1. أقول بأني واحد بوجودي

    وإني كثير في الوجود بجودي

    I say that I am one in my existence,

    and I am many in existence through my bounty.

  2. لنا ألسن بالجود والكرم الذي

    ورثناه من آبائنا وجدودي

    We have tongues proclaiming the bounty and generosity that

    we inherited from our fathers and my forefathers.

  3. تميزَ ربي عن وجودي بحدّنا

    وجد إلهي إن نظرتَ وجدودي

    My Lord is distinct from my existence by our defining limit,

    and by my God's majesty—if you consider—and my forefathers.

  4. ولا حدَّ لله العظيم فإنه

    نزيه وتنزيه الإله حدودي

    And the Great God has no limit, for He is

    transcendent; declaring God transcendent marks my limits.

  5. وإني في خلق جديد بصورتي

    ولستُ بخلقٍ للحديثِ جديد

    And in my form I am in a new creation,

    yet, according to the tradition, I am no new creation.

  6. تفكرت في قولٍ جديد فلم أجد

    سواه وإنَّ الله غيرُ جديدِ

    I reflected on a new utterance, but did not find

    anything other than Him; yet God is not new.

  7. وأعلم أني في مزيد بجودِه

    لأني شكورٌ لا بشكرِ مزيدِ

    And I know that I gain increase through His bounty,

    because I am grateful—not with gratitude for increase.

  8. ولولا امتثالُ الأمر ما قلت هكذا

    فعينُ دعائي للوفا بعهودي

    And were it not for obeying the command, I would not have spoken thus;

    for my very supplication is to be faithful to my covenants.

  9. عقدتُ مع الله الكريم بأنه

    هو الربُّ لي في غيبتي وشهودي

    I covenanted with God, the Generous, that

    He is my Lord in my absence and in my witnessing.

  10. وما زال هذا حالتي وعقيدتي

    فميزني فيمن وفي بعهودي

    And this has always been my state and my belief;

    so He distinguished me among those faithful to my covenants.

  11. لساني كلام الحقِّ فالقول قوله

    أنوب به عن أمره وشهيدي

    My tongue is the speech of the Real; thus the utterance is His.

    Through it I act as deputy by His command; and my witness

  12. عليه كلام جاء من عنده بنا

    أنا قائم في قومتي وسجودي

    to this is speech that came from Him through us.

    I stand firm in my standing and my prostration.

  13. تنزهت أن أحظى ويحظى بنا وقد

    علمتُ بأني عنه غير بعيد

    I have risen above having a share, or His having a share in us, though

    I know that I am not far from Him.

  14. تمنيتُ من ربي وجوداً مكملا

    فقال وجود الكون عين وجودي

    I wished for a perfected existence from my Lord;

    then He said, "The existence of the cosmos is My very existence."

  15. أقسم ما بين المراد حقيقته

    لمن ليس يدريها وبين مريدِ

    I make a division between the one whose reality is sought

    by one who does not know it, and a seeker.

  16. وما وقع التقسيم فيها وإنه

    لمعنى يراه الناظرون سديد

    And no division has occurred in it; indeed, it is

    for a meaning the contemplators deem sound,

  17. كما قسّم الله الصلاةَ بحكمة

    لنا ما بين ساداتٍ وبين عبيد

    just as God divided prayer with wisdom

    for us, between masters and servants.