لِتَعْذِرْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّا

لِتَعْذِرْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنَّا

نُعَانِي تَحْتَ أَهْوَالٍ عِظَامِ

نُعَانِي تَحْتَ أَهْوَالٍ عِظَامِ

Pardon us, O Messenger of God, for we

To excuse us, O Messenger of Allah, we

Suffer beneath immense horrors.

Suffer under calamities so great

أَمَاتُوا أُمَّةً هَانَتْ وَنَادُوا

أَمَاتُوا أُمَّةً هَانَتْ وَنَادُوا

بِأَنَّ سُبَاتَنَا لِلدِّينِ حَامِ

بِأَنَّ سُبَاتَنَا لِلدِّينِ حَامِ

They put to death a nation brought low, and proclaimed

They killed an abased nation and proclaimed

That our slumber safeguards the faith.

That our sleepiness was harmful to the religion

وَهُمْ أَعْدَاؤُنَا سِرّاً وَلَكِنْ

وَهُمْ أَعْدَاؤُنَا سِرّاً وَلَكِنْ

هُنَاكَ تَفَاوُتٌ عِنْدَ الصِّدَامِ

هُنَاكَ تَفَاوُتٌ عِنْدَ الصِّدَامِ

And they are secretly our enemies; yet

And they are our enemies in secret, but

There are differences when confrontation comes.

There are differences when it comes to confrontation

فَبَعْضٌ فِي التُّرَابِ يَدُسُّ رَأْساً

فَبَعْضٌ فِي التُّرَابِ يَدُسُّ رَأْساً

وَيَشْمَخُ بِاسْتِهِ مِثْلَ النَّعَامِ

وَيَشْمَخُ بِاسْتِهِ مِثْلَ النَّعَامِ

For one buries his head in the dust

Some hide their heads in the sand

And holds his ass aloft like an ostrich.

And strut arrogantly like ostriches

وَآخَرُ يَدَّعِي الإِسْلاَمَ زَيْفاً

وَآخَرُ يَدَّعِي الإِسْلاَمَ زَيْفاً

يَسُوسُ النَّاسَ قَسْراً بِالحُسَامِ

يَسُوسُ النَّاسَ قَسْراً بِالحُسَامِ

And another falsely professes Islam,

While another falsely claims Islam

Governing the people by force with the sword.

And forcibly rules the people with the sword

يَرَوْنَ دِمَاءَنَا لِلسَّفْكِ حِلاًّ

يَرَوْنَ دِمَاءَنَا لِلسَّفْكِ حِلاًّ

قُسَاةً يَلْهَثُونَ بِلاَ أُوَامِ

قُسَاةً يَلْهَثُونَ بِلاَ أُوَامِ

They deem it lawful to shed our blood,

They see our blood as permissible to spill

Cruel men, panting without thirst.

Cruel ones panting without any conscience

غَدَاةَ السِّلْمِ كُلُّهُمُ صُقُورٌ

غَدَاةَ السِّلْمِ كُلُّهُمُ صُقُورٌ

وَعِنْدَ الحَرْبِ أَشْبَهُ بِالحَمَامِ

وَعِنْدَ الحَرْبِ أَشْبَهُ بِالحَمَامِ

On the morning of peace, they are all falcons;

The morning after peace they're all hawks

And in war, they are more like doves.

And during war most similar to doves

يَدُوسُونَ النُّفُوسَ بِلاَ حَيَاءٍ

يَدُوسُونَ النُّفُوسَ بِلاَ حَيَاءٍ

وَقَدْ جُبِلُوا عَلَى سَحْلِ الأَنَامِ

وَقَدْ جُبِلُوا عَلَى سَحْلِ الأَنَامِ

They trample souls without shame,

They trample souls without any shame

And have been fashioned to drag people along the ground.

While they were created to drag people down

غُثَاءُ السَّيْلِ صَارَ لَنَا شَبِيهاً

غُثَاءُ السَّيْلِ صَارَ لَنَا شَبِيهاً

نَهِيمُ بِلاَ هُدَىً مِثْلَ السَّوَامِ

نَهِيمُ بِلاَ هُدَىً مِثْلَ السَّوَامِ

The torrent's flotsam has come to resemble us;

The flood's scum has become similar to us

We wander without guidance like grazing livestock.

Lost without guidance like beasts

رَسُولَ اللهِ لاَ تَأْبَهْ لِرَسْمٍ

رَسُولَ اللهِ لاَ تَأْبَهْ لِرَسْمٍ

شَنِيعٍ صَاغَهُ بَعْضُ اللِئَامِ

شَنِيعٍ صَاغَهُ بَعْضُ اللِئَامِ

O Messenger of God, pay no heed to a drawing

O Messenger of Allah, pay no heed to the

Hideous, fashioned by some vile men.

Ugly image some villains have portrayed

تَصَدَّى نُورُ وَجْهِكَ دُونَ لأْيٍ

تَصَدَّى نُورُ وَجْهِكَ دُونَ لأْيٍ

مَعَ الإِيمَانِ جَهْراً لِلظَّلاَمِ

مَعَ الإِيمَانِ جَهْراً لِلظَّلاَمِ

The light of your face stood forth without toil,

Your face's light resisted the dark

With faith, openly against the darkness.

Along with faith declared openly to the shadows

فَزَالَ الكُفْرُ عَنْ قَيْسٍ وَأَضْحَتْ

فَزَالَ الكُفْرُ عَنْ قَيْسٍ وَأَضْحَتْ

بِكَ الرُّكْبَانُ تَرْفُلُ بِالسَّلاَمِ

بِكَ الرُّكْبَانُ تَرْفُلُ بِالسَّلاَمِ

So unbelief departed from Qays, and now

So disbelief vanished from Qais and with you

Through you, the riders bask in peace.

The caravans began to wave greetings

وَهَا شَاهَدْتَ فِي الأَجْسَادِ نَزْفِي

وَهَا شَاهَدْتَ فِي الأَجْسَادِ نَزْفِي

وَقَدْ كَرُّوا عَلَى المَوْتِ الزُّؤَامِ

وَقَدْ كَرُّوا عَلَى المَوْتِ الزُّؤَامِ

And behold, you have seen my bleeding in the bodies,

And here you've witnessed the bleeding of my bodies

And they have charged at swift, dreadful death:

As they abhorred death, those misfortunes

شَبَابٌ لاَ يَخَافُونَ المَنَايَا

شَبَابٌ لاَ يَخَافُونَ المَنَايَا

تَداعَوا لِلَّظَى وَالأُفْقُ دَامِ

تَداعَوا لِلَّظَى وَالأُفْقُ دَامِ

Young men who do not fear death.

A youth not fearing death

They rallied to the blaze, while the horizon bled.

Called each other to the flames though the horizon was still dark

فِدَاكَ أَبِي وَرُوحِي دُونَ مَنٍّ

فِدَاكَ أَبِي وَرُوحِي دُونَ مَنٍّ

أُقَدِّمُهَا إِلَى مَرْمَى السِّهَامِ

أُقَدِّمُهَا إِلَى مَرْمَى السِّهَامِ

May my father and my soul be your ransom, without claiming credit;

My father and my soul I sacrifice for you, ahead of

I offer it up within the arrows' range.

Anyone else I present them to the line of fire

وَلَوْ قَدْ كَانَ لِي رَهْطٌ وَخَيْلٌ

وَلَوْ قَدْ كَانَ لِي رَهْطٌ وَخَيْلٌ

لأَسْمَعْتُ الأُلَى خَسِئُوا كَلاَمِي

لأَسْمَعْتُ الأُلَى خَسِئُوا كَلاَمِي

And if I had a band of men and horses,

If only I had a tribe and horses

I would have made those who were abased hear my words.

I would have made those scoundrels hear my words

وَلَكِنْ لاَ سِلاَحَ لَهُ نُفُوذٌ

وَلَكِنْ لاَ سِلاَحَ لَهُ نُفُوذٌ

سِوَى قَلَمِي لإِيقَاظِ النِّيَامِ

سِوَى قَلَمِي لإِيقَاظِ النِّيَامِ

Yet no weapon has any power

But here no weapon has any influence

Except my pen, to awaken the sleepers.

Except my pen to awaken the sleeping

فَلَيْتَ لَنَا بِجَوْفِ الغِمْدِِ سَيْفاً

فَلَيْتَ لَنَا بِجَوْفِ الغِمْدِِ سَيْفاً

وَكَانَ لَنَا وَرَاءَ القَوْسِ رَامِ

وَكَانَ لَنَا وَرَاءَ القَوْسِ رَامِ

So, if only we had a sword within the sheath,

If only we had a sword in its sheath

And we had an archer behind the bow.

And we had a bow and arrows

جَمِيلُ الفِعْلِ لَيْسَ هُنَاكَ شَكٌّ

جَمِيلُ الفِعْلِ لَيْسَ هُنَاكَ شَكٌّ

نَزِيهٌ أَنْتَ عَنْ كُلِّ اتِّهَامِ

نَزِيهٌ أَنْتَ عَنْ كُلِّ اتِّهَامِ

Beautiful in deed—there is no doubt—

Good deed, there is no doubt

You are above every accusation.

You are far above any accusation

نِدَائِي يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ يَوْماً

نِدَائِي يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ يَوْماً

بِأَنْ أُشْفَى بِحَوْضِكَ مِنْ سَقَامِي

بِأَنْ أُشْفَى بِحَوْضِكَ مِنْ سَقَامِي

My plea, O Messenger of God, is someday

My call one day, O Messenger of Allah

To be healed of my sickness at your pool.

To be cured by your pond from my sickness

بِمَدْحِكَ أَرْتَجِي وَالوَيْلُ خَلْفِي

بِمَدْحِكَ أَرْتَجِي وَالوَيْلُ خَلْفِي

وَقَدْ عَاثَ العِدَى حُسْنَ الخِتَامِ

وَقَدْ عَاثَ العِدَى حُسْنَ الخِتَامِ

In praising you I hope—while woe is behind me

With your praise I hope though ruin is behind me

And the foes have wrought havoc—for a good end.

And the enemies have corrupted a good ending