قَالَ لِي عِنْدَمَا أتَى بِجِدَالٍ

قَالَ لِي عِنْدَمَا أتَى بِجِدَالٍ

وَشُكُوكٍ عَلَى أُصُولِ الدِّينِ

وَشُكُوكٍ عَلَى أُصُولِ الدِّينِ

He said to me, when he came with disputation

When he came at me with arguments

and doubts about the foundations of religion,

and doubts about the principles of religion,

وَلِسَانِي يُبَدِّلُ الدَّالَ تَاءً

وَلِسَانِي يُبَدِّلُ الدَّالَ تَاءً

عَاجِزاً فِي الأُمُورِ عَنْ تَبيِينِ

عَاجِزاً فِي الأُمُورِ عَنْ تَبيِينِ

while my tongue replaces dāl with tāʾ,

and my tongue switched the 'd' to a 't',

unable to make matters clear:

powerless in matters to make plain,

اِلْتَمِسْ مَخْرَجاً يُوَافِقُ قَوْلِي

اِلْتَمِسْ مَخْرَجاً يُوَافِقُ قَوْلِي

قُلْتُ أَحْسَنْتَ يَا جَلاَل التِّينِ

قُلْتُ أَحْسَنْتَ يَا جَلاَل التِّينِ

“Seek a way out that accords with my words.”

I sought a way out concordant with my words -

I said, “Well said, O Jalāl al-Tīn (‘Glory of Figs’)!”

"You have spoken well, O Majesty of the Fig," I said.