تحر أساس العدل إن كنت شائدا

فما كان طاغ قائم الركن سائدا

If you are a witness, investigate the basis of justice

Investigate the foundation of justice if you are building,

For no oppression can stand while justice prevails

For no tyrant, though his pillars stand tall, ever prevails.

تنفس فجر الحق حولك صادقا

أغر فما غر العيون الرواقدا؟

Breathe the dawn of truth around you, truthfully

The dawn of truth breathes around you faithfully,

Does the eye of the sleeper see when tempted?

Blazing bright—so what has deceived the sleeping eyes?

وما بال أفناء الحضارة أقفرت

من الانس واكتضت وحوشا أوابدا

Why are the streets of civilization deserted

Why have the courtyards of civilization become desolate

Of people and overrun by wild beasts?

Of humanity, and crowded instead with wild, roaming beasts?

وما بال ورقاء الحمى مستطارة

يطاردها نيف وسبعون صائدا؟

Why are the meadows of protection set ablaze

And what ails the dove of the sanctuary, flying in terror,

With seventy hunters chasing them?

Chased by some seventy hunters?

على أنها بين النبال سليمة

فما عدمت عنها من الله ذائدا

Yet it is safe from arrows

Yet amidst the arrows she remains unharmed,

For God protects it from all harm

For she has never lacked a defender sent by God.

أرى غلمة تذكي من النار فتنة

وتسدى شباكا للأذى ومكائدا

I see an igniting strife like embers

I see youths stoking sedition from the fire,

Setting traps of harm and conspiracies

Weaving nets for harm and setting schemes,

وجوا من الغارات أغبر عاصفا

بكل جناح بارق السحب راعدا

Raids come raging like a dusty storm

And an atmosphere of raids, dusty and stormy,

With lightning flashing from every wing

With every cloud-wing flashing lightning and thunder.

وفي كل مغنى رنة ومناحة

وشكوى بلا جدوى تذيب الجلامدا

In every valley, there is singing and groaning

In every dwelling there is wailing and lamentation,

And fruitless complaints that melt the ice

And futile complaints that could melt solid rock.

وأفجر أعداء البلاد خصومة

أقارب تستعدي عليها الأباعدا

The enemies of the nation provoke a feud

The most wicked enemies of the country in a dispute

Turning even kinsmen into strangers

Are relatives inciting outsiders against it.

غذيري من ذي عادة وثنية

يحيل على الإسلام فيها الشواهدا

Clouds of pagan custom that try

Bear with me regarding one with pagan habits,

To find proof in Islam for their ways

Who twists the evidence against Islam therein.

هلم إلينا أيها الخصم نحتكم

إليه ونستعرض عليه العوائدا

Come to us, oh adversary, let us appeal

Come to us, O adversary, let us seek judgment

To it and examine traditions

Before Him, and review the customs together.

فما كان منها سنة كان صالحا

وما كان منها بدعة كان فاسدا

What was a Sunnah was righteous

Whatever is of the Tradition is righteous,

And what was an innovation was corrupt

And whatever is an innovation is corrupt.

أضلك ليل من هوى بت ترتمى

مصادر في ظلمائه ومواردا

You were misguided by a night of passion

A night of passion has misled you; you spend the night tossed about,

Rushing into its darkness and channels

Entering and leaving through its darkness.

ولا صبح إلا سنة نبوية

فمحص بها الآراء واجل المقاصدا

Until the dawn of the Prophetic Sunnah

There is no morning save the Prophetic Way,

By which to refine ideas and achieve goals

So examine opinions by it and clarify your aims.

وحولك أسياف لها وأسنة

تقارع عنها المحدثات الزوائدا

Around you are swords and tongues

Around you are swords drawn for it, and spearheads,

To defend it from heretical additions

Battling away the superfluous innovations.

رجالات إخلاص لها ومبرة

بها وذوو عزم يدك الشدائدا

Sincere and righteous men of principle

Men of sincerity towards it and devotion,

Who can endure hardships

Possessing resolve that crushes hardships.

يريدون وجه الله فيما تسننوا

به لا يريدودن الرشى والفوائدا

Seeking only God's approval in what they practice

They desire the face of God in what they follow,

Not desiring bribes or rewards

Through it, they seek neither bribes nor benefits.

وما الناس إلا كالنقود فزنهم

بنياتهم إن كنت للناس ناقدا

People are but as coins, so weigh them

People are but like coins, so weigh them

By their intentions if you assay them

By their intentions, if you are a critic of men.

وحسبك من سعى ابن آدم كاشف

عن القصد مهما كان للقصد جاحدا

It suffices that the efforts of man reveal

It suffices you that a man’s striving reveals

Their aims regardless of their denial

His intent, even if he denies that intent.

أفدني فما تعيى الحقيقة جاهلا

يحاول تمحيص الحقيقة جاهدا

So enlighten me, for the truth is not wearied

Inform me—for truth does not baffle the ignorant one

By the ignorant who diligently seek it

Who attempts to examine the truth diligently—

أفدني برأي في النيابات هل حوت

أساود في قاعاتها أم وسائدا؟

Enlighten me with your view on parliaments

Inform me your view on the parliaments: do they contain

Do they contain lions or foxes?

Vipers in their halls, or merely cushions?

وإلا فما تلك السموم التي سرت

فمن ذاق منها طأطأ الرأس هامدا؟

Or else what are those poisons that have spread

Otherwise, what are these poisons that have spread,

Such that those who taste them bow their heads?

So that whoever tastes them bows his head, lifeless?

ألم يأتها أن المعابد حجرت

على الذاكرين العامرين المعابدا؟

Is it not time for the places of worship

Has news not reached them that temples were barred

To open for those remembering and worshipping?

Against the worshippers who populate the shrines?

وكم من مئاو أو مكاتب عطلت

على أنها تهدى البنين المراشدا

And how many schools or offices are closed

How many shelters or schools have been shut down,

Though supposedly guiding youth?

Even though they guide the sons to right paths?

فيا نائبا ناب البلاد بحادث

وخلف شعبا قائما فيه قاعدا

So parliamentarian who represents the nation

O deputy who afflicted the country with a calamity,

And presides over a people with a chief

Leaving a people standing amidst it, yet idle,

على أي ظهر كنت سوطك منزلا

وفي أي نحر كنت سيفك غامدا

On which back did you place your whip

Upon whose back were you bringing down your whip?

And in which neck did you sheathe your sword?

And into whose throat were you sheathing your sword?

ومالك ترغي في النيابة موعدا

ألم تك من قبل النيابة واعدا

Why do you long for a term in parliament

Why do you froth at the mouth in parliament with threats?

Were you not before that coveting it?

Were you not, before becoming a deputy, full of promises?

ويا مجلس النواب إنك قاطع

يدا كنت منها لو تبينت ساعدا

And assembly of representatives indeed you have

O Parliament, you are severing

Cut off a hand you could have helped with

A hand of which—if you realized—you were the forearm.

فويحك ما هذا الجفاء الذي طغى

عليك فلم تنفك كالصخرجامدا

Woe to you, what is this disdain that has prevailed

Woe to you! What is this harshness that has overwhelmed you,

Upon you so that you remained rigid as a rock?

So you remain unyielding, like solid rock?

تلمس فيك العون شعبك حائرا

ولما تزل عن عون شعبك حائدا

Your people seek your aid in confusion

Your people sought help in you, bewildered,

Yet you stray from aiding your people

Yet you cease not to deviate from aiding your people.

دعا واستعان ابن البلاد فليته

دعا مستجيبا واستعان مساعدا

The son of the nation calls and seeks help

The son of the land called out and sought help; would that he

If only he called one responding and sought one helping!

Had called a responder and sought help from a helper.

ويا دولة سادت على الأرض حقبة

وشادت على أس الاخاء المحامدا

And O exalted state that ruled an era

O State that held sovereignty over the earth for an era,

And built the highest brotherly praise

And built praiseworthy deeds upon the foundation of brotherhood,

عهدناك قدما دولة لائكية

فكيف حرمت المسلمين المساجدا؟

We knew you once as a secular state

We knew you of old as a secular state,

So why deprive Muslims of mosques?

But how did you come to forbid Muslims the mosques?

ولا تنكري حول الإدارات أنة

وعتبا وشعبا بين ذلك واجدا

Do not deny that there is blaming and reproaching

Do not deny the groans around the administrations,

And people finding fault with this

And the blame, and a people amidst that, full of grief.

وردي علينا الذكر في كل مسجد

فما زال فرضا في المساجد آكدا

Return to us the licit in every mosque

Return the Remembrance to us in every mosque,

For that is still a confirmed duty in mosques

For it remains a confirmed obligation within the mosques.

ثقي أن بيت الله ما دام معبدا

لنا تحت حكم الله ما دام واحدا

Trust that as long as God's house is a place of worship

Trust that the House of God, as long as it is worshipped in,

Under God’s rule as long as He is One

Is ours under God's rule, as long as He is One.

ويا أيها الداعي إلى الله لا تهن

ولا يك في البأساء صبرك نافدا

And O you who call to God, do not despair

O you who call to God, do not weaken,

Nor let your patience in woes be exhausted

And let not your patience run dry in adversity.

تعز بوفد اليسر بعد فإنني

أرى اليسر بعد العسر لا شك وافدا

Be gladdened that ease comes after hardship

Take comfort in the arrival of ease hereafter, for I

For I see ease coming after hardship no doubt

See ease coming after hardship, without doubt.

وفي سبل الدنيا زبى ومصاعد

فسر حيث لا تلقى الزبى والمصائدا

And in the ways of life are downs and ups

In the paths of the world are pitfalls and ascents,

So go where you will not meet downs or traps

So walk where you do not encounter the pitfalls and traps.

تصادف إقبالا من الشعب رائجا

وتصحب توفيقا من الله زائدا

You will find a thriving acceptance from the people

You will meet widespread welcome from the people,

And accompanying success from God even more

And be accompanied by increasing success from God.

ويا أيها الشعب اتخذ لك أعينا

من الحزم واستشرف حقوقك ناشدا

And O people, take wisdom as your eyes

O people, acquire for yourselves eyes

And ascertain your rights directly

Of determination, and look out for your rights, seeking them.

ومن أخذل الخذلان أنك فاقد

ولاءك مزهو بكونك فاقدا

Whoever forfeits his allegiance boasts

It is the most shameful of failures that you are losing

Of losing it and being forfeited

Your loyalty, while proud of being lost.

تناس أو انس الحقد وامش سوية

على المهل لا تعتص عليه معاندا

Forget and make others forget hatred

Forget or ignore malice, and walk straight,

And walk straight without stubborn resistance

Deliberately; do not stubbornly rebel against it.

وكن حيث كان الحق تخلد خلوده

وما كان غير الحق في الأرض خالدا

And be where truth eternally dwells

And be where the Truth is, you will be immortalized with its eternity,

While falsehood endures not on earth

For nothing on earth is immortal other than the Truth.