1. الحدُ لله حمداً لله بالله

    وليس من حيث ما تدعوه باللاهي

    The limit belongs to God—praise to God through God.

    Nor is He heedless of what you invoke Him for.

  2. فلا يقيده وسمٌ ولا صفةٌ

    بنعت سلبٍ ولا بنعتِ أشباه

    So neither a designation nor an attribute confines Him,

    By descriptions of negation, nor by descriptions of likenesses.

  3. سبحانه لا بتسبيحِ هوينه

    ذات المسبح لكن لا تقل ما هي

    Glory be to Him—not through glorification; His identity [uncertain reading]

    Is the essence of the glorifier—but do not say, 'What is it?'

  4. هوية ما لها في العينِ من خبرِ

    ولا تنال بأموالٍ ولا جاه

    An identity of which there is no report in concrete reality,

    Nor can it be attained through wealth or rank.

  5. هي الغنية ما تنفك طالبةً

    قرضاً من الخلق من ولاةٍ ومن ساه

    It is the self-sufficient one, yet never ceases to seek

    A loan from creation—from rulers and from a heedless one.

  6. انظر بإيمانِ عقلٍ بل بفطرته

    فجملة الأمر أنَّ السرَّ في الباه

    Look with reason's faith—rather, with its innate disposition.

    So the sum of the matter is that the secret lies in sexual intercourse.

  7. هذا تولد عن هذا فوالده

    هذا فيا حيرة المفتون في الله

    This was born of this; so its father

    Is this—oh, the bewilderment of one enthralled by God!

  8. إني لأبصره في عين سادنه

    وهو المليك به الآمر الناهي

    Indeed, I behold Him in the very being of His custodian,

    And He is the King, commanding and forbidding through him.