1. أعلماني أيّ برهانٍ جَلي

    فتقولانِ بتفضيلِ عليِّ

    Tell me, you two: what clear proof

    would make you proclaim Ali's superiority,

  2. بعدَما قام خطيباً مُعلِناً

    يوم خُمِّ باجتماعِ المَحْفِلِ

    after he stood as an orator, proclaiming openly,

    on the day of Khumm, amid the gathered assembly—

  3. أحمدُ الخير ونادى جاهِراً

    بمقالٍ منه لم يُفْتَعَلِ

    Ahmad the good—and cried out aloud

    with words of his that were not fabricated?

  4. قالَ إنّ اللهَ قد خَبَّرني

    في معاريضِ الكتابِ المُنْزَلِ

    He said: “God has indeed informed me

    in the allusions of the revealed Book

  5. أنّه أكمل ديناً قيّماً

    بعليِّ بعد أن لم يَكْمُلِ

    that He perfected an upright religion

    through Ali, after it had been incomplete.

  6. وهو سَيفي ولِساني ويدي

    ونَصيري أبداً لم يزلِ

    And he is my sword, my tongue, and my hand,

    and he has never ceased to be my helper.

  7. وهو صِنوي وصفييّ والذي

    حبُّه في الحشرِ خيرُ العَمَلِ

    And he is my counterpart, my chosen friend, and the one

    love for whom at the final gathering is the best of deeds.

  8. نورُه نوري ونوري نورُهُ

    وهو بي متّصلٌ لم يُفْصَلِ

    His light is my light, and my light is his light;

    and he is joined to me, never severed.

  9. وهو فيكم من مقامي بدلٌ

    ويلُ من بَدَّل عهدَ البَدَلِ

    And he is among you a deputy in my place;

    woe to whoever alters the covenant of that deputy!

  10. قوله قولي فمن يأمرُهُ

    فَلْيُطِعْهُ فيه ولَيمتَثِلِ

    His word is my word; so whoever he commands,

    let him obey him in it and comply.

  11. إنّما مولاكم بعدي إذا

    حانَ موتي ودنا مُرْتَحلي

    Your only master after me, when

    my death comes and my departure draws near,

  12. ابنُ عمّي ووصيِّ وأَخي

    ومُجيبي في الرَّعيلِ الأوّلِ

    is my cousin, my executor, and my brother,

    and the one who answered me among the first band.

  13. وهو بابٌ لعلومي فسُقوا

    ماءُ صَبرٍ بنقيع الحنظلِ

    And he is a gate to my knowledge.” So they were given to drink

    water of aloes with an infusion of colocynth.

  14. قطّبوا في وجههِ وائتمروا

    بينهم فيه بأمرٍ مُعْضِلٍ

    They scowled in his face and took counsel

    among themselves about him over a difficult matter.