لو أن من يطلب مولاهُ

لو أن من يطلب مولاهُ

مثل الذي يطلب ديناهُ

مثل الذي يطلب ديناهُ

If the one who seeks his Lord

If those who seek their Master

were like the one who seeks his worldly life,

Were like those who seek worldly gain

لكان يلقاه بلا شبهة

لكان يلقاه بلا شبهة

في كل شيء كان يلقاه

في كل شيء كان يلقاه

he would meet Him without a doubt

They would undoubtedly find Him

in everything he encountered.

In everything they seek Him

من يطلب الدنيا ترى قلبه

من يطلب الدنيا ترى قلبه

مستغرقاً فيها وأَحْشاه

مستغرقاً فيها وأَحْشاه

Whoever seeks the world—you see his heart

Those whose hearts are immersed

utterly immersed in it, and his entrails too.

In the world and its trappings

وعقله قد أسرته كما

وعقله قد أسرته كما

بذكرها قد أشغلت فاه

بذكرها قد أشغلت فاه

And it has taken his mind captive, just as

Whose minds are enslaved by

it has occupied his mouth with talk of itself.

Thoughts of it, till it occupies their mouths

يحب من يوهمه بذلها

يحب من يوهمه بذلها

وإن يكن أبغض أعداه

وإن يكن أبغض أعداه

He loves whoever makes him believe he will be given it,

Love those who make them think

even if that person is his most hated enemy.

It can be theirs, even if enemies

ويركب الأهوال في نيلها

ويركب الأهوال في نيلها

أهوال ديناه وعقباه

أهوال ديناه وعقباه

And he braves terrors to obtain it—

And brave awful dangers to obtain it

the terrors of his worldly life and his hereafter.

Ignoring religion and consequences

وقلبه في حبها صادق

وقلبه في حبها صادق

يطلب منها ما تمناه

يطلب منها ما تمناه

And his heart is sincere in its love for it,

Their hearts sincerely love it

seeking from it what he has wished for.

Seeking what they desire from it

وليته في ربه هكذا

وليته في ربه هكذا

والناس أشكال وأشباه

والناس أشكال وأشباه

And if only he were like this toward his Lord!

If only for their Lord they felt this way

And people are alike and resemble one another.

While people are mere forms and images

لو أخلصوا في الله إخلاصهم

لو أخلصوا في الله إخلاصهم

في غيره ناجاهم الله

في غيره ناجاهم الله

If they showed God the sincere devotion they show

Had they been as sincere to God

to what is other than Him, God would commune with them,

As they are to others, God would have saved them

وخصهم منه بما خصهم

وخصهم منه بما خصهم

وكان بالذكرى لهم جاه

وكان بالذكرى لهم جاه

and favor them with what He specially bestowed on them from Himself;

And granted them what He granted them

and through remembrance they would have standing.

And exalted them through remembrance

ولكن التقدير قد عاقهم

ولكن التقدير قد عاقهم

عنه وفاز الكل لولاه

عنه وفاز الكل لولاه

But predestination has held them back

But predestination prevented them

from Him; without it, all would have succeeded.

From Him, and so they missed the only winner,

وهو الذي يقضي عليهم بهم

وهو الذي يقضي عليهم بهم

لأن علم الله مبداه

لأن علم الله مبداه

And it judges them according to what they themselves are,

He who judges them according to their nature

for God's knowledge is its source.

For God’s knowledge is the origin.

والعلم عنهم كاشف حيث هم

والعلم عنهم كاشف حيث هم

في عدم لا شيء معناه

في عدم لا شيء معناه

And knowledge reveals them where they are:

And knowledge of them reveals their essence

in nonexistence, whose meaning is 'nothing.'

As nothingness, empty of meaning

وكيفما هم جاء إيجادهم

وكيفما هم جاء إيجادهم

من نعمة المولى وجدواه

من نعمة المولى وجدواه

And whatever their state, their bringing into being came

However they are created

from the Lord's grace and His bounty.

By the grace of the Master, and His endowment.