إنما الدين كله تقليدُ

وهو أمر تقلدته العبيدُ

Religion is all tradition

It's something the slaves have imitated

وهو معنى التكليف محض اعتقاد

حاد عنه الشقي وفاز السعيد

It's purely a meaning of obligation

The wretched have strayed from it and the fortunate succeeded

ثم إيمان من يقلد حقٌّ

منه تبدو الأعمال والتوحيد

Then the faith of one who imitates is true

Through it deeds and monotheism become apparent

قاده الشرع كالبهيمة ينقا

د بإيمانه فيدنو البعيد

It leads him like an animal being led

With his faith he comes closer though once distant

واتباعٌ دين الهدى لا ابتداعٌ

بعقول أفكارهنَّ صديد

And following the religion of guidance is not innovation

With minds whose thoughts are piercing

طاعة الله والرسول وأهل ال

أمر منكم إشارة لا تبيد

Obeying Allah, the Messenger and the people of authority

A sign from you that does not fade

هكذا قال ربنا فاستقموا

يا أولي العلم ما هنا ترديد

Thus our Lord said "So stand steadfast"

O people of knowledge, there is no hesitation here

ديننا اليسر كله وهو سهل

ليس فيه التحريج والتشديد

Our religion is all ease, it is simple

There is no hardship or severity in it

فاتقوا الله مخلصين له الدي

ن يعلمكم الهدى ويفيد

So fear Allah, being sincere to Him in religion

He will guide you to guidance and benefit you

وتصيرون عارفين به لا

بعقول جميعها تنكيد

And you will become knowers through Him, not

Through minds all together contradicting

واتركوا العقل للذين به ضل

لوا وعما قد حاولوه يحيد

And leave the mind to those who were misguided by it

And from what they attempted, deviated

وخذوا الفتح إنما هو بالنو

ر من الله يقتفيه المريد

And take the opening, it is only through the light from Allah

That the follower reaches

كلما آمن المكلف بالغي

ب ترقى وجاءه الإقليد

Whenever the obligated believes in the unseen

He progresses and gains following

ثم علم الكلام ردَّ على من

حاولوا أن يكون دين جديد

Then the knowledge of speech refutes those

Who attempted to make a new religion

فاستفزت أئمة الحق للحق

ق وقاموا مرادهم تأييد

So the imams of truth were provoked for the truth

And stood, their purpose being support

وأبانوا دلائلاً بعقول

قصدهم رد ما يقول العنيد

And they clarified proofs through intellects

Their aim being to refute what the obstinate say

لا اعتقاد له ولكن كلام

كسلاح يسطو به الصنديد

Not believing it but words like a weapon

The brave unsheathes against his enemy

دونوه لما رأوا الدين شتى

كل حزب للإفتراق يريد

They authored it when they saw religion scattered

Each party intending separation

وذووا الإعتزال قاموا جهاراً

فيهم الخلف مبدئٌ ومعيد

And the Mu'tazilites stood openly

Among them the successor and reviver

وهدى الله ظاهرٌ ليس يخفى

عند من آمنوا به يا رشيد

And God's guidance is apparent, it does not hide

From those who believed in Him, O rightly guided one

آمنوا تأمنوا وللغيب عنكم

أسلموا تسلموا يكون المزيد

Believe and you will be safe and leave the unseen to you

Submit and you will be spared, the increase being

إنما الدين سنة تبعتها

عصبة التابعين قول سديد

Religion is only a way followed

By the group of followers, a true saying

نقلوها عمن مضى من صحاب

تبعوا المصطفى أب ووليد

They transmitted it from those who passed

Who followed the Chosen One, father and beloved

سلف صالحون صلوا وصاموا

باتباع جميعه تقليد

Righteous predecessors who prayed and fasted

Following all of him in imitation

وعلى ملة المفضل طه

عيشهم كان ههنا وأبيدوا

And on the doctrine of the Preferable Taha

Their life was here and they passed away

قط ما استشكلوا ولا سألوا عن

معضل فيه للهدى تعقيد

Never did they find ambiguity or ask about

An obstacle to guidance or complexity

لا يميلون للعقول ولا ما

أنتجته العقول فيما تجيد

They do not incline to minds or what

Minds have produced in their mastery

ولهم قال ربنا الحق فاعلم

أنه لا إله إلا الفريد

And for them our Lord said the truth so know

That there is no god but the Unique

لم يقل فاستدل أو فتعلق

بدليل لأنه تحديد

He did not say "so deduce" or "so cling

To proof" as that would be restriction

إن علم الكلام يزجر عنه

كل من رامه به يستفيد

Indeed the knowledge of speech deters

All who desired benefit through it

هو للرد لا لأجل اعتقاد

وعلى من يرد إذ لا رديد

It is for refutation, not for belief

And against whom it refutes, for there is no response

إن هذا لهو الصواب وأما

غير هذا فإنه تبديد

This indeed is the right, and as for

Other than this, it is only dispersal

صدق الله من له الله يهدي

فهو المهتدي وجل المجيد

Allah spoke the truth - whom Allah guides

Is guided and He is the Exalted, the Glorious