لا تعوِّل عليّ في كلِّ حال

لا تعوِّل عليّ في كلِّ حال

إنني عبدُ سيِّدٍ متعالي

إنني عبدُ سيِّدٍ متعالي

Do not rely on me in every circumstance.

Do not rely on me at all times

I am the servant of an exalted Lord.

For I am a servant of the Exalted Master

حكمه الحكمُ ليس لي حكم نفسي

حكمه الحكمُ ليس لي حكم نفسي

إن عينَ المحال في عين حالي

إن عينَ المحال في عين حالي

His rule is the rule; I have no rule over myself.

His rule is the rule, I have no rule over myself

Indeed, the essence of impossibility lies in my very state.

If the impossible is in the eye of my state

كلما قلت قد مضى حكم وقتٍ

كلما قلت قد مضى حكم وقتٍ

جاءني مثله يريد اغتيالي

جاءني مثله يريد اغتيالي

Whenever I said, 'A moment's rule has passed,'

Whenever I said a ruling time has passed

its like came to me, seeking to slay me by stealth.

One like it came to me, wanting to assassinate me

فإذا ما بحثت عنه بعقلي

فإذا ما بحثت عنه بعقلي

لم يكن غيره فزاد خبالي

لم يكن غيره فزاد خبالي

But when I searched for it with my intellect,

So when I searched for it with my mind

it was none other than him, and my bewilderment grew.

There was nothing but it, increasing my delusion

قلتُ للدهر أنت جامع أوقا

قلتُ للدهر أنت جامع أوقا

تِ شؤوني فعين فصلي اتصالي

تِ شؤوني فعين فصلي اتصالي

I said to Time: 'You gather the times

I said to fate, you gather my times

of my affairs; thus my very separation is my union.'

So distinguish my connection

لست أبفى عنه انفصالاً لأني

لست أبفى عنه انفصالاً لأني

لابس من هداه عين الضلال

لابس من هداه عين الضلال

I do not [seek] separation from him, for I

I do not want separation from it because

wear, from his guidance, the very essence of error.

I am clothed in its guidance the eye of misguidance

إن هذا هو الضلالُ فحقِّقْ

إن هذا هو الضلالُ فحقِّقْ

عينَ ما قد سمعته من مقالي

عينَ ما قد سمعته من مقالي

If this is error, then ascertain

This is misguidance, so realize

the very essence of what you have heard from my words.

The essence of what you heard from my saying

ما ثَم أشباهٌ ولا أمثال

ما ثَم أشباهٌ ولا أمثال

الكل في تحصيله محال

الكل في تحصيله محال

There are neither likenesses nor equals there.

There are no likes or equals

All are impossible in apprehending him.

All are impossible in attaining it

حبي الذي نسبَ الوجودَ بعينه

حبي الذي نسبَ الوجودَ بعينه

للعقلِ في تعيينه إشكالُ

للعقلِ في تعيينه إشكالُ

My beloved, who ascribed existence itself,

My love which attributed existence itself

poses a difficulty for the intellect in identifying him.

To the intellect in determining it is problematic

إنْ نزهتْه عقولُهم يرمي به

إنْ نزهتْه عقولُهم يرمي به

تشبيهُ قولٍ كله إضلالُ

تشبيهُ قولٍ كله إضلالُ

If their intellects declare him transcendent, he is cast

If their intellects exalt it, the attribution

by a statement of likeness, wholly misleading,

Of a saying throws all into misguidance

حتى يعمَّ وجودُه إقرارهم

حتى يعمَّ وجودُه إقرارهم

فلذاك قلتُ بإنه يحتال

فلذاك قلتُ بإنه يحتال

until his existence pervades their acknowledgment.

Until its existence spreads through their acknowledgment

So I said that he employs guile.

So for that I said that it schemes

فتقابلت أقواله عن نفسه

فتقابلت أقواله عن نفسه

نصّاً وهذا كله إخلال

نصّاً وهذا كله إخلال

Thus his statements about himself stood opposed,

Its sayings about itself collided

explicitly; all this is a disruption

As definitive text, and all this is imbalance

في العقل والإيمان ثبتُ عينه

في العقل والإيمان ثبتُ عينه

متناقصاً ولذاك لا يغتال

متناقصاً ولذاك لا يغتال

in the intellect; and faith affirms his very essence,

In intellect and faith I affirmed its essence

as diminishing; therefore he cannot be slain by stealth.

Decreasing, and for that it does not assassinate

فالمؤمنُ المعصومُ من تأويله

فالمؤمنُ المعصومُ من تأويله

عند الإله فنعته الإجلال

عند الإله فنعته الإجلال

Thus the believer, protected from interpreting him,

The infallible believer from interpreting it

is marked by reverence in God's sight.

Is with God, so its attribute is glory

أمّا المؤوّل فهو يعبد عقله

أمّا المؤوّل فهو يعبد عقله

مع وهمه والأمر لا ينقال

مع وهمه والأمر لا ينقال

As for the interpreter, he worships his intellect,

As for the interpreter, he worships his intellect

along with his imagination; the matter cannot be expressed.

With his illusion, and the matter cannot be transported