ولما رأيت الكونَ يعلو ويسفلُ

ولما رأيت الكونَ يعلو ويسفلُ

وبينهما الأمر الإلهي ينزلُ

وبينهما الأمر الإلهي ينزلُ

And when I saw the cosmos rise and fall,

When I saw the universe rising and falling,

and the divine command descending between the two,

And between them the divine command descending,

علمتُ بأنَّ الحقَّ سورٌ وإنه

علمتُ بأنَّ الحقَّ سورٌ وإنه

لما ضمن الكونين فيه مفصلُ

لما ضمن الكونين فيه مفصلُ

I knew that the Real is an enclosing wall, and that He

I knew that truth is a fortress in which

distinguishes within Himself what lies within the two realms.

He articulated the two worlds perfectly.

يدّبر أمراً من سماءٍ وأرضها

يدّبر أمراً من سماءٍ وأرضها

وآياتُها للعالمين يفصلُ

وآياتُها للعالمين يفصلُ

He directs a command from a heaven and its earth,

He manages an order from the sky and the earth,

and makes its signs clear to all the worlds.

And their signs to the two worlds He distinguishes clearly.

ويعرجُ ذاك الأمر للفصل طالباً

ويعرجُ ذاك الأمر للفصل طالباً

فيعدلُ فيهم ما يشاءُ ويفصل

فيعدلُ فيهم ما يشاءُ ويفصل

And that command ascends, seeking judgment,

That order ascends seeking judgment,

so He deals justly among them as He wills, and judges.

So He judges among them as He wills and separates distinctly.

ولو قامَ فيهم عدلُه عشر ساعة

ولو قامَ فيهم عدلُه عشر ساعة

لأهلكهم سيفٌ من الله فَيصل

لأهلكهم سيفٌ من الله فَيصل

And were His justice to prevail among them for a tenth of an hour,

Had His justice stood among them for ten hours,

a cleaving sword from God would destroy them.

A sword from Allah would have destroyed them sharply.

ولكنه روحُ التجاوز حاكمٌ

ولكنه روحُ التجاوز حاكمٌ

فيحكم فيهم حُكم مَن هو يغفل

فيحكم فيهم حُكم مَن هو يغفل

Yet He, the spirit of pardon, is a judge,

But He is the spirit of forgiveness, the Ruler,

so He judges them as one who overlooks.

So He judges them with the judgment of One who is oblivious.

فإهماله إمهاله عن مُصابه

فإهماله إمهاله عن مُصابه

ولو حقق التفتيش عنهم لزلزلوا

ولو حقق التفتيش عنهم لزلزلوا

Thus His neglect is His granting respite from the affliction He brings;

His neglect of them is His patience over their offenses,

and were He to scrutinize them thoroughly, they would surely be shaken.

And were He to investigate them closely, they would tremble and quake.

وعلة هذا الأمرِ أنْ ليس فاعلٌ

وعلة هذا الأمرِ أنْ ليس فاعلٌ

سواه وأنَّ الحقَّ بالحقِّ يفعل

سواه وأنَّ الحقَّ بالحقِّ يفعل

And the reason for this matter is that there is no agent

The reason for this matter is that there is no doer

other than Him, and that the Real acts through the Real.

Other than Him, and that the Truth acts with the Truth.

فما كان من حمدٍ فحقُّ محقق

فما كان من حمدٍ فحقُّ محقق

وما كان من ذمٍّ فحقٌ معللُ

وما كان من ذمٍّ فحقٌ معللُ

So whatever there is of praise is a confirmed truth,

So whatever was of praise, the Truth is realized,

and whatever there is of blame is a truth with a cause.

And whatever was of blame, the Truth is justified.

وما ثَم إلاَّ الحقُّ ما ثَم غيره

وما ثَم إلاَّ الحقُّ ما ثَم غيره

ولكنهم قالوا محققٌ ومُبطلُ

ولكنهم قالوا محققٌ ومُبطلُ

And there is nothing there but the Real; there is none other.

And there is none but the Truth, there is nothing other than it,

Yet they said: “An upholder of truth and a proponent of falsehood.”

Yet they said, one who realizes and one who nullifies.

يقولُ رسولُ الله يا رب فاحكمن

يقولُ رسولُ الله يا رب فاحكمن

بذلكم الحق الذي كنتَ ترسل

بذلكم الحق الذي كنتَ ترسل

God's Messenger says: “O Lord, then judge

The Messenger of Allah says: "O Lord, so judge between them

by that truth which You used to send.”

With that Truth which You used to send down."

وعلة هذا أنهم جحدوا الذي

وعلة هذا أنهم جحدوا الذي

أتتهم به أرساله وتعللوا

أتتهم به أرساله وتعللوا

And the reason for this is that they denied what

And the reason for this is that they rejected what

His messengers brought them, and made excuses.

His messages brought them, and argued fallaciously.

فزادهم وهماً وغماً وحسرةً

فزادهم وهماً وغماً وحسرةً

خلالَ الذي ظنوه ذاك التعلل

خلالَ الذي ظنوه ذاك التعلل

So their delusion, grief, and regret were increased

So it increased them in delusion, sorrow, and regret,

amid what they imagined, by that excuse-making.

Through that which they wrongly thought was an argument.

فلو أنهم لم يكذبوهم وصدَّقوا

فلو أنهم لم يكذبوهم وصدَّقوا

مقالتهم فيهم لكانوا به أوَّلوا

مقالتهم فيهم لكانوا به أوَّلوا

So had they not called them liars, and had believed

For had they not denied them and believed their words about them,

their words concerning them, they would thereby have possessed

They would have been first to attain salvation.

نجاةٍ فإن الاعترافَ مقامه

نجاةٍ فإن الاعترافَ مقامه

إلى جانب العفو الكريم يهرولُ

إلى جانب العفو الكريم يهرولُ

salvation; for acknowledgment's station

For confessing has its position right next

hastens to the side of generous pardon.

To the side of the generous pardon that rushes forth.

لقد حكمتَ في حالهم غفلاتهم

لقد حكمتَ في حالهم غفلاتهم

فلولا وجودُ العفو لم تك تهمل

فلولا وجودُ العفو لم تك تهمل

You have indeed let their heedlessness govern their state;

You have judged regarding their state - their heedlessness -

so, were it not for pardon's existence, You would not overlook them.

For were it not for the existence of pardon, You would not neglect.

فيا رب عفواً فالرجاء محققٌ

فيا رب عفواً فالرجاء محققٌ

وهذا الذي ما زلتَ مني تسأل

وهذا الذي ما زلتَ مني تسأل

So, O Lord, pardon! For hope is assured,

So O Lord, pardon! For hope is certain,

and this is what You keep asking of me.

And this is what I have not ceased to ask of You.