يا عَجَباً لَلناسِ لَو فَكَروا

يا عَجَباً لَلناسِ لَو فَكَروا

أَو حاسَبوا أَنفُسَهُم أَبصَروا

أَو حاسَبوا أَنفُسَهُم أَبصَروا

How astonishing people are—if only they would reflect,

How strange people are! If they reflected,

or take themselves to account, they would see clearly.

or called themselves to account, they would see,

وَعَبَروا الدُنيا إِلى غَيرِها

وَعَبَروا الدُنيا إِلى غَيرِها

فَإِنَّما الدُنيا لَهُم مَعبَرُ

فَإِنَّما الدُنيا لَهُم مَعبَرُ

They would pass beyond this world to another,

and pass through this world to what lies beyond it;

for this world is only a crossing-place for them.

for this world is only a crossing-place for them.

وَالخَيرُ ما لَيسَ بِخافٍ هُوَ ال

وَالخَيرُ ما لَيسَ بِخافٍ هُوَ ال

مَعروفُ وَالشَرُّ هُوَ المُنكَرُ

مَعروفُ وَالشَرُّ هُوَ المُنكَرُ

And good—which is not obscure—is the—

And goodness is no hidden thing: it is the

recognized right; and evil is the reprehensible wrong.

recognized good, and evil is what is condemned.

وَالمَورِدُ المَوتُ وَما بَعدَهُ ال

وَالمَورِدُ المَوتُ وَما بَعدَهُ ال

حَشرُ فَذاكَ المَورِدُ الأَكبَرُ

حَشرُ فَذاكَ المَورِدُ الأَكبَرُ

The destination is death, and after it the—

And the place of arrival is death, and after it comes the

Gathering: that is the greater destination.

Gathering—that is the greater place of arrival.

وَالمَصدَرُ النارُ أَوِ المَصدَرُ ال

وَالمَصدَرُ النارُ أَوِ المَصدَرُ ال

جَنَّةُ ما دونَهُما مَصدَرُ

جَنَّةُ ما دونَهُما مَصدَرُ

And the place of return is the Fire—or the place of return, the—

And departure leads to the Fire, or departure leads to the

Garden; apart from those two, there is no place of return.

Garden; there is no departure except to these two.

لافَخرَ إِلّا فَخرُ أَهلِ التُقى

لافَخرَ إِلّا فَخرُ أَهلِ التُقى

غَداً إِذا ضَمَّهُمُ المَحشَرُ

غَداً إِذا ضَمَّهُمُ المَحشَرُ

There is no glory except the glory of the people of piety,

There is no pride except the pride of the pious,

tomorrow, when the Gathering assembles them.

tomorrow, when the place of gathering brings them together.

لَيَعلَمَنَّ الناسُ أَنَّ التُقى

لَيَعلَمَنَّ الناسُ أَنَّ التُقى

وَالبِرِّ كانا خَيرَ ما يُذخَرُ

وَالبِرِّ كانا خَيرَ ما يُذخَرُ

People will surely learn that piety

People will surely know that piety

and righteousness were the finest things one could store away.

and righteousness were the best things to store up.

ما أَحمَقَ الإِنسانَ في فَخرِهِ

ما أَحمَقَ الإِنسانَ في فَخرِهِ

وَهوَ غَداً في حُفرَةٍ يُقبَرُ

وَهوَ غَداً في حُفرَةٍ يُقبَرُ

How foolish man is in his pride,

How foolish man is in his boasting,

when tomorrow he will be buried in his pit.

while tomorrow he will be buried in a pit!

ما بالُ مَن أَوَّلُهُ نُطفَةٌ

ما بالُ مَن أَوَّلُهُ نُطفَةٌ

وَجيفَةٌ آخِرُهُ يَفخَرُ

وَجيفَةٌ آخِرُهُ يَفخَرُ

What is the matter with one whose beginning was a sperm-drop,

What is the matter with one whose beginning is a drop of semen,

and whose end is a corpse, that he should boast?

and whose end is a rotting corpse, that he should boast?

أَصبَحَ لا يَملِكُ تَقديمَ ما

أَصبَحَ لا يَملِكُ تَقديمَ ما

يَرجو وَلا تَأخيرَ ما يَحذَرُ

يَرجو وَلا تَأخيرَ ما يَحذَرُ

Now he has no power to hasten what—

He now has no power to hasten what

he hopes for, nor to delay what he fears.

he hopes for, nor to delay what he fears.

وَأَصبَحَ الأَمرُ إِلى غَيرِهِ

وَأَصبَحَ الأَمرُ إِلى غَيرِهِ

في كُلِّ ما يُقضى وَمايُقدَرُ

في كُلِّ ما يُقضى وَمايُقدَرُ

And now the matter rests with another,

And the matter now rests with someone other than him,

in everything that other decides and ordains.

in all that is decreed and all that is ordained.