لا تدعَونّ المغرب العشا ولا

لا تدعَونّ المغرب العشا ولا

تدعُ العشاء عَتَمةً ذا نُقلا

تدعُ العشاء عَتَمةً ذا نُقلا

Never call the Maghrib prayer ‘ʿIshāʾ,’ nor

Do not call the West evening, nor

call the ʿIshāʾ prayer ‘ʿAtamah’; this has been transmitted.

Call the evening a darkening with stars

ولا تُسَمّ طيبةً بيثربِ

ولا تُسَمّ طيبةً بيثربِ

فإنها طيّبةٌ بالطيِّبِ

فإنها طيّبةٌ بالطيِّبِ

Nor call Ṭaybah ‘Yathrib,’

And do not name Teybah as Yathrib

for it is good through the Good One.

For it is good with goodness

ولا تقل إنِّي نسيت آيه

ولا تقل إنِّي نسيت آيه

فالنهي عن ذا صح في الروايه

فالنهي عن ذا صح في الروايه

And do not say, ‘I have forgotten a verse,’

And do not say I forgot a verse

for the prohibition of this is established in the narration.

For the prohibition of that is sound in the narration

ولا تقل قد خبثت نفسي وقل

ولا تقل قد خبثت نفسي وقل

قد لَقِسَت تلفظاً بما حُمِل

قد لَقِسَت تلفظاً بما حُمِل

And do not say, ‘My soul has become foul’; instead say,

And do not say my soul has corrupted, but say

‘It has become queasy,’ using the wording handed down.

It has hardened in pronunciation of what it bore

ولا تقل عقيقة لما نُحرْ

ولا تقل عقيقة لما نُحرْ

عن ولد ففيه نهي قد ذكر

عن ولد ففيه نهي قد ذكر

Nor call what is slaughtered ‘ʿaqīqah’

And do not say ‘uqeeqah when a sacrifice

on behalf of a child, for a prohibition of this has been mentioned.

For a child, for an explicit prohibition is mentioned

ولا تُسمِّ الكرم أشجارَ العنبْ

ولا تُسمِّ الكرم أشجارَ العنبْ

فالكرمُ قلبُ المسلم العالي الرتب

فالكرمُ قلبُ المسلم العالي الرتب

And do not call grapevines ‘karm,’

And do not name grapevines the generosity

for ‘karm’ is the heart of the Muslim, lofty in rank.

For generosity is the heart of the high ranking Muslim

لا تدعُ من لا حجَّ بالصروره

لا تدعُ من لا حجَّ بالصروره

لنهي آثارٍ بدت مأثوره

لنهي آثارٍ بدت مأثوره

Do not call someone who has not performed the pilgrimage ‘ṣarūrah,’

Do not call one who did not make Hajj with a litter

because a prohibition is evident in reports handed down.

For prohibitive traces have appeared handed down

قوس السحاب لا تقل قوس قزح

قوس السحاب لا تقل قوس قزح

لكن قوس الله قل قد أوضح

لكن قوس الله قل قد أوضح

Do not call the clouds’ bow ‘the bow of Quzaḥ,’

The bow of clouds do not call the rainbow

but say ‘the bow of God’; this has been made clear.

Rather say the bow of God has been made clear

وبالرفاء والبنين لا تكن

وبالرفاء والبنين لا تكن

مهنئاً بزوجةٍ فالنهي سُن

مهنئاً بزوجةٍ فالنهي سُن

And do not use ‘harmony and sons’

And with affluence and children do not

to congratulate someone on taking a wife, for the prohibition was prescribed.

Congratulate on a wife, for the prohibition is set