اللَهُGod أَكرَمَناhonored us بِنَصرِthrough aiding نَبِيِّهِHis Prophet
اللَهُ أَكرَمَنا بِنَصرِ نَبِيِّهِ
وَبِناand through us أَقامَHe established دَعائِمَthe pillars الإِسلامِof Islam
وَبِنا أَقامَ دَعائِمَ الإِسلامِ
God honored us through our support of His Prophet,
God honored us through support for His Prophet,
and through us He established Islam’s pillars.
and through us He established the pillars of Islam.
وَبِناand through us أَعَزَّHe strengthened نَبِيَّهُHis Prophet وَكِتابَهُand His Book
وَبِنا أَعَزَّ نَبِيَّهُ وَكِتابَهُ
وَأَعَزَّناand He made us mighty بِالضَربِthrough striking وَالإِقدامِand bold advance
وَأَعَزَّنا بِالضَربِ وَالإِقدامِ
Through us He strengthened His Prophet and His Book,
And through us He strengthened His Prophet and His Book,
and made us mighty through the sword and bold advance.
and made us mighty through striking and bold advance.
فيin كُلِّevery مُعتَرَكٍbattleground تُطيرُsend flying سُيوفُناour swords
في كُلِّ مُعتَرَكٍ تُطيرُ سُيوفُنا
فيهِthere الجَماجِمَthe skulls عَنaway from فِراخِthe brains of الهامِthe heads
فيهِ الجَماجِمَ عَن فِراخِ الهامِ
In every melee our swords send flying
In every battleground our swords send flying
the skulls from the brains—the nestlings of the heads.
the skulls there, away from the brains within the heads.
يَنتابُناvisits us جِبريلُGabriel فيin أَبياتِناour homes
يَنتابُنا جِبريلُ في أَبياتِنا
بِفَرائِضِwith the obligations الإِسلامِof Islam وَالأَحكامِand the rulings
بِفَرائِضِ الإِسلامِ وَالأَحكامِ
Gabriel visits us within our dwellings,
Gabriel visits us in our homes,
bearing Islam’s ordinances and judgments.
with the obligations of Islam and its rulings.
يَتلوhe recites عَلَيناto us النورَthe light فيهاin them مُحكَماًfirmly established
يَتلو عَلَينا النورَ فيها مُحكَماً
قِسماًa portion لَعَمرُكَby your life لَيسَis not كَالأَقسامِlike other portions
قِسماً لَعَمرُكَ لَيسَ كَالأَقسامِ
There he recites the Light to us, made unassailable—
He recites to us in them the light, firmly established,
I swear by your life, an oath unlike all other oaths.
a portion—by your life—unlike other portions.
فَنَكونُso we are أَوَّلَthe first مُستَحِلِّone who deems lawful حَلالِهِwhat He permits
فَنَكونُ أَوَّلَ مُستَحِلِّ حَلالِهِ
وَمُحَرِّمٍand one who forbids لِلَّهِfor God كُلَّevery حَرامِforbidden thing
وَمُحَرِّمٍ لِلَّهِ كُلَّ حَرامِ
Thus we are the first to deem lawful what it makes lawful,
Thus we are the first to deem lawful what He permits,
and to forbid, for God, every forbidden thing.
and, for God's sake, to forbid all that is forbidden.
نَحنُwe الخِيارُthe choicest مِنَof البَرِيَّةِcreation كُلِّهاall of it
نَحنُ الخِيارُ مِنَ البَرِيَّةِ كُلِّها
وَنظامُهاand its binding thread وَزِمامُand the rein of كُلِّevery زِمامِrein
وَنظامُها وَزِمامُ كُلِّ زِمامِ
We are the chosen ones of all creation,
We are the choicest of all creation,
its binding thread and the rein of every rein:
and its binding thread, and the rein of every rein;
الخائِضوthose who wade into غَمَراتِthe depths of كُلِّevery مَنِيَّةٍdeath
الخائِضو غَمَراتِ كُلِّ مَنِيَّةٍ
وَالضامِنونَand those who shoulder حَوادِثَthe calamities of الأَيّامِthe days
وَالضامِنونَ حَوادِثَ الأَيّامِ
those who plunge into the depths of every death,
those who wade into the depths of every deadly peril,
who answer for the calamities of time,
and those who shoulder the calamities of the days;
وَالمُبرِمونَand those who twist tight قُوىthe strands of الأُمورِaffairs بِعِزِّهِمby their might
وَالمُبرِمونَ قُوى الأُمورِ بِعِزِّهِم
وَالناقِضونَand those who unravel مَرائِرَthe tightly twisted cords of الأَقوامِpeoples
وَالناقِضونَ مَرائِرَ الأَقوامِ
who bind the cords of affairs firm with their might,
and those who twist tight the strands of affairs by their might,
and break the hardest cords of nations.
and those who unravel the tightly twisted cords of peoples.
سائِلask أَباAbu (father of) كَرِبٍKarib وَسائِلand ask تُبَّعاًTubbaʿ
سائِل أَبا كَرِبٍ وَسائِل تُبَّعاً
عَنّاabout us وَأَهلَand the people of العِترِthe idols وَالأَزلامِand divining arrows
عَنّا وَأَهلَ العِترِ وَالأَزلامِ
Ask Abū Karib, and ask Tubbaʿ
Ask Abu Karib, and ask Tubbaʿ
about us—and the folk of sacrificial rites and divining arrows.
about us, and ask the people of idols and divining arrows;
وَاِسأَلand ask ذَويthose possessing الأَلبابِunderstanding مِنamong سَرَواتِهِمtheir nobles
وَاِسأَل ذَوي الأَلبابِ مِن سَرَواتِهِم
يَومَthe day of العُهَينِal-ʿUhayn فَحاجِرٍthen Hajir فَرُؤامِthen Ruʾam
يَومَ العُهَينِ فَحاجِرٍ فَرُؤامِ
Ask also the discerning men among their nobles
and ask the men of understanding among their nobles
about the day of al-ʿUhayn, then Hājir, then Ruʾām.
about the day at al-ʿUhayn, then Hajir, then Ruʾam.
إِنّاindeed we لَنَمنَعُsurely we protect مَنwhomever أَرَدناwe wished مَنعَهُto protect him
إِنّا لَنَمنَعُ مَن أَرَدنا مَنعَهُ
وَنَجودُand we give generously بِالمَعروفِwith kindness لِلمُعتامِto the supplicant
وَنَجودُ بِالمَعروفِ لِلمُعتامِ
We surely protect whomever we wish to protect,
Indeed, we surely protect whomever we wish to protect,
and lavish kindness upon whoever comes seeking it.
and freely bestow kindness on the supplicant.
وَتَرُدُّand repel عادِيَةَthe onslaught of الخَميسِthe army سُيوفُناour swords
وَتَرُدُّ عادِيَةَ الخَميسِ سُيوفُنا
وَنُقيمُand we straighten رَأسَthe head of الأَصيَدَthe haughty one القَمقامِthe mighty chief
وَنُقيمُ رَأسَ الأَصيَدَ القَمقامِ
Our swords turn back the army’s onslaught,
And our swords repel the army's onslaught,
and raise aloft the proud and mighty chief.
and we straighten the head of the haughty, mighty chief.
ماnot زالَceased وَقعُthe blows of سُيوفِناour swords وَرِماحِناand our spears
ما زالَ وَقعُ سُيوفِنا وَرِماحِنا
فيon كُلِّevery يَومِday of تَجالُدٍsword-fighting وَتَراميand exchanging missiles
في كُلِّ يَومِ تَجالُدٍ وَتَرامي
Never have the blows of our swords and spears ceased
The blows of our swords and spears never ceased
on any day of hand-to-hand struggle and mutual volleys,
on every day of sword-fighting and exchanged volleys,
حَتّىuntil تَرَكناwe left الأَرضَthe land سَهلاًsmooth حَزنُهاits rugged ground
حَتّى تَرَكنا الأَرضَ سَهلاً حَزنُها
مَنظومَةًstrung together مِنfrom خَيلِناour horses بِنِظامِin ordered ranks
مَنظومَةً مِن خَيلِنا بِنِظامِ
until we left the land, its rugged ground made smooth,
until we left the land, its rugged ground made smooth,
strung with our cavalry as though upon a cord.
strung with our horses in orderly ranks.
وَنَجاand escaped أَراهِطُbands of men أَبعَطواthey fled far away وَلَوَand if اِنَّهُمthat they
وَنَجا أَراهِطُ أَبعَطوا وَلَوَ اِنَّهُم
ثَبَتواthey stood firm لَماwould not رَجَعواthey returned إِذاًthen بِسَلامِin safety
ثَبَتوا لَما رَجَعوا إِذاً بِسَلامِ
Some little bands escaped, fleeing far; but had they
And bands of men escaped, fleeing far away; had they
stood firm, they would never then have returned in safety.
stood firm, they would not then have returned in safety.
فَلَإِنso if indeed فَخَرتُI boasted بِهِمof them لَمِثلُsurely the like of قَديمِهِمtheir ancient glory
فَلَإِن فَخَرتُ بِهِم لَمِثلُ قَديمِهِم
فَخَرَboasted اللَبيبُthe wise man بِهِof it عَلىover الأَقوامِthe peoples
فَخَرَ اللَبيبُ بِهِ عَلى الأَقوامِ
And if I boast of them, surely the like of their ancient glory is
So if I boast of them, surely glory of old like theirs
what the wise man boasts of above all peoples.
is what the wise man boasts of over other peoples.
