أَيا عَجَباً لِلناسِ في طولِ ما سَهَوا

أَيا عَجَباً لِلناسِ في طولِ ما سَهَوا

وَفي طولِ ما اغتَرّوا وَفي طولِ ما لَهَوا

وَفي طولِ ما اغتَرّوا وَفي طولِ ما لَهَوا

Oh, how strange that people have been heedless so long,

Oh, the wonder of people and their heedlessness,

and deluded so long, and so long absorbed in amusement!

And their long delusion and vain play!

يَقولونَ نَرجو اللَهَ دَعوى مَريضَةً

يَقولونَ نَرجو اللَهَ دَعوى مَريضَةً

وَلَو أَنَّهُم يَرجونَ خافوا كَما رَجَوا

وَلَو أَنَّهُم يَرجونَ خافوا كَما رَجَوا

They say, 'We hope in God'—a sickly claim;

They claim to hope in God - a hollow plea,

had they hoped, they would have feared just as they hoped.

If they truly hoped, they would fear as they hope.

تَصابى رِجالٌ مِن كُهولٍ وَجِلَّةٍ

تَصابى رِجالٌ مِن كُهولٍ وَجِلَّةٍ

إِلى اللَهوِ حَتّى لا يُبالونَ ما أَتَوا

إِلى اللَهوِ حَتّى لا يُبالونَ ما أَتَوا

Men among the middle-aged and venerable have played at youth,

Men of age and dignity flock

in pursuit of amusement, until they care nothing for what they do.

To frivolity, heedless of what they came for.

فَيا سَوءَتا لِلشَيبِ إِذ صارَ أَهلُهُ

فَيا سَوءَتا لِلشَيبِ إِذ صارَ أَهلُهُ

إِذا هَيَّجَتهُم لِلصِبا صَبوَةٌ صَبَوا

إِذا هَيَّجَتهُم لِلصِبا صَبوَةٌ صَبَوا

So, shame upon gray hair, now that its bearers have come to this:

So shameful that grey hair, when its owner

when a yearning stirs them to youthful folly, they yield to it.

Frolics like a youth when passions stir him.

أَكَبَّ بَنو الدُنيا عَلَيها وَإِنَّهُم

أَكَبَّ بَنو الدُنيا عَلَيها وَإِنَّهُم

لَتَنهاهُمُ الأَيّامُ عَنها لَوِ انتَهَوا

لَتَنهاهُمُ الأَيّامُ عَنها لَوِ انتَهَوا

The sons of this world have become engrossed in it, though they

The sons of this world cling to it though

are surely warned against it by the days, if only they would desist.

The days will wean them from it, if they but weaned.

مَضى قَبلَنا قَومٌ قُرونٌ نَعُدُّها

مَضى قَبلَنا قَومٌ قُرونٌ نَعُدُّها

وَنَحنُ وَشيكاً سَوفَ نَمضي كَما مَضَوا

وَنَحنُ وَشيكاً سَوفَ نَمضي كَما مَضَوا

Peoples passed away before us—generations we count;

Before us generations passed, epochs we count,

and we shall soon pass away as they did.

And soon we too shall pass as they have passed.

أَلا في سَبيلِ اللَهِ أَيُّ نَدامَةٍ

أَلا في سَبيلِ اللَهِ أَيُّ نَدامَةٍ

نَموتُ كَما ماتَ الأُلى كُلَّما خَلَوا

نَموتُ كَما ماتَ الأُلى كُلَّما خَلَوا

Ah, for God's sake, what regret:

In God's cause, what remorse not to die

we die as those before us died, as each passed on,

As those before died, whenever they withdrew!

وَلَم نَتَزَوَّد لِلمَعادِ وَهَولِهِ

وَلَم نَتَزَوَّد لِلمَعادِ وَهَولِهِ

كَزادِ الَّذينَ استَعصَموا اللَهَ وَاتَّقَوا

كَزادِ الَّذينَ استَعصَموا اللَهَ وَاتَّقَوا

yet we have taken no provisions for the final return and its terror,

Nor for the Resurrection have we provided,

like the provisions of those who sought refuge in God and were God-fearing.

As those who feared God and piety pursued.

أَلا أَينَ أَينَ الجامِعونَ لِغَيرِهِم

أَلا أَينَ أَينَ الجامِعونَ لِغَيرِهِم

وَما غَلَبوا غَشماً عَلَيهِ وَما اِحتَوَوا

وَما غَلَبوا غَشماً عَلَيهِ وَما اِحتَوَوا

Ah, where, where are those who amassed for others,

Oh where, where are they - the hoarders for others?

and what they seized unjustly, and what they possessed?

Never did abundance make them overbear nor swell.

رَأَيتُ بَني الدُنيا إِذا ما سَمَوا بِها

رَأَيتُ بَني الدُنيا إِذا ما سَمَوا بِها

هَوَت بِهِمِ الدُنيا عَلى قَدرِ ما سَمَوا

هَوَت بِهِمِ الدُنيا عَلى قَدرِ ما سَمَوا

I have seen the sons of this world: whenever they rose through it,

The high-climbers of this world, I observed,

the world plunged down with them in proportion to how high they rose.

Descend according to how high they climb.

وَكُلُّ بَني الدُنيا وَلَو تاهَ تائِهٌ

وَكُلُّ بَني الدُنيا وَلَو تاهَ تائِهٌ

قَدِ اعتَدَلوا في الضَعفِ وَالنَقصِ وَاستَوَوا

قَدِ اعتَدَلوا في الضَعفِ وَالنَقصِ وَاستَوَوا

And all the sons of this world, even if a proud man boasts,

All mortal humankind, though gone astray,

are indeed alike in weakness and imperfection, and stand equal.

Are leveled in frailty, want and equality.

وَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ الصِدقِ أَجلى لِوَحشَةٍ

وَلَم أَرَ مِثلَ الصِدقِ أَجلى لِوَحشَةٍ

وَلا مِثلَ إِخوانِ الصَلاحِ إِذا اتَّقَوا

وَلا مِثلَ إِخوانِ الصَلاحِ إِذا اتَّقَوا

And I have seen nothing like truthfulness for dispelling loneliness,

Naught like sincerity have I seen

nor like righteous brothers, when they are God-fearing.

To warm a stranger's heart, where the righteous bond.