هُوَ المَوتُ فَاصنَع كُلَّما أَنتَ صانِعُ
وَأَنتَ لِكَأسِ المَوتِ لا بُدَّ جارِعُ
It is death, so do all that you can do
For you must drink the cup of death, inevitably
أَلا أَيُّها المَرءُ المُخادِعُ نَفسَهُ
رُوَيداً أَتَدري مَن أَراكَ تُخادِعُ
O man who deceives himself, gently, gently
Do you know who it is you are deceiving?
وَياجامِعَ الدُنيا لِغَيرِ بَلاغِهِ
سَتَترُكُها فَانظُر لِمَن أَنتَ جامِعُ
O gatherer of the world for other than its purpose
You will leave it so see for whom you gather
فَكَم قَد رَأَينا الجامِعينَ قَدَ اِصبَحَت
لَهُم بَينَ أَطباقِ التُرابِ مَضاجِعُ
How many gatherers we have seen who have become
Lying between layers of dust upon their couches
لَوَ أَنَّ ذَوي الأَبصارِ يَرعونَ كُلَّ ما
يَرَونَ لَما جَفَّت لِعَينٍ مَدامِعُ
If those with vision watched all that
They see, no eye would remain dry of tears
طَغى الناسُ مِن بَعدِ النَبِيِّ مُحَمَّدٍ
فَقَد دَرَسَت بَعدَ النَبِيِّ الشَرائِعُ
After Prophet Muhammad, people have transgressed
So the laws have been erased after the Prophet
وَصارَت بُطونُ المُرمِلاتِ خَميصَةً
وَأَيتامُها مِنهُم طَريدٌ وَجائِعُ
The wombs of the abstainers have become empty
While their orphans are exiled and hungry
وَإِنَّ بُطونَ المُكثِراتِ كَأَنَّما
يُنَقنِقُ في أَجوافِهِنَّ الضَفادِعُ
As for the wombs of the over-indulgers, they are as if
Frogs are suffocating in their insides
فَما يَعرِفُ العَطشانُ مَن طالَ رِيُّهُ
وَما يَعرِفُ الشَبعانُ مَن هُوَ جائِعُ
The quenched one knows not the one whose thirst is prolonged
Nor does the sated one know the hungry one
وَتَصريفُ هَذا الخَلقِ لِلَّهِ وَحدَهُ
وَكُلٌّ إِلَيهِ لا مَحالَةَ راجِعُ
The affairs of these creatures belong to Allah alone
Each will inevitably return to Him
وَلِلَّهِ في الدُنيا أَعاجيبُ جَمَّةً
تَدُلُّ عَلى تَدبيرِهِ وَبَدائيعُ
For Allah there are in the world many wonders
That point to His wisdom and ingenuity
وَلِلَّهِ أَسرارُ الأُمورِ وَإِن جَرَت
بِها ظاهِراً بَينَ العِبادِ المَنافِعُ
To Allah belong the mysteries of all matters though
Outwardly the benefits may appear amidst people
وَلِلَّهِ أَحكامُ القَضاءِ بِعِلمِهِ
أَلا فَهوَ مُعطٍ مَن يَشاءُ وَمانِعُ
To Allah belong the rulings of destiny, by His knowledge
He gives whom He wills, and He withholds
إِذا ضَنَّ مَن تَرجو عَلَيكَ بِنَفعِهِ
فَدَعهُ فَإِنَّ الرِزقَ في الأَرضِ واسِعُ
If one you hope for is stingy with his bounty toward you
Then leave him, for sustenance in the earth is plentiful
وَمَن كانَتِ الدُنيا هَواهُ وَهَمَّهُ
سَبَتهُ المُنى وَاستَعبَدَتهُ المَطامِعُ
Whoever makes the world his passion and concern
Will be enslaved by death and greedy ambitions
وَمَن عَقَلَ اِستَحيا وَأَكرَمَ نَفسَهُ
وَمَن قَنِعَ استَغنى فَهَل أَنتَ قانِعُ
Whoever uses intellect becomes reverent and honors himself
Whoever is content becomes self-sufficient - are you content?
لِكُلِّ امرِئٍ رَأيانِ رَأيٌ يَكُفُّهُ
عَنِ الشَيءِ أَحياناً وَرَأيٌ يُنازِعُ
For every person there are two opinions: one that
Dissuades him from something, another that disputes
