أَيا نَجلَ الأَماثِلِ آلِ بَكرٍ

وَمَن نالَ الفَخارَ بِغَيرِ نُكرِ

O descendant of the exemplary clan of Bakr

Who attained glory without any disgrace

تَفَنَّنَ في العُلُومِ فكلُّ فَضلٍ

حَواهُ العلمُ في بَرٍّ وَبحرِ

Master diverse sciences, for every merit

Has been gathered in both land and sea by knowledge

ولا تَسأم وَلا تطلُب سِواهُ

وقابِلهُ بِتَقريرٍ وفِكرِ

Do not ever tire or seek a substitute

And meet it with affirmation and contemplation

وجانِب جاهِلاً عنهُ تَلاهى

بِأَنواعِ المَكاسِبِ خَوفَ فَقرِ

And avoid an ignorant one who evades it

Out of fear of poverty through various means

فَإِنَّ الرِّزقَ قَدَّرَهُ إِلَهي

فَللأسبابُ تَغطِيةٌ لِسِرِّ

Indeed, my God has preordained rizq (sustenance)

Thus, causes are but covers for the secret

فإِن نَنظُر لأسبابِ البَرايا

لِجَلبِ مَعيشَةٍ أَو دَفعِ ضُرِّ

If we look at the means for righteousness

To attain livelihood or avert harm

وَجَدنا العلمَ أَقواها لِدَفع

وَأَحظاها بِمَكرُمَةٍ وَيُسرِ

We find that knowledge is the strongest to avert

And the most endowed with ease and honor

فَقَد سَجَدَ المَلائِكُ حينَ أَربَى

عَليهِم آدمٌ بالعِلمِ فادرِ

For the angels had prostrated when Adam excelled

Over them through knowledge, so remember

وَكَم بالعلمِ نالَ العِزَّ قَومٌ

وَكَم بِالعِلمِ أَثرَى بَعدَ عُسرِ

And how many people attained honor through knowledge

And how many became wealthy after hardship through it

وَأَعنِي عِلمَ شَرعِ اللَّهِ فينا

وَلا أَعنِي بهِ عِلماً لِعَصرِ

I mean the knowledge of Allah's Law for us

And not the temporal knowledge of an era

فإِنَّ تَعَلُّمَ العَصرِيِّ جَهلٌ

يُوافِقُ كُلَّ مَفتُونٍ وَدَهرِي

For learning the knowledge of the times is ignorance

Suiting every misguided and atheistic person

فَلا تَطلُب بِعِلمِ اللَّهِ دُنيا

فَفِي هَذا الهَوانُ وكلُّ خُسرِ

So do not seek the life of this world through Allah's knowledge

For in this is disgrace and all loss

وَدُنياكَ الَّتِي لا بُدَّ نُطها

بِأمثَل مَن تَرى يَسعَى بأَجرِ

As for your worldly life, which you inevitably need

Seek it through the best that you see striving for a wage

ولا تَحزَن عَلى ما فاتَ مِنها

وَقَد عُوِّضتَ عَنها بِالأَبَرِّ

And do not grieve over what has passed from it

For you have been compensated with the finest

وَما قَد فاتَ لَم يَذهَب وَلَكن

تَراهُ في الصَّحيفَةِ يَومَ نَشرِ

What has passed did not vanish, but

You will see it on the Day of Spreading

وَإِن تَعفُ فَإِنَّ العَفوَ خَيرٌ

وَخَيرُ الناسِ ذُو عَفوٍ وَصَبرِ

And if you pardon, pardoning is better

And the best of people is one of pardon and patience

وَإِن تُضطَرَّ في حالٍ لِشَيء

فَسَل أَقوَى وَأَرحَمَ كُلِّ بَرِّ

And if you are forced into a situation for something

Then ask the Most Powerful and Most Merciful of the righteous

قَريبٌ مِنكَ إِن تَدعُوهُ يَسرِي

لَهُ التَّصريفُ في خَلقٍ وَأَمرِ

One near to you, if you call upon Him, He will hasten

To Him belongs the design in creation and command

وَحَسِّن بِالإِلَهِ البَرِّ ظَنّاً

تَجِدهُ عِندَ ذاكَ لِكُلِّ برِّ

And think good of Allah, the Most Kind

You will find Him as such for every kindness

وَعظِّم أَمرَهُ في كُلِّ حالٍ

تُعَظَّم في الأَنامِ بِكلِّ قَدرِ

And revere His command in every situation

You will be revered among people with all might

وَقَرِّب نَفسَكَ الدُّنيا إِلَيهِ

بأَخلاقٍ يَراها كُلُّ حَبرِ

And bring yourself close to Him in this world

With character that every devout scholar sees

تَراها في الكِتابِ عَلَيكَ تُتلَى

فَحَقِّقهَا وَراقِبها بِحَصرِ

You see it in the Book being recited to you

So realize it and observe it closely

وجاهِد نَفسَكَ الدُّنيا عَلَيها

لِتَحظَى بِالكَمالِ وَطِيبِ ذِكرِ

And struggle against your self regarding it

To be endowed with perfection and good reputation

وَجانِب لِلفُضُولِ وَكُلِّ لَغوٍ

فَفِي هَذا إِضاعَةُ كُلِّ حُرِّ

And avoid superfluities and all nonsense

For in this is the waste of every freeman

وَأَعطِ الجارَ وَالقُربَى حُقوقاً

قَضاها اللَّه في آياتِ ذِكرِ

And give the neighbor and relatives their rights

Which Allah has decreed in the verses of the Reminder

وَصَفِّ النَّفسَ مِن حَسَدٍ وَبَغيٍ

ولاقِ الناسَ في لُطف وَبِشرِ

And purify the self from envy and transgression

And meet people with kindness and glad tidings

وبِالمَعرُوفِ فأمُر لا تُبالِ

وَقُم بِالنَّهيِ عَن فُحشٍ وَنُكرِ

And enjoin good and do not care

And forbid evil and disrepute

وَتِلكَ نَصِيحَةٌ جاءَت إِلَيكُم

دَعاها حُبُّكُم يا آلَ بَكرِ

That is an advice which has come to you

Called for by my love for you, O clan of Bakr

فأنتُم قُرَّةٌ لِلعَينِ دُمتُم

عَلى نَهجِ الرَّشادِ بِكُلِّ عَصرِ

For you are comfort to the eye as long as you remain

On the path of righteousness, in every era