يا بَني النَقصِ وَالعِبَر

وَبَني الضَعفِ وَالخَوَر

O children of shortcoming and lessons

O sons of deficiency and transient lessons,

And children of weakness and humiliation

And sons of weakness and frailty,

وَبَني البُعدِ في الطِبا

عِ عَلى القُربِ في الصُوَر

And children of distance in vigor

And sons of divergent natures,

Yet proximity in forms

Despite the likeness of your forms,

وَالشُكولِ الَّتي تَبا

يَنُ في الطولِ وَالقِصَر

And complaints that reveal

And figures that stand in contrast,

Differences in height and stature

In their stature and their shortness,

أَحتِساءً مِنَ الحَرا

مِ وَخَتماً عَلى الصُرَر

Seeking refuge from heat

Sipping from that which is forbidden,

And a seal on letters

And sealing up your hoarded wealth?

أَينَ مَن كانَ قَبلَكُم

مِن ذَوي البَأسِ وَالخَطَر

Where are those who were before you

Where are those who came before you,

Of valor and danger

Possessors of might and high estate?

سائِلوا عَنهُمُ المَدا

إِنَ وَاِستَبحِثوا الخَبَر

Ask about them, search for news of them

Ask the ancient cities concerning them,

They preceded us to the grave

And diligently search out their news.

سَبَقونا إِلى الرَحي

لِ وَإِنّا عَلى الأَثَر

While we follow in their steps

They preceded us to the departure,

Those who passed are a lesson for us

And we are following in their tracks.

مَن مَضى عِبرَةٌ لَنا

وَغَداً نَحنُ مُعتَبَر

And tomorrow we will reflect

He who passed is a lesson for us,

Death's seizure comes

And tomorrow we shall be the lesson.

إِنَّ لِلمَوتِ أَخذَةٌ

تَسبِقُ اللَمحَ بِالبَصَر

Swifter than a glance of the eye

Indeed, death has a sudden grasp,

I see you tomorrow

That outstrips the blinking of the eye.

فَكَأَنّي بِكُم غَداً

في ثِيابٍ مِنَ المَدَر

In garments of soil

So it is as if I see you tomorrow,

Moved from palaces

Wrapped in garments made of clay,

قَد نُقِلتُم مِنَ القُصو

رِ إِلى ظُلمَةِ الحُفَر

To darkness of graves

You have been transported from palaces,

Where no tents shelter you

To the darkness of the dug-out pits,

هَيثُ لا تُضرَبُ القِبا

بُ عَلَيكُم وَلا الحَجَر

Nor stones

Where no domes are pitched above you,

Where you do not appear

Nor any chambers built of stone,

حَيثُ لا تَظهَرونَ في

ها لِلَهوٍ وَلا سَمَر

For vanity or conversation

Where you shall not appear therein,

May God have mercy on a Muslim

For amusement or for evening talk.

رَحِمَ اللَهُ مُسلِماً

ذَكَرَ اللَهَ فَاِزدَجَر

Who remembered God and hesitated

May Allah have mercy on a Muslim,

May God forgive the sins

Who remembered Allah and refrained from sin,

غَفَرَ اللَهُ ذَنبَ مَن

خافَ فَاِستَشعَرَ الحَذَر

Of one who feared and sensed danger

May Allah forgive the sin of one,

Who feared and took caution to heart.