فَلا تَصحَب أَخا الجَهلِ

فَلا تَصحَب أَخا الجَهلِ

وَإياكَ وَاِيّاهُ

وَإياكَ وَاِيّاهُ

So do not befriend a brother of ignorance,

Do not befriend the ignorant one,

Do not keep company with the brother of ignorance,

and beware of him.

And beware of him.

And beware, oh beware of him.

فَكَم مِن جاهِلٍ أَردى

فَكَم مِن جاهِلٍ أَردى

حَليماً حينَ آخاهُ

حَليماً حينَ آخاهُ

For many an ignorant man has ruined

For how many wise men has an ignorant one led astray,

For how many an ignorant man has brought ruin

a forbearing man when the latter befriended him.

When he befriended him.

To a prudent one when he befriended him.

يُقاسُ المَرءُ بِالمَرءِ

يُقاسُ المَرءُ بِالمَرءِ

إِذا ما هُوَ ما شاهُ

إِذا ما هُوَ ما شاهُ

A man is measured by another man

A man is judged by the company he keeps,

A man is measured by the man

when he walks with him,

When he is with one like himself.

With whom he walks and associates,

كَحَذو النَعلِ بِالنَعلِ

كَحَذو النَعلِ بِالنَعلِ

إِذا ما النَعلُ حاذاهُ

إِذا ما النَعلُ حاذاهُ

like matching one sandal to another,

Like the matching of sandal to sandal,

Like the alignment of a sandal with a sandal

when one sandal is aligned with the other.

When one sandal matches the other.

When the footwear matches its mate.

وَلِلقَلبِ عَلى القَلبِ

وَلِلقَلبِ عَلى القَلبِ

دَليلٌ حينَ يَلقاهُ

دَليلٌ حينَ يَلقاهُ

And a heart, concerning another heart,

And heart to heart is a guide,

And the heart possesses, regarding the other heart,

has a sign when it meets the other.

When they meet each other.

A guide revealing truth when it meets it.

وَلِلشَيءِ مِن الشَيءِ

وَلِلشَيءِ مِن الشَيءِ

مَقاييسٌ وَأَشباهُ

مَقاييسٌ وَأَشباهُ

And for one thing, from another,

And things have standards and similarities with each other.

And for everything, in relation to another thing,

there are measures and likenesses.

And the eye has richness for the eye,

There are measures and resemblances.

وَفي العَينِ غِنىً لِلعَي

وَفي العَينِ غِنىً لِلعَي

نِ إِن تَنطِق وَأَفواهُ

نِ إِن تَنطِق وَأَفواهُ

And in the eye is sufficiency for the

If they speak though they have no mouths.

And in the eye is sufficiency for the eye,

eye, if it and mouths speak.

Wealth lies in souls while poverty lies in them too.

Should it speak, serving in the place of mouths.

الغِنى في النُفوسِ وَالفَقرُ فيها

الغِنى في النُفوسِ وَالفَقرُ فيها

اِن تَجَزَّت فَقَلَّ ما يُجزيها

اِن تَجَزَّت فَقَلَّ ما يُجزيها

Wealth lies in souls, and poverty lies within them.

If souls are stingy, how little satisfies them!

True wealth lies in souls, and poverty is therein;

If they are content, little suffices them.

Teach the soul to be content, or else

If they are covetous, little can satisfy them.

عَلِّلِ النَفسَ بِالقَنوعِ وَاِلّا

عَلِّلِ النَفسَ بِالقَنوعِ وَاِلّا

طَلَبَت مِنكَ فَوقَ ما يَكفيها

طَلَبَت مِنكَ فَوقَ ما يَكفيها

Soothe the soul with contentment; otherwise,

It will ask more of you than suffices it.

Soothe the soul with contentment, for otherwise

it will demand from you more than suffices it.

In what is past and what has yet to come,

It will demand of you more than it needs.

لَيسَ فيما مَضى وَلا في الَّذي لَم

لَيسَ فيما مَضى وَلا في الَّذي لَم

يَأتِ مِن لِذَةٍ لُمستَحلّيها

يَأتِ مِن لِذَةٍ لُمستَحلّيها

Neither in what has passed nor in what has not

There is no pleasure for one who demands it.

There is nothing in the past, nor in what has not

yet come is there any pleasure for one who savors it.

You are but the shadow of your lifetime. Whatever

Yet come, of pleasure for the one who seeks it.

إِنَّما أَنتَ ظلّ عُمركَ ما عَم

إِنَّما أَنتَ ظلّ عُمركَ ما عَم

مَرتَ بِالساعَةِ الَّتي أَنتَ فيها

مَرتَ بِالساعَةِ الَّتي أَنتَ فيها

You are only the shadow of your lifetime, for as long as you

Hour you are in, that's all there is.

You are but the shadow of your life, for as long as

live, in the hour in which you are.

You live, defined by the very hour you are in.