يشاركك المغتاب في حسناته

ويعطيك أجري صومه وصلاته

He who backbites you shares in your good deeds

And gives you the reward of his fasting and prayers

ويحمل وزرا عنك ضر بحمله

عن النجب من أبنائه وبناته

And carries a burden from you that hurts him to carry

From the elite of his sons and daughters

فكافيه بالحسني وقل رب جازه

بخير وكفر عنه من سيئاته

So suffice yourself with good wishes and say: May God reward him

With goodness and erase his misdeeds

فيا أيها المغتاب جدت فان بقى

ثواب صلاة أو زكاة فهاته

O you who backbites, you have brought benefit, so if

Any reward remains for prayer or charity, bring it forth

فغير شقي من يبيت عدوه

يعامل عنه الله في غفلاته

Wretched is he who spends the night with his enemy

While God treats him kindly in his heedlessness

فلا تعجبوا من جال ضر نفسه

بامعانه في نفع بعض عداته

So do not be surprised at one who has brought harm upon himself

By being of benefit to some of his enemies

وأعجب منه عاقل بات ساخطا

على رجل يهدى له حسناته

And more amazing than him is the reasonable one who goes to bed angry

At a man who guides him to his good deeds

ويحمل من أوزاره وذنوبه

ويهلك في تخليصه ونجاته

And carries some of his burdens and sins

And is destroyed in saving him and delivering him

وما لكلام مر كالريح موقع

فيبقى على الإِنسان بعض سماته

And harsh words have no effect, like the wind

So some of man's traits remain with him

فمن يحتمل يستوجب الأجر والثنا

ويحمد في الدنيا وبعد وفاته

Whoever is patient deserves reward and praise

In this world and after his death

ومن ينتصف ينفخ ضراما قد انطفى

ويجمع أسباب المساوي لذاته

And whoever takes revenge blows upon an ember that has faded

And gathers causes of equality for himself

فلا صالح يجزى به بعد موته

ولا حسن يثني به في حياته

So there is no righteousness that will reward him after his death

Or good deed that will be praised during his life

يظل أخو الإِنسان يأكل لحمه

كما في كتاب الله حال مماته

A man's brother continues to eat his flesh

As the state of his death is in God's book

ولا يستحي مما يراه ويدعي

بأن صفات الكلب دون صفاته

And he is not shy of what he sees and claims

That the traits of the dog are beneath his traits

وقد أكلا من لحم ميت كلاهما

ولكن دعا الكلب اضطرار اقتياته

Yet they both ate from the flesh of a corpse

But the dog was compelled by need for his livelihood

تساويتما أكلا فاشقاكما به

غدا من عليه الخوف من تبعاته

They are equal in that they both ate it, yet the one

Who fears the consequences is worse off