ولما رأيتُ الأمر يعلو ويسفل

ولما رأيتُ الأمر يعلو ويسفل

ويقضي به الحقُّ المبين ويفصلُ

ويقضي به الحقُّ المبين ويفصلُ

And when I saw the matter rise and fall,

When I saw how matters rise and fall,

And the manifest Real pass judgment on it and decide,

And how the evident Truth rules and settles,

تصرّفُه الأهواء أنى توجهت

تصرّفُه الأهواء أنى توجهت

فيقضي به ريحُ جنوبٍ وشمأل

فيقضي به ريحُ جنوبٍ وشمأل

Desires steering it wherever they turned,

However passions may drive it about,

So a south wind and a north wind pass judgment on it,

So that the south wind or north decides its course,

تنبه قلبي عند ذاك عناية

تنبه قلبي عند ذاك عناية

من الله جاءته وقد كان يعقل

من الله جاءته وقد كان يعقل

My heart awoke then through providential care

Then my heart woke to a lesson

From God that reached it, though it had already understood.

Sent it by God, for it was rational.

فو الله لولا أن في الصدق ثلمة

فو الله لولا أن في الصدق ثلمة

لما كان قلبُ العبدِ يسهو ويغفل

لما كان قلبُ العبدِ يسهو ويغفل

So, by God, were there no breach in truthfulness,

By God, were it not that in honesty is a flaw,

The servant's heart would neither be distracted nor grow heedless.

No servant's heart would be neglectful and heedless!

وقلت لقلبي ما دعاك لما أرى

وقلت لقلبي ما دعاك لما أرى

فلم أدر إلا أنها تتأوّل

فلم أدر إلا أنها تتأوّل

And I said to my heart, 'What drew you to what I see?'

And I said to my heart, “What led you to what I see?”

Yet I knew only that it was interpreting.

But I could only infer that it was interpreting.

بحثت عن أصل الأمرِ ما أصل كونه

بحثت عن أصل الأمرِ ما أصل كونه

فلاحَ لنا في ذلك البحثِ فيصل

فلاحَ لنا في ذلك البحثِ فيصل

I searched for the matter's root: what is the root of its being?

I searched into the origin of the thing, the origin of its being,

Then, in that inquiry, a decisive answer appeared to us.

But in that search we found no clue.

فأعلم أنَّ الحكم للعلم تابعٌ

فأعلم أنَّ الحكم للعلم تابعٌ

كما هو للمعلومِ والأمر يجهلُ

كما هو للمعلومِ والأمر يجهلُ

So I know that judgment follows knowledge,

So know that judgement is subject to knowledge,

As knowledge follows the known, while the matter remains unknown.

As it is to the known—though the matter be hidden.

ولما رأيتُ الحقَّ فيما ذكرته

ولما رأيتُ الحقَّ فيما ذكرته

علمت بأن الأمر جبر مفصل

علمت بأن الأمر جبر مفصل

And when I saw the Real in what I had mentioned,

When I saw that the Truth lay in what I have mentioned,

I knew that the matter was compulsion set out in detail,

I knew that the matter was precisely ordained,

وأن إله الخلقِ بالخلقِ يفصلُ

وأن إله الخلقِ بالخلقِ يفصلُ

وبالخلقِِ أيضاً بالمكاره يعدل

وبالخلقِِ أيضاً بالمكاره يعدل

And that the God of creation judges through creation,

And that the God of creation by creation decrees

And through creation, too, He acts justly through hardships.

And by creation also balances things with troubles.

فمن لام غيرَ النفسِ قد جار واعتدى

فمن لام غيرَ النفسِ قد جار واعتدى

ومن لامها فهو الشهيد المعدّل

ومن لامها فهو الشهيد المعدّل

So whoever blames anything but the self has acted unjustly and transgressed,

So he who blames anything but his own soul has erred and transgressed,

And whoever blames it is the witness attested as upright.

While he who blames it is equitable and straight.

ولما رأيتُ الحق للخلقِ تابعا

ولما رأيتُ الحق للخلقِ تابعا

تساوي لديَّ الخوف والأمن فاعملوا

تساوي لديَّ الخوف والأمن فاعملوا

And when I saw the Real following creation,

When I saw that Truth was bound to creation,

Fear and safety became equal to me; so strive

Fear and security were equal in my eyes—so act!

على كشفِ هذا واعملوا بمناره

على كشفِ هذا واعملوا بمناره

فإن به تسمو الذواتُ وتكمل

فإن به تسمو الذواتُ وتكمل

To unveil this, and act by its beacon;

Act to unveil this, and act by its light,

For through it, essences ascend and attain perfection.

For by it souls are lofty and perfected.