ربO Lord هذاthis شعريmy poetry وهذاand this بيانيmy declaration
رب هذا شعري وهذا بياني
شهداboth bore witness ليon my behalf بصحةto the soundness of الإيمانfaith
شهدا لي بصحة الإيمان
O Lord, this is my poetry, and this my declaration;
Lord, this is my poetry and this is my rhetoric
both have borne witness to the soundness of my faith.
Bearing witness to the soundness of my faith
ليَI have داعa prompting منfrom فطرتيmy inborn nature قبلbefore أنthat أتI read (first part of أتلو)
ليَ داع من فطرتي قبل أن أت
لوcompletion of أتلو: 'I read' كتاباًa book إلىto اليقينcertainty هدانيguided me
لو كتاباً إلى اليقين هداني
A prompting from my inborn nature, before I read
I have an innate call before I came
a book, guided me to certainty.
Even if a book had guided me to certainty
منwhoever يكنmay have قامstood firm بالعقائدin the creeds تقليby imitation (first part of تقليداً)
من يكن قام بالعقائد تقلي
داًcompletion of تقليداً: 'by imitation' فإنيbut indeed I استقمتI stood firm بالبرهانthrough proof
داً فإني استقمت بالبرهان
If anyone has upheld beliefs through imitation,
Whoever established beliefs out of blind imitation
I, however, have stood firm through proof.
I have stood firm in reasoning
مسلماًas a Muslim عشتI lived لاnot لإسلامbecause of the Islam of أميmy mother
مسلماً عشت لا لإسلام أمي
وأبيand my father والأميرand the emir والسلطانand the sultan
وأبي والأمير والسلطان
I have lived as a Muslim, not because of my mother's Islam,
I lived as a Muslim, not for the Islam of my mother
or my father's, the emir's, or the sultan's.
And father and prince and sultan
أناI لوif كنتI had been ناشئاًgrowing up ومقيماًand residing
أنا لو كنت ناشئاً ومقيماً
بينamong قومa people منof عابديworshippers of الأوثانidols
بين قوم من عابدي الأوثان
If I had grown up and lived
If I had been brought up and settled
among a people who worship idols,
Amongst a people who worship idols
لمnot أجدI would find غيرother than دينthe faith of أحمدAhmad أولىmore worthy
لم أجد غير دين أحمد أولى
باتباعof following منthan سائرall the other الأديانreligions
باتباع من سائر الأديان
I would have found no faith but Ahmad's more worthy
I would have found no religion worthier
of following than all the other religions.
Of adherence than the religion of Ahmad