يا من يقول بأنه يدري الفنا

يا من يقول بأنه يدري الفنا

ويظنه معنى يلوح بفكره

ويظنه معنى يلوح بفكره

O you who say that you know annihilation,

O you who claims to know ecstasy

and think it a meaning that glimmers in your mind,

And thinks it a meaning that comes to mind

مثل الذي يدري الطعام وطعمه

مثل الذي يدري الطعام وطعمه

فهماً بلا أكلٍ لشدة ذكره

فهماً بلا أكلٍ لشدة ذكره

you are like one who knows food and its taste

Like one who knows food and its taste

conceptually, without eating, by dwelling on it so intensely.

With understanding without eating due to its mention

إن الفنا حالٌ إذا دهم الفتى

إن الفنا حالٌ إذا دهم الفتى

لا يستفيق له الفتى من سكره

لا يستفيق له الفتى من سكره

Indeed, annihilation is a state: when it overwhelms a young man,

Ecstasy is a state when it overwhelms the young man

he cannot, under its sway, awaken from his intoxication.

The young man does not recover from its intoxication

فتراه لا تمييز أصبح عنده

فتراه لا تمييز أصبح عنده

إذ طار طائر عقله من وكره

إذ طار طائر عقله من وكره

So you see him left with no discernment,

You see him unable to distinguish

for the bird of his reason has flown from its nest.

When the bird of his mind flew from its nest

وعلى البرية ليس يخفى حاله

وعلى البرية ليس يخفى حاله

في صدقه عرفوه أو في مكره

في صدقه عرفوه أو في مكره

And his state is not hidden from humankind:

In his sincerity, the people of the wilderness knew his state

they recognize him, whether sincere or deceitful.

Or in his deception, they uncovered his scheme

هذا الفنا هو مسقط الأحكام عن

هذا الفنا هو مسقط الأحكام عن

كل امرئٍ دهمته حالة نكره

كل امرئٍ دهمته حالة نكره

This annihilation is what lifts legal obligations from

This ecstasy drops rulings from

every person overtaken by a state of unknowing.

Every man overwhelmed by its strange state

إن زاد عن يوم تراه وليلة

إن زاد عن يوم تراه وليلة

مثل الجنون بحكمه المستكره

مثل الجنون بحكمه المستكره

If it lasts beyond a day and a night, you find it

If it lasts more than a day you see him as a night

like madness in its unwelcome legal ruling.

Like madness in its persistent state

وأقل من هذا فليس بمسقط

وأقل من هذا فليس بمسقط

فرض الصلاة فقم بواجب شكره

فرض الصلاة فقم بواجب شكره

And if shorter than this, it does not lift

Less than this does not invalidate

the obligation of prayer; so fulfill the duty of thanking Him.

The duty of prayer so stand to thank Him

واحذر تظن بأن علمك للفنا

واحذر تظن بأن علمك للفنا

من غير ما ذوق لخمرة بكره

من غير ما ذوق لخمرة بكره

And beware of thinking that your knowledge of annihilation,

And beware you think your knowledge of ecstasy

without tasting its virgin wine,

Without having tasted the first wine

هو مسقط أحكام شرعك مثلما

هو مسقط أحكام شرعك مثلما

عند الزنادقة النفاة لحكره

عند الزنادقة النفاة لحكره

lifts the rulings of your sacred law, as believed

Drops the rulings of your canon law just as

by the heretics who deny its restraint.

The heretics drop its sanctity