بنى الكلَّ ثم لهم قد هدَمْ

بنى الكلَّ ثم لهم قد هدَمْ

وجود له صورٌ من عدَمْ

وجود له صورٌ من عدَمْ

He built all, then demolished for them

He built everything, then destroyed it for them,

An existence with forms from nothingness.

With existence taking forms from nonexistence.

تجلَّى فلا شيء غير الذي

تجلَّى فلا شيء غير الذي

أحاط به علمه من قدم

أحاط به علمه من قدم

He manifested Himself, so there is nothing but that which

He manifested Himself, so there is nothing but that

His knowledge encompassed from all eternity.

Which His knowledge has encompassed from eternity.

وذاك تقاديره الفانيات

وذاك تقاديره الفانيات

فمنها ملوك ومنها خدم

فمنها ملوك ومنها خدم

And such are His transient decrees:

That is His transient decrees -

So among them are kings, and among them servants.

Among them are kings, among them are servants.

إحاطته حسبوها لهم

إحاطته حسبوها لهم

وجوداً وهم أسر لحم ودم

وجوداً وهم أسر لحم ودم

They reckoned His encompassing knowledge to be their own

They deemed His encompassing knowledge to be

Existence, though they are flesh and blood bound together.

For them an existence, while they were flesh and blood in shackles.

فلو عرفوا ما بهم من فناً

فلو عرفوا ما بهم من فناً

لفازوا وكان ثبوت القدم

لفازوا وكان ثبوت القدم

So, had they known the passing-away within them,

If they had known the annihilation within them,

They would have triumphed, and their footing would have been firm.

They would have succeeded, and permanence of foot would have been theirs.

ولكنهم جهلوا أنفساً

ولكنهم جهلوا أنفساً

لهم فانيات فحل الندم

لهم فانيات فحل الندم

But they did not know the selves

But they were ignorant of their souls

That were theirs and transient, so regret befell them.

Which have transience, so regret took hold.

وبالموت يدرون أحوالهم

وبالموت يدرون أحوالهم

ويدرون ما قد بنوه انهدم

ويدرون ما قد بنوه انهدم

And through death they come to know their states,

And by death they will know their conditions

And they know that what they had built has collapsed.

And know that what they built has collapsed.

وينكشف الأمر أن الذي

وينكشف الأمر أن الذي

بنوه الوجود لهم وانعدم

بنوه الوجود لهم وانعدم

And the matter is laid bare: what

And the matter will become clear that He who

They built was their existence—and it vanished.

Built existence for them and then vanished,

وعادوا كما ابتدئوا أولاً

وعادوا كما ابتدئوا أولاً

مع الله لا شيء هم وانختم

مع الله لا شيء هم وانختم

And they returned to how they were at first:

And they returned as they began at first -

With God they are nothing—and it came to an end.

With God, they are nothing, and it is sealed.