زَعَمَتْ نَفْسكَ أنِّي جاهِلٌ

وحَريصٌ مالَ قَلْباً للعَرَضْ

You claimed I was ignorant,

Greedy, with no heart for dignity,

أو كأقْوامٍ غُروراً جَهِلوا السِّ

رَّ حتَّى جَعَلوا النَّفْسَ عَرَضْ

Or like people led astray by pride,

Who made the self their dignity.

أو كَمَنْ طاشَ لِشأنٍ عارِضٍ

ورَمى الصِّدْقَ وأغْواهُ الغَرَضْ

Or like one who was distraught over a passing matter,

Who forsook sincerity and was misled by whims,

أو كَمَنْ عَقَّدَ حَبْلَ القَلْبِ بال

قومِ حتَّى قامَ جافا وقَرَضْ

Or like one whose heart's rope was tied to people,

Until he became distant and tore it apart.

أو كَمَنْ سِرٌّ لهُ رِقُّ الخَفا

فَلِوَهمٍ مَزَّقَ الخَتْمَ وَفَضْ

Or like one who had a secret desire for concealment,

So he tore open the seal in confusion,

أو كَمَن قامَ بِعَزمٍ من يَدٍ

فَبِسُكْرِ النَّفْسِ عالاها وَرَضّ

Or like one who made a resolve with his own hand,

Then in the intoxication of the self became conceited and satisfied.

أو كَمَنْ عاهَدَ مَولاهُ على

حالَةِ النَّاسِ وخَلَّى وَنَقَضْ

Or like one who made a covenant with his Master

About people's states, then neglected it and voided it.

أو كَمَنْ شُدَّتْ له حُزْمُ الرِّضا

فَرآها حَزْمُهُ حتَّى انْبَهَضْ

Or like one for whom the firmness of contentment was tied,

Yet he saw his own firmness until it burst open.

أو كَمَنْ مُدَّتْ له مائِدَةُ ال

غَيبِ من كفٍّ وبالغَيِّ رَفَضْ

Or like one for whom the table of the unseen was set out

From a palm and through the unseen then he rejected it.

أو كَمَنْ مَسَّ على جَبْهَتِهِ

عارِفٌ رَدَّ لِكَفَّيْهِ وَعَضّ

Or like one whom a knower touched on the forehead,

So he returned his palms and bit them.

أو كَمَنْ نودِيَ أقْبِلْ وانْظُرَنْ

نورَنا أغْمَضَ عَيْنَيْهِ وغَضّ

Or like one called "Come and look at our light!"

But he closed his eyes and frowned.

أو كَمَنْ قيلَ له اقْعُدْ مَعَنا

نحنُ في الأمنِ وعن عُجْبٍ نَهَضْ

Or like one told "Sit with us,

We are safe," but he arrogantly stood up.

أو كَمَنْ شَمَّرَ للسُّنَّةِ عن

ساعِدِ الجَدِّ وخَلَّى المُفْتَرَضْ

Or like one who rolled up his sleeves for the Sunnah

And earnest work, but neglected the obligatory.

أو كَمَنْ صيحَ له قِفْ بالهَنا

فَعَصَى الآمرَ واخْتارَ المَضَضْ

Or like one called to stop in our oasis,

But he disobeyed the command and chose suffering.

أو كَمَنْ حُطَّ على مِئْزَرِهِ

جَوْهَرٌ ألْقاهُ عنهُ ونَفَضْ

Or like one who had a jewel placed on his apron

But he threw it off of himself and shook it away.

أو كَمَنْ مَدَّ إلى الأُخرى يَداً

وبهِ من ألَمِ الدُّنيا مَرَضْ

Or like one who extended a hand to others,

And through it felt the pain of the world.

أو كَمَنْ بالبَسْطِ جَرُّوهُ لهمْ

فَمِنَ البَسْطِ تَعالى وانْقَبَضْ

Or like one whom they attracted with generosity

But he rose above generosity and withdrew.

قَسَماً بالغُرِّ من أهلِ العَبا

وبِمَنْ وُدَّهُمُ الله فَرَضْ

I swear by the cave dwellers of the cloak,

And those whose love Allah made obligatory,

أنا من قومٍ بِمولاهُمْ عَلَوا

وافَقَ الحاسِدُ أو فيها اعْتَرَضْ

That I am of a people who through their Master became exalted,

Whether the envious one agreed or objected.

ومن الرَّاضينَ عن خالِقِهِمْ

إنْ أحَبَّ الجارُ يوماً أو بَغَضْ

And of those content with their Creator,

Whether the neighbor one day loved or hated.

ومِنَ القومِ الذينَ انْتَهَزوا

فُرْصَةَ الإخلاصِ في تَركِ الغَرَضْ

And of the people who seized

The opportunity for sincerity by leaving ambition.

ومنَ الحِزْبِ الذينَ اشْتَغَلوا

بحبيبٍ ما لهم عنهُ عِوَضْ

And of the party who were preoccupied

With a Beloved; they have no substitute for Him.

تَرَكوا الأغْيارَ عن خاطِرِهمْ

تَرْكَ ذي عَزْمٍ على المَطْلوبِ حَضّ

They left strangers out of their thoughts,

With the abandon of one determined to seek the desired.