للحقِّ في الأكوانِ حدٌ يعلم

للحقِّ في الأكوانِ حدٌ يعلم

وهو الذي يدريه من لا يعلمُ

وهو الذي يدريه من لا يعلمُ

The Real has, within the cosmos, a limit that can be known—

The Real has a known limit in the created realms.

and it is precisely what one who does not know discerns.

And it is known by one who does not know.

خلقته أفكار لنا بقلوبنا

خلقته أفكار لنا بقلوبنا

أين الإله متن الحدوثِ الأقدم

أين الإله متن الحدوثِ الأقدم

Our thoughts fashioned Him for us within our hearts—

Thoughts of ours within our hearts created it.

but how far the pre-eternal God is from all becoming!

Where is God—the core of the most ancient coming-to-be? [Wording unclear.]

وتنوّعَ التفصيلُ فيه لعزة

وتنوّعَ التفصيلُ فيه لعزة

لعقولنا والأمر ما لا يفهم

لعقولنا والأمر ما لا يفهم

The manifold distinctions made about Him arise from His inaccessibility

And detailed accounts of Him varied, owing to His inaccessibility

to our minds; the matter cannot be comprehended.

To our intellects; the matter is beyond understanding.

لو أنهم سكتوا وقالوا لم نجد

لو أنهم سكتوا وقالوا لم نجد

حدّاً به يقضى عليه ويحكم

حدّاً به يقضى عليه ويحكم

If only they had fallen silent and said, “We find

If they had fallen silent and said, “We found no

no limit by which judgment or ruling may be passed on Him,

Limit by which He could be judged and ruled upon,

غير استناد وجودنا لوجودِه

غير استناد وجودنا لوجودِه

جاؤوا بما عنه الوجودُ يترجمُ

جاؤوا بما عنه الوجودُ يترجمُ

apart from the dependence of our existence upon His,”

Except our existence’s dependence upon His existence,”

they would have brought what existence itself expresses of Him.

They would have brought forth what existence expresses about Him.

لا تعتقد غير الذي تتلوه في

لا تعتقد غير الذي تتلوه في

النص الذي نطق الكتابُ المحكم

النص الذي نطق الكتابُ المحكم

Hold no belief except what you recite in

Believe nothing but what you recite in

the text proclaimed by the authoritative Book.

The text proclaimed by the authoritative Book.

وعليه فاعتمدوا وقولوا مثل ما

وعليه فاعتمدوا وقولوا مثل ما

قد قاله عن نفسه واستلزموا

قد قاله عن نفسه واستلزموا

Rely upon it, then, and say the like of what

And so rely upon it, and say the same as what

He has said about Himself, embracing all it entails.

He has said of Himself, and deem it binding.

واعبد إله الشرع لا تعبد إله

واعبد إله الشرع لا تعبد إله

العقل وانقادوا إليه وسلِّموا

العقل وانقادوا إليه وسلِّموا

Worship the God of revealed Law; do not worship the god

And worship the God of revealed Law; do not worship the god

of reason. Submit to Him and surrender.

Of the intellect; yield to Him and submit.

فالناسُ مختلفون في معبودهم

فالناسُ مختلفون في معبودهم

فمنزه معبودهم ومجسِّم

فمنزه معبودهم ومجسِّم

For people differ concerning the One they worship:

For people differ concerning their object of worship:

their object of worship is deemed transcendent by some, embodied by others.

Some declare their object of worship transcendent; others give it a body.

وبذا أتت أقواله عن نفسه

وبذا أتت أقواله عن نفسه

فتراه ما يبنى يعود فيهدم

فتراه ما يبنى يعود فيهدم

Thus have His statements about Himself come:

And His statements about Himself came in this manner.

you see it—whatever is built is then torn down.

So you see Him return and demolish what is built.

والحقُّ حقٌ والتناقضُ حاصلٌ

والحقُّ حقٌ والتناقضُ حاصلٌ

في نفسه وهو السبيل الأقوم

في نفسه وهو السبيل الأقوم

The Real is Real, yet contradiction inheres

And the Real is real, and contradiction is present

in Himself—and this is the straightest path.

Within His own self; this is the most upright path.

قد قاله الخراز مصرحاً

قد قاله الخراز مصرحاً

واحتج بالآي التي لا تكتم

واحتج بالآي التي لا تكتم

Al-Kharrāz said this explicitly

Al-Kharrāz indeed stated it explicitly,

and cited as proof Qur’anic verses that cannot be concealed.

And argued from the verses that are not concealed.

فالق الإله بكل عقد لا تقف

فالق الإله بكل عقد لا تقف

مع واحدٍ فيفوت عنك فتندمُ

مع واحدٍ فيفوت عنك فتندمُ

So encounter God in every creed; do not stop

So meet God in every belief; do not stay

at any single one, lest He elude you and you regret it.

With just one, lest He elude you and you regret it.

كيف السبيلُ لنيلِ ما قلنا وقد

كيف السبيلُ لنيلِ ما قلنا وقد

مجته ألبابٌ وصموا ما عموا

مجته ألبابٌ وصموا ما عموا

How can one attain what we have said, when

How can there be a way to attain what we have said, when

minds have spat it out and branded what they were blind to?

Minds have spat it out, and they have grown deaf, not blind?