أيا نفس إن الأمر غيبٌ فما تدري

أيا نفس إن الأمر غيبٌ فما تدري

بماذا يكون الكشف في آخر العمر

بماذا يكون الكشف في آخر العمر

O soul, the matter is unseen, so you do not know

O soul, the matter is unseen, so you do not know

O soul, the matter belongs to the Unseen, so you do not know / what the unveiling shall be at the end of life.

What the unveiling will bring at the end of life:

What the revelation will be at the end of life

Either a herald announcing the Meeting and Divine Acceptance, / despite long reproach, welcoming the visitor.

فإما بشيرٌ باللقاء وبالرضى

فإما بشيرٌ باللقاء وبالرضى

على طول عتب بالزيارة للزور

على طول عتب بالزيارة للزور

Either a herald of meeting and approval,

Either good news of the meeting and the satisfaction

Or by the opposite—nay, let there be no opposite to this! / My God is too exalted to torment or harm me.

Despite long reproach, with a visitation for the visitors;

For a long grievance with occasional visitation

There is no making amends then, nor return of what has passed; / there, nothing avails but the mending of the broken.

وإما بضدّ بل ولا كان ضدّ ذا

وإما بضدّ بل ولا كان ضدّ ذا

تعالى إلهي عن عذابي وعن ضري

تعالى إلهي عن عذابي وعن ضري

Or else the opposite—rather, may the opposite of this never be!

Or the opposite, though it was no opposite

Is there not in this momentous matter—woe to you—a distraction / from family and friends, from Zayd and from 'Amr?

My God is exalted above tormenting me and harming me.

My God transcends my torment and harm

O Hearer of complaints, O Repeller of affliction, / O Savior of the drowning, O Vast in beneficence.

وليس تلافٍ بل ولا ردّ فائت

وليس تلافٍ بل ولا ردّ فائت

هناك ولا يجدي سوى الجبر للكسر

هناك ولا يجدي سوى الجبر للكسر

And there is no remedy—indeed, no restoring what has passed—

And there is no replacement, no refusal of what has passed

I have turned my face toward You through the noblest intercessor, / Muhammad, who was sent to the bondsman and the free.

There; nothing avails but mending the break.

There, nor does anything avail except accepting what is broken

That You may send me, at the moment of death, a bringer of glad tidings / announcing Your fullest good pleasure and my triumph in the Gathering.

أليس لهذا الخطب ويحك شاغل

أليس لهذا الخطب ويحك شاغل

عن الأهل والأصحاب زيد وعن عمرو

عن الأهل والأصحاب زيد وعن عمرو

Is this grave matter not—woe to you—enough to distract you

Does not this news, woe to you, preoccupy

From family and friends, from Zayd and from ʿAmr?

You from family, friends, Zaid and Amr?

أيا سامع الشكوى ويا دافع البلا

أيا سامع الشكوى ويا دافع البلا

ويا منقذ الغرقى ويا واسع البر

ويا منقذ الغرقى ويا واسع البر

O hearer of complaint, and O dispeller of affliction,

O hearer of complaint, o repeller of afflictions,

And O rescuer of the drowning, and O boundless in goodness,

O savior of the drowning, o Vast in generosity,

تجهتُ لكم وجهي بأكرم شافع

تجهتُ لكم وجهي بأكرم شافع

محمد المبعوث للعبد والحرّ

محمد المبعوث للعبد والحرّ

I have turned my face toward You through the noblest intercessor,

I have turned my face to you, with the most generous intercessor,

Muhammad, sent to the slave and the free,

Muhammad, sent to servant and freeman alike,

لترسل لي عند الوفاة مبشرا

لترسل لي عند الوفاة مبشرا

برضوانك الأوفى وفوزي في الحشر

برضوانك الأوفى وفوزي في الحشر

That You may send me at death a bearer of glad tidings

That you may send me at death a bearer of good tidings

Of Your fullest favor and my triumph at the Gathering.

Of your greatest satisfaction, and my triumph at the Gathering.