إِذا لاقى بَنو مَروانَ سَلّوا

إِذا لاقى بَنو مَروانَ سَلّوا

لِدينِ اللَهِ أَسيافاً غِضابا

لِدينِ اللَهِ أَسيافاً غِضابا

Whenever Marwan’s sons met their foe, they drew

When the sons of Marwan meet the foe, they draw

wrathful swords for the faith of God—

For God's faith, wrathful swords—

صَوارِمَ تَمنَعُ الإِسلامَ مِنهُم

صَوارِمَ تَمنَعُ الإِسلامَ مِنهُم

يُوَكَّلُ وَقعُهُنَّ بِمَن أَرابا

يُوَكَّلُ وَقعُهُنَّ بِمَن أَرابا

keen blades that shield Islam from them,

Keen blades of theirs that defend Islam,

their blows set upon whoever gave cause for suspicion.

Their blows assigned to whoever arouses suspicion.

بِهِنَّ لَقوا بِمَكَّةَ مُلحِديها

بِهِنَّ لَقوا بِمَكَّةَ مُلحِديها

وَمَسكِنَ يُحسِنونَ بِها الضَرابا

وَمَسكِنَ يُحسِنونَ بِها الضَرابا

With them they confronted Mecca’s profaners,

With them, in Mecca, they faced its heretics,

and at Maskin they struck skillfully with them in battle.

And at Maskin, wielding them skillfully in combat.

فَلَم يَترُكنَ مِن أَحَدٍ يُصَلّي

فَلَم يَترُكنَ مِن أَحَدٍ يُصَلّي

وَراءَ مُكَذِّبٍ إِلّا أَنابا

وَراءَ مُكَذِّبٍ إِلّا أَنابا

They left no one who prayed

So they left no one who prayed

behind its gainsayer but that he returned

Behind a denier without either returning

إِلى الإِسلامِ أَو لاقى ذَميماً

إِلى الإِسلامِ أَو لاقى ذَميماً

بِها رُكنَ المَنِيَّةِ وَالحِسابا

بِها رُكنَ المَنِيَّةِ وَالحِسابا

to Islam—or met, disgraced,

To Islam or meeting, disgraced,

by those swords, the pillar of death and the Reckoning.

Through them, death's pillar and the reckoning.

وَعَرَّدَ عَن بَنيهِ الكَسبُ مِنهُم

وَعَرَّدَ عَن بَنيهِ الكَسبُ مِنهُم

وَلَو كانوا ذَوي غَلَقٍ شَغابا

وَلَو كانوا ذَوي غَلَقٍ شَغابا

The hope of gaining redress from them fled his sons,

And al-Kasb fled from them, abandoning his sons,

even if they were men of fierce, quarrelsome temper.

Even though they were ill-tempered and contentious.