أخا الفقه هل تَهْدِي إلى الرّشد سائلاً

أخا الفقه هل تَهْدِي إلى الرّشد سائلاً

تَحَيَّرَ في أمرٍ عويصِ المسالك

تَحَيَّرَ في أمرٍ عويصِ المسالك

O brother in jurisprudence, will you guide a questioner to sound judgment,

O brother jurist, do you guide to righteousness a questioner

bewildered by a matter whose paths are difficult?

Who is perplexed in a difficult matter?

أَمَا قرّروا أنّ الجريمةَ مثلها

أَمَا قرّروا أنّ الجريمةَ مثلها

يكون الجزا عدلاً لدى كلّ ناسك

يكون الجزا عدلاً لدى كلّ ناسك

Have they not established that a crime’s equivalent

Have they not decided that the punishment for a crime

is its just punishment, in every devout worshipper’s view,

Should be just with every ascetic?

ويزدادُ إنْ زادت ولكنْ قد أتى

ويزدادُ إنْ زادت ولكنْ قد أتى

بنقصانه في الزَّيْدِ مذهبُ مالِكِ

بنقصانه في الزَّيْدِ مذهبُ مالِكِ

and that it increases if the crime increases? Yet it is held

And it increases if it increases, but Malik

in Malik’s school that it decreases with the increase.

Held the view of decreasing it for Zayd.