من قلد العلما واقدم أعذرا

من قلد العلما واقدم أعذرا

وعلى الذي أفتاه عهدة ما اعترى

وعلى الذي أفتاه عهدة ما اعترى

Whoever deferred to the scholars and acted had an excuse;

Whoever imitates knowledge and proceeds rashly

Responsibility for what ensued rests upon whoever gave him the ruling.

And upon the one who issued the verdict falls the blame for what was objected to

إن الشهود الملجئين إلى القضا

إن الشهود الملجئين إلى القضا

تبعتهم التبعات والقاضي برا

تبعتهم التبعات والقاضي برا

Indeed, the witnesses who compel a judgment—

Indeed the witnesses who resorted to the judge

The liabilities followed them, while the judge was absolved.

Their implications followed them while the judge is innocent

أمضيت ما قالوا وأنت مقلد

أمضيت ما قالوا وأنت مقلد

فأتيت معروفا وجاؤا منكرا

فأتيت معروفا وجاؤا منكرا

You upheld what they said, merely following authority;

You implemented what they said while you are an imitator

So you did right, while they did wrong.

So you came with good and they came with evil

افتوا فكان الشوك فيها حظهم

افتوا فكان الشوك فيها حظهم

وجنيته رطبا هنيئاً ذو مرا

وجنيته رطبا هنيئاً ذو مرا

They issued rulings, and the thorns therein were their share;

They issued verdicts so the thorns in them were their fortune

And you harvested it ripe and wholesome, O disputant.

While you reaped them fresh, ripe, with goodness

باؤا بما باؤا وأنت مبرأ

باؤا بما باؤا وأنت مبرأ

مما تحمل من تحمل وافترى

مما تحمل من تحمل وافترى

They incurred what they incurred, while you were absolved

They came with what they came with while you are innocent

Of what those who assumed the burden and fabricated lies took upon themselves.

Of what you carried from the one who carried and fabricated

صان الإله بهتكم اعراضهم

صان الإله بهتكم اعراضهم

لك ذلك العرض المصون وطهرا

لك ذلك العرض المصون وطهرا

May God, as you slander their honor,

God protected their honor by your exposure of them

Preserve that safeguarded honor of yours and purify it.

For you is that protected honor and purity

يا أيها الملك المجاور عامدا

يا أيها الملك المجاور عامدا

جدا يهاب القرب منه من اجترى

جدا يهاب القرب منه من اجترى

O king, deliberately dwelling beside

O king, the neighbor, firm

A forefather whom even the daring fear to approach.

Whose closeness is feared by whoever transgressed

السيف أصدق قلت يغري بالهدى

السيف أصدق قلت يغري بالهدى

وبمن عليه هكذا متطهرا

وبمن عليه هكذا متطهرا

“The sword is truer,” you said; it incites attacks on guidance

The sword is more truthful in speech, it deceives with guidance

And on whoever follows it—while you thus claim purity.

And with the one upon it thus purified

لا من إله القوم مستحيى ولا

لا من إله القوم مستحيى ولا

منهم ولا ممن لقيت من الورى

منهم ولا ممن لقيت من الورى

Ashamed neither before the people's God, nor

Not from the god of the people, ashamed, nor

Before them, nor before anyone you have met among humankind.

From them nor from those I met among mankind

بعت الهدى واعتضت منه ضلالة

بعت الهدى واعتضت منه ضلالة

نعم المبيع وبئس ذاك المشترى

نعم المبيع وبئس ذاك المشترى

You sold guidance and took error in exchange for it.

You sold guidance and took misguidance in exchange

Excellent was what you sold; wretched was what you bought!

Excellent is the sale and miserable is that buyer

أعلى شفير القبر قمت تبيعه

أعلى شفير القبر قمت تبيعه

ولو استعضت به الخلود لتحشرا

ولو استعضت به الخلود لتحشرا

Was it on the grave's brink that you rose to sell it?

At the edge of the grave you stood selling it

And even had you taken immortality for it, you would surely be resurrected.

And if you sought immortality through it, you would come together

وزعمت أن لكل ما قالوا به

وزعمت أن لكل ما قالوا به

وجها يؤوله به من قد قرا

وجها يؤوله به من قد قرا

And you claimed that everything they professed had

And you claimed that everything they said

A sense in which someone who has read could interpret it.

Has an interpretation that one who has read can interpret it with

أول فقد قال الإله وخلقه

أول فقد قال الإله وخلقه

كل إلى الباني به فقد عرا

كل إلى الباني به فقد عرا

Interpret, then! For he said: “God and His creation—

Firstly, God has said and created

Each is afflicted by need for the Builder.”

Everything leads to the Builder, so it is exposed

يحتاجنا قالوا كما نحتاجه

يحتاجنا قالوا كما نحتاجه

ويرى لنا فضلا عليه كما نرى

ويرى لنا فضلا عليه كما نرى

“He needs us,” they said, “just as we need Him,

They said, we need Him just as He needs us

And He sees our favor toward Him, just as we see His toward us.”

And He sees virtue in us over Him just as we see

ومصائب أخرى وأشنع قالها

ومصائب أخرى وأشنع قالها

ما أنت محتاج إلى أن تذكرا

ما أنت محتاج إلى أن تذكرا

And other, more hideous calamities he uttered,

And other tribulations and more monstrous things they said

Of which you have no need to be reminded.

That you do not need to be reminded of

إن انكروا هذا فتلك فصوصهم

إن انكروا هذا فتلك فصوصهم

يسود منها كل وجه أنكرا

يسود منها كل وجه أنكرا

If they deny this, there are their Fuṣūṣ;

If they deny this then those are their crimes

Every face that denied it grows black because of them.

From which every reprehensible face turns dark

وزعمت أن له اصطلاحا بينكم

وزعمت أن له اصطلاحا بينكم

أبدا به معنى وأخرى أخرا

أبدا به معنى وأخرى أخرا

And you claimed that he has a terminology among you:

And you claimed that between you is a convention for each thing said

Through it he expressed one meaning, and at another time another.

With a meaning for eternity and another for another

فالكفر إن يظهر على ما قاله

فالكفر إن يظهر على ما قاله

فلقد خبا الإسلام فيه واضمرا

فلقد خبا الإسلام فيه واضمرا

So if unbelief is evident in what he said,

So if disbelief appears for what was said

Then Islam has surely dimmed within him and been concealed.

Then Islam in it has certainly diminished and withered