سَيُفْتَحُ بَابٌ إِذَا سُدَّ بَابُ

نَعَمْ، وَتهُونُ الأُمُورُ الصِّعَابُ

A door will open when a door is closed

Yes, and difficulties will become easy

وَيتَّسِعُ الحَالُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا

تَضِيقُ المَذَاهِبُ فِيهَا الرِّحَابُ

And the situation will widen after

The paths have narrowed in it

مَعَ الهَمِّ يُسْرَانِ هَوِّنْ عَلَيْكَ

فَلاَ الْهَمُّ يُجْدِي، وَلاَ الاكْتِئَابُ

With worries there are two reliefs, make it easy on yourself

Neither will worrying avail, nor despair

فَكَمْ ضِقْتَ ذَرْعاً بِمَا هِبْتَهُ

فَلَمْ يُرَ مِنْ ذَاكَ قَدْرٌ يُهَابُ

How often you were distressed by what befell you

Yet none of that was considered dreadful

وَكَمْ بَرَدٍ خِفْتَهُ مِنْ سَحَابٍ

فَعُوفِيت، وَانْجَابَ عَنْكَ السَّحَابُ

And how much cold you feared from a cloud

But you were kept safe, and the clouds shielded you

وَرِزْقٍ أَتَاكَ وَلَمْ تَأْتِهِ

وَلاَ أَرَّقَ العَيْنَ مِنْهُ الطِّلابُ

And sustenance that came to you though you did not seek it

Nor did seeking it keep the eye awake

وَنَاءٍ عَنٍ الأَهْلِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا

عَلاهُ مِنَ المَوْجِ طَامٍ عُبَابُ

And attaining the family's closeness after

The billowing, high waves had come between you

إِذَا احْتَجَبَ النَّاسُ عَنْ سَائِلٍ

فَمَا دُونَ سَائِلِ رَبِّي حِجَابُ

When people withhold from a questioner

There is no veil between me and my Lord's questioner

يَعُودُ بِفَضْلٍ عَلَى مَنْ رَجَاهُ

وَرَاجِيهِ فِي كُلِّ حِينٍ يُجَابُ

He returns with grace to the one who hoped in Him

And His hopers are answered at all times

فَلاَ تَأْسَ يَوْماً عَلَى فَائِتٍ

وَعِنْدَكَ مِنْهُ رِضَىّ وَاحْتِسَابُ

So do not despair over something missed

While being content with it and resigned is with you

فَلاَ بُدَّ مِنْ كَوْنِ مَا خُطَّ فِي

كِتَابِكَ، تُحْبَى بِهِ أَوْ تُصَابُ

What is decreed in your book must come to pass

Whether you are rewarded or stricken by it

فَمَنْ حَائِلٌ دُونَ مَا فِي الكِتَابِ

وَمَنْ مُرْسِلٌ مَا أَبَاهُ الكِتَابُ؟

Who can prevent what is in the Book?

And who can send what the Book has refused?

إِذَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَارِكَاً زِينَةٌ

إِذَا الْمَرْءُ جَاءَ بِهَا يُسْتَرابُ

If you do not leave off an adornment

When a man comes with it, he is suspected

تَقَعْ فِي مَوَاقِع تردى بِهَا

وَتَهْوَى إِلَيْكَ السِّهَامُ الصّيَابُ

You will fall into positions that degrade you

And arrows of blame will descend upon you

تَبَيَّنْ زَمَانَكَ ذَا واقْتَصِدْ

فَإِنَّ زَمَانَكَ هَذَا عَذَابُ

Discern your time, which is suffering, and be moderate

For your time now is torment

وَأَقْلِلْ عِتَابَاً فَمَا فِيهِ مَنْ

يُعَاتِبُ حِينَ يَحِقُّ العِتَابُ

And minimize reproaching, for there is no one

To reproach when reproach is deserved

مَضَى النَّاسُ طُرّاً وَبَادُوا سِوَى

أَرَاذِل عَنْهُمْ تُجَلُّ الكِلاَبُ

The people passed frivolously and perished but for

The riffraff, from whom dogs recoil

يُلاَقِيكَ بِالبِشْرِ دَهْمَاؤُهُمْ

وَتَسْلِيمُ مَنْ رَقَّ مِنْهُمْ سِبَابُ

They will meet you with their ignorance

And the surrender of those made docile by beating

فَأَحْسِنْ، وَمَا الحُرُّ مُسْتَحْسِنٌ

صِيَانٌ لَهُمْ عَنْهُمُ وَاجْتِنَابُ

So do good, and the noble one is doing good

Shielding himself from them and avoiding

فَإِنْ يُغْنِهِ اللّه عَنْهُمْ يَفرْ

وَإِلاَّ فَذَاكَ فِيْمَا الخَطَا وَالصَّوابُ

If God enriches him beyond need of them, he will rejoice

Otherwise, that is among the rights and wrongs

فَدَعْ مَا هَوَيتَ، فَإِنَّ الهَوَى

يَقُودُ النُّفَوسَ إِلَى مَا يُعَابُ

Leave what your passion desires, for desire

Leads souls to what would be blamed

وَمَيِّزْ كَلاَمَكَ قَبْلَ الكَلاَمِ

فَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ كَلاَمٍ جَوَابُ

And distinguish your words before speaking

For every word has an answer

فَرُبَّ كَلامٍ يَمُضُّ الحَشَا

وَفِيهِ مِنَ المَزْحِ مَا يُسُتَطَابُ

For there is much speech that is entertaining

And yet contains what would be found distasteful