد كان في الدنيا شَكُورَا

لمن قد كان في الدنيا شَكُورَا

Indeed, the Guardian has said that this

Is for one who was grateful in the life of the world,

Is for whoever was deeply grateful in this world,

Godfearing, trusting, generous,

طَهوراً عابداً ثقةً كريمَا

طَهوراً عابداً ثقةً كريمَا

سليمَ القلب مُتَّقِياً صَبُورَا

سليمَ القلب مُتَّقِياً صَبُورَا

Pure, worshipful, trustworthy, and noble,

Pure of heart, reverent, patient,

Sound of heart, God-fearing, and patient,

Godfearing, Muslim, peaceable, secure,

تقيّاً مُسلماً سَلْماً سَليما

تقيّاً مُسلماً سَلْماً سَليما

رضيّاً عالماً عَلمَا خَبيرَا

رضيّاً عالماً عَلمَا خَبيرَا

Pious, Muslim, peaceable, and unblemished,

Pleased, knowledgeable, learned, well-informed.

Well-pleasing, learned, a beacon, and discerning.