خذوا حظكم منها إلى مطلع الفجر

خذوا حظكم منها إلى مطلع الفجر

فقد أسعفتكم باللقا ليلة القدر

فقد أسعفتكم باللقا ليلة القدر

Take your share of it until the break of dawn,

Take your share of it till the break of dawn

for the Night of Decree has favored you with a meeting.

For the night of Al-Qadr has enabled you to meet

ولا تخدعوا عن ليلة قد تنزلت

ولا تخدعوا عن ليلة قد تنزلت

بأرجائها الاملاك والروح بالأمر

بأرجائها الاملاك والروح بالأمر

And do not be cheated of a night in which there have descended

And be not deceived about a night in which descended

throughout its reaches the angels and the Spirit, by divine command.

The angels and the Spirit by the command

فزبدة هذا العام في الفضل شهركم

فزبدة هذا العام في الفضل شهركم

وليلتكم فاستبشروا زبدة الشهر

وليلتكم فاستبشروا زبدة الشهر

For in merit your month is the cream of this year,

So the cream of this year, in virtue, is your month

and your night—rejoice!—is the cream of the month.

And your night, so receive good news, the cream of the month

وخير ملك الشرق والغرب أحمد

وخير ملك الشرق والغرب أحمد

وأيامكم في ملكه زبدة الدهر

وأيامكم في ملكه زبدة الدهر

And the finest king of East and West is Ahmad,

And the best of the kings of the East and West is Ahmad

and your days under his rule are the cream of time.

And your days during his reign are the cream of time

وانتم نجوم الأرض نلتم به السما

وانتم نجوم الأرض نلتم به السما

وشاد لكم فيها بيوتا من الفخر

وشاد لكم فيها بيوتا من الفخر

And you, the stars of earth, have reached the sky through him,

And you are the stars of the earth, through him you attained the sky

and there he has raised houses of glory for you.

And he built in it for you houses of pride

واطلع منكم في سماوات مجده

واطلع منكم في سماوات مجده

نجوما بدا فيها محياه كالبدر

نجوما بدا فيها محياه كالبدر

And he has caused to rise, from among you, in the heavens of his glory,

And there emerged among you in the heavens of his glory

stars among which his countenance appeared like the full moon.

Stars which his life that shone like the full moon

وأحيا ليالي الصوم منكم بفتية

وأحيا ليالي الصوم منكم بفتية

منيبين فيها للصلاة وللذكر

منيبين فيها للصلاة وللذكر

And he has enlivened the nights of fasting with young men from among you,

And he gave life during the nights of fasting through you youth

turning penitently during them to prayer and remembrance.

Humbling themselves during it for prayers and remembrance

وقدم سعيا صالحا قد شهدتم

وقدم سعيا صالحا قد شهدتم

على بعضه مرب على الحمد والشكر

على بعضه مرب على الحمد والشكر

And he has offered righteous service—you have borne witness

And he presented righteous deeds which you have witnessed

to some of it—surpassing praise and thanks.

Thanking and praising for some of it the Praised One

وفي كل عام مبدع فضل نعمة

وفي كل عام مبدع فضل نعمة

عليكم واكراما بنوع من البر

عليكم واكراما بنوع من البر

And each year he brings forth a fresh, generous blessing

And every year he initiates grace of blessing upon you

for you, and honors you with some form of kindness.

And honoring in a kind of righteousness

مضى الشهر يثنى عليه بالخير كله

مضى الشهر يثنى عليه بالخير كله

وأيامه بالأجر مثقلة الظهر

وأيامه بالأجر مثقلة الظهر

The month has passed, praising him for all his goodness,

The month has passed, praised for all the good in it

and its days have backs laden with reward.

And its days heavy laden with rewards

هنيئاً لكم هذا المقام على التقا

هنيئاً لكم هذا المقام على التقا

وعصمتكم فيه عن اللغو والهجر

وعصمتكم فيه عن اللغو والهجر

Joy to you in this station of piety,

Congratulations to you for this position of piety

and in your protection there from idle talk and foul speech.

And your protection in it from sin and abandonment

فيا جامعا شمل الهدى برجاله

فيا جامعا شمل الهدى برجاله

على الطاعة أبشر بالسعادة والنصر

على الطاعة أبشر بالسعادة والنصر

So, O you who unite the ranks of guidance with its men,

So oh gatherer of the people of guidance, by its men

in obedience, rejoice in happiness and victory.

On obedience, receive good tidings of happiness and victory

لعمري لقد اكرمت شهرا مكرما

لعمري لقد اكرمت شهرا مكرما

وعظمته حتى شفى غلة الصدر

وعظمته حتى شفى غلة الصدر

By my life, you have indeed honored a month held in honor,

By my life, you have honored a noble month

and exalted it until it quenched the breast's burning thirst.

And magnified it until healing the sickness of the chests

ولم ترض بالتعظيم من حرماته

ولم ترض بالتعظيم من حرماته

له منك بالشيء القليل ولا النزر

له منك بالشيء القليل ولا النزر

Nor were you content, in revering its sanctities,

And you were not pleased with revering its sanctities

with any small or scant tribute from you to it.

With little or insignificant thing from you

جزيت جزاء المحسنين عن الهدى

جزيت جزاء المحسنين عن الهدى

فقد زدته قدرا جليلا على قدر

فقد زدته قدرا جليلا على قدر

May you be rewarded as the virtuous are, for upholding guidance,

May you be rewarded the reward of the beneficent

for you have added lofty dignity to its dignity;

For you have increased its value, a great value over its value

وعن أمة مازلت تحطم دونها

وعن أمة مازلت تحطم دونها

مواضي الهند والأسل والسمر

مواضي الهند والأسل والسمر

and on behalf of a community in whose defense you ceaselessly shatter

And about a nation, you continue to destroy around it

the keen blades of India, the spears, and the brown lances.

Meadows of India, the Nile, and the thickets

وتدفع عن اموالها وحريمها

وتدفع عن اموالها وحريمها

بضرب وطعن في الجماجم والنحر

بضرب وطعن في الجماجم والنحر

And you defend its wealth and its womenfolk

And defend its wealth and women

with blows and thrusts into skulls and throats.

With striking and stabbing in the skulls and the slaughter

وزعزعت بالأعدا الصياصي ورعتهم

وزعزعت بالأعدا الصياصي ورعتهم

بسمر القنا والشر يدفع بالشر

بسمر القنا والشر يدفع بالشر

And you have shaken the enemies' strongholds and terrified them

And you have shaken the millstones of politics and made them pious

with brown spear-shafts; evil is repelled by evil.

With the poison of arrows and evil is repelled with evil

إلى أن تركت الاسد منهم ثعالباً

إلى أن تركت الاسد منهم ثعالباً

تملق ذلا بالتودد والشكر

تملق ذلا بالتودد والشكر

Until you left the lions among them as foxes,

Until you left the lions among them foxes

fawning in abasement with affection and thanks.

Flattering humbly with affection and thanks

ورمحك منصوب بكل مفازة

ورمحك منصوب بكل مفازة

وبين يدي من سار في البر والبحر

وبين يدي من سار في البر والبحر

And your spear is planted in every desert waste,

And your spear set up in every horizon

and before all who travel on land and sea.

And before whom marched on land and sea

وحبك موقوف على البيض والقنا

وحبك موقوف على البيض والقنا

ولا سيما إن جردت والدما تجرى

ولا سيما إن جردت والدما تجرى

And your love is reserved for white blades and spear-shafts,

And your love conditional on the innocent and the guilty

and especially when they are bared and blood flows.

Especially if you strip off and blood flows

تعاقب إصلاحا وتعطى تبرعا

تعاقب إصلاحا وتعطى تبرعا

وتعدى أياديك المقل من المثرى

وتعدى أياديك المقل من المثرى

You punish to reform, and give freely,

You punish correcting and give voluntarily

and your favors give the poor redress against the rich.

And your hands exceed the scarce rain

فلا أمن إلا أن سيفك يتقى

فلا أمن إلا أن سيفك يتقى

ولا رزق إلا أن جودك كالقطر

ولا رزق إلا أن جودك كالقطر

So there is no safety unless your sword is feared,

So none feels safe unless your sword is feared

and no sustenance but your generosity, which is like rain.

And no livelihood unless your generosity is like drops of rain

أتيت اكتفاء بالحدود وذكرها

أتيت اكتفاء بالحدود وذكرها

وقلت يدي حدى وافعالها ذكرى

وقلت يدي حدى وافعالها ذكرى

You came, content with the limits and their mention,

You have sufficed with defending the limits and mentioning them

and said, 'My hand is my limit, and its deeds my renown.'

And said my hand is my limit and my deeds are my remembrance

وما نسب الإِنسان إلا فعاله

وما نسب الإِنسان إلا فعاله

وافعالك الحسنى بها غاية الفخر

وافعالك الحسنى بها غاية الفخر

And a man's lineage is nothing but his deeds,

And man is attributed nothing but his deeds

and in your noble deeds lies the utmost glory.

And your good deeds, the pinnacle of glory

وأنت ابن إسماعيل والملك الذي

وأنت ابن إسماعيل والملك الذي

اوائله في الملك مبتكروا الدهر

اوائله في الملك مبتكروا الدهر

And you are Ismail's son, and the king whose

And you are the son of Ismail and the king whom

forebears in kingship were the pioneers of time.

The early kings innovated the ages

تملكتم والدهر طفل قديمكم

تملكتم والدهر طفل قديمكم

إلى اليوم من عهد التتابعة الغر

إلى اليوم من عهد التتابعة الغر

You reigned while time was a child; your ancient line

You took power while time was an ancient infant

runs to this day from the age of the illustrious Tubbaʿ kings.

To this day from the era of continuous migration

وقمت بأمر أعجز الدهر كونه

وقمت بأمر أعجز الدهر كونه

قيام مطاع القول متبع الأمر

قيام مطاع القول متبع الأمر

And you undertook a task that time could not bring into being,

And you stood for a matter that exhausted time in its existence

with the stance of one whose word is obeyed and whose command is followed.

The standing of the obeyed word and followed order

ومدحك مفروض على كل مسلم

ومدحك مفروض على كل مسلم

وهذا إدا فرضى سلمت من الوزر

وهذا إدا فرضى سلمت من الوزر

And praising you is incumbent on every Muslim,

And your praise is obligatory on every Muslim

and this, then, is my duty; I am free of sin.

And this, if ordained, I am saved from sin

فدتك ملوك لا تهش لمدحة

فدتك ملوك لا تهش لمدحة

ولا ترتجي يوما لنائبة الدهر

ولا ترتجي يوما لنائبة الدهر

So may you be ransomed by kings who do not welcome praise,

Kings ransom you, not valuing praise

nor are ever looked to amid time's calamities.

Nor hoping one day for the vicissitudes of time

فعش وابق عمر الدهر حتى إذا فنى

فعش وابق عمر الدهر حتى إذا فنى

أتى بعده عصر فعشت مدا العصر

أتى بعده عصر فعشت مدا العصر

So live and endure through time's whole life, until, when it ends,

So live and remain the lifetime of time until when it perishes

another age comes after it; then may you live that age's full span.

An era comes after it so you live the length of the era