لما شهدت الذي في الكون من صور

لما شهدت الذي في الكون من صور

عين الذي كنت أبغيه بلا صورِ

عين الذي كنت أبغيه بلا صورِ

When I beheld the forms within the cosmos—

When I witnessed what images the universe contains,

The very One I had sought without form—

I knew the one I sought was imageless.

علمتُ أن الذي أبغيه يطلبني

علمتُ أن الذي أبغيه يطلبني

بالعلم بي لا به فانهض على أثري

بالعلم بي لا به فانهض على أثري

I knew that the One I seek seeks me

I learned that what I seek seeks me

Through knowledge of me, not of Him; arise, then, and follow my footsteps.

Through knowing me, not itself. So rise, follow my trace.

ترى الذي قد رأينا من منازله

ترى الذي قد رأينا من منازله

في كلِّ آيةٍ تنزيهٌ من السُّور

في كلِّ آيةٍ تنزيهٌ من السُّور

You will see what we have seen of His stations:

You see, what we have seen of His abodes

In every verse of the surahs is an affirmation of transcendence.

In every verse, a transcendence of forms.

وكلُّ آيةٍ تشبيهٌ ومحكمةٌ

وكلُّ آيةٍ تشبيهٌ ومحكمةٌ

تُتلى علينا من المكتوبِ في الزبر

تُتلى علينا من المكتوبِ في الزبر

And every verse affirms likeness and is firmly established,

And every verse a similitude and clear,

Recited to us from what is written in the scriptures.

Recited to us from the Scriptures of old.

ومَطلبُ الحقِّ منا أن نوحِّدَه

ومَطلبُ الحقِّ منا أن نوحِّدَه

رباً كما هو في القرآنِ والنظر

رباً كما هو في القرآنِ والنظر

And the Real's demand of us is that we affirm His oneness

What Truth requires is that we unify Him

As Lord, as He is in the Quran and in reflection.

As Lord, as in Qur’an and reflection.

ما مطلبُ الحقِّ منا أن نكفيه

ما مطلبُ الحقِّ منا أن نكفيه

حتى نراه بمجلى الشمسِ والقمرِ

حتى نراه بمجلى الشمسِ والقمرِ

The Real does not ask us to provide for Him,

Not that we limit Him, as though to see

Until we see Him in the manifestation of the sun and moon.

Him with the sun and moon in apparition.

ولا تفكرتُ فيه ما بقيتُ ولا

ولا تفكرتُ فيه ما بقيتُ ولا

يزال من فكرِه عقلي على غررِ

يزال من فكرِه عقلي على غررِ

Nor have I pondered Him for as long as I have lived; nor

My mind did not conceive Him while I was,

Does my mind cease to be in peril from pondering Him.

Nor cease from thinking of Him and perdition.

في آلِ عمرانَ جاء النصُّ يطلبني

في آلِ عمرانَ جاء النصُّ يطلبني

بما لديه من التخويفِ والخدر

بما لديه من التخويفِ والخدر

In Al Imran, the text came seeking me

In House of Amran came the text demanding

With the warnings and stupor it contains.

Me with its warnings and seduction.

وذاك عن رأفةٍ منه بنا ولذا

وذاك عن رأفةٍ منه بنا ولذا

يتلى علينا مع الأصالِ والبكر

يتلى علينا مع الأصالِ والبكر

And that is out of His compassion for us; and so

That was out of mercy to us, so

It is recited to us in the evenings and early mornings.

It’s recited to us despite pollution.

الليلُ لله لا لي والنهارُ معاً

الليلُ لله لا لي والنهارُ معاً

لأنه الدهر فانظر فيه واعتبر

لأنه الدهر فانظر فيه واعتبر

The night belongs to God, not to me, and the day as well,

Night belongs to God, not me, and day the same,

For He is Time; so look into it and take heed.

For He is Time. So look on it and take heed.

لاتعتبر نفسه إن كنتَ ذا نظرٍ

لاتعتبر نفسه إن كنتَ ذا نظرٍ

مسدَّدٍ ولتكن تمشي على قدر

مسدَّدٍ ولتكن تمشي على قدر

Do not contemplate His very self, if you have insight

Do not look at yourself if you have insight,

That is rightly guided; and walk in due measure.

Walk straight, according to what’s decreed.

إن المعارجَ والإسرا إليه به

إن المعارجَ والإسرا إليه به

على البُراق الذي أنشأت من فكري

على البُراق الذي أنشأت من فكري

Indeed, the ascents and the night journey are to Him, through Him,

The means of ascent to Him are through Him.

Upon Buraq, which I fashioned from my thought,

I reached what He willed on my Burraq of thought

حتى انتهيتُ إلى ما شاءه وقضى

حتى انتهيتُ إلى ما شاءه وقضى

تركته وامتطينا رفرفَ الدرر

تركته وامتطينا رفرفَ الدرر

Until I reached what He willed and decreed.

Until I came to what He ordained and judged.

I left it, and we mounted the Rafraf of pearls,

I left that behind and rode the shooting stars

عند التفاني به إذ كان ينزل بي

عند التفاني به إذ كان ينزل بي

إلى السماء يناجيني إلى السحر

إلى السماء يناجيني إلى السحر

At self-annihilation through Him, as He descended with me

When I vanished in Him as He came to me

To heaven, communing with me until the hour before dawn.

At night conversing, till dawn we were absorbed.

ودَّعته ثم سرنا حيث قال لنا

ودَّعته ثم سرنا حيث قال لنا

إذا به عن يميني طالباً أثري

إذا به عن يميني طالباً أثري

I bade Him farewell; then we journeyed where He told us to go,

I took leave of Him then we walked where

Suddenly, there He was at my right, seeking my trail.

He said to us. And there He was, on my right seeking my trace.

لما تأملته لم أدر صورته

لما تأملته لم أدر صورته

وعلمنا أنه هو غاية الخطر

وعلمنا أنه هو غاية الخطر

When I contemplated Him, I did not know His form,

When I considered Him, I knew not His form.

And we knew that He is the utmost peril.

We knew Him as the pinnacle of danger.

غفلت عنه له إذ كان مقصده

غفلت عنه له إذ كان مقصده

مني التغافلُ بالتحويل في الصور

مني التغافلُ بالتحويل في الصور

I was heedless of Him for His sake, since His aim

I was heedless of Him, as His purpose was

Was that I feign heedlessness as He changed forms.

My heedlessness, by changing form and figure.

لأنه عالم أني أميّزه

لأنه عالم أني أميّزه

لما تكفلني من حالة الصغر

لما تكفلني من حالة الصغر

For He knows that I recognize Him,

For He knew I discerned Him since He provided

Since He took me into His care from childhood.

My state from childhood. For Him I was born!

له ولدتُ لهذا ما برحتُ له

له ولدتُ لهذا ما برحتُ له

مشاهد أناظرا فيه إلى كبري

مشاهد أناظرا فيه إلى كبري

For Him I was born; thus I have remained for Him

For Him I remain beholding the witnessed,

A witness, gazing upon Him into my old age.

Gazing at Him until my aged worn.

لذاك أخبرنا بأنه معنا

لذاك أخبرنا بأنه معنا

على مكانتنا في بدوٍ أو حضر

على مكانتنا في بدوٍ أو حضر

For that reason He told us that He is with us,

So He told us He is with us, in our station

At our station, in desert or town.

In nomad tent or town civilization.