أَتَتنا قُرَيشٍ حافِلينَ بِجَمعِهِم

أَتَتنا قُرَيشٍ حافِلينَ بِجَمعِهِم

عَلَيهِم مِنَ الرَحمَنِ واقٍ وَناصِرُ

عَلَيهِم مِنَ الرَحمَنِ واقٍ وَناصِرُ

Quraysh came to us, thronging with their host,

Quraysh came to us with their abundant throng

with a protector and a helper from the Most Merciful over them.

Against them stood the Merciful as helper and defender

فَلَمّا دَنَونا لِلقِبابِ وَأَهلِها

فَلَمّا دَنَونا لِلقِبابِ وَأَهلِها

أُتيحَ لَنا رَيبٌ مَعَ اللَيلِ ناجِرُ

أُتيحَ لَنا رَيبٌ مَعَ اللَيلِ ناجِرُ

And when we drew near the domed tents and their people,

When we drew near to the tents and their people

a fierce calamity befell us with the night.

Doubt befell us with the coming of night

أُتيحَت لَنا بَكرٌ وَحَولَ لِوائِها

أُتيحَت لَنا بَكرٌ وَحَولَ لِوائِها

كَتائِبُ يَخشاها العَزيزُ المُكاثِرُ

كَتائِبُ يَخشاها العَزيزُ المُكاثِرُ

Bakr was set against us, and around its banner

Morning came to us and around its banner

were battalions that even the mighty, backed by numbers, feared.

Were battalions it fears, the mighty aggressor

جَثَت دونَهُم بَكرٌ فَلَم نَستَطِعهُمُ

جَثَت دونَهُم بَكرٌ فَلَم نَستَطِعهُمُ

كَأَنَّهُمُ بِالمَشرَفِيَّةِ سامِرُ

كَأَنَّهُمُ بِالمَشرَفِيَّةِ سامِرُ

Bakr knelt in front of them, and we could not overcome them,

Morning fell upon them, yet we could not overcome them

as though they were an evening gathering with Mashrafi swords.

As if they were protected in Mashrifiyyah

وَما بَرِحَت خَيلٌ تَثورُ وَتَدَّعي

وَما بَرِحَت خَيلٌ تَثورُ وَتَدَّعي

وَيَلحَقُ مِنهُم أَوَّلونَ وَآخِرُ

وَيَلحَقُ مِنهُم أَوَّلونَ وَآخِرُ

And horsemen kept charging and shouting their tribal calls,

And their horses did not cease raging and vaunting

and the first of them and the last kept joining in,

While the first and last of them escaped

لَدُن غَدوَةً حَتّى أَتى اللَيلُ وَاِنجَلَت

لَدُن غَدوَةً حَتّى أَتى اللَيلُ وَاِنجَلَت

عَمايَةُ يَومٍ شَرُّهُ مُتَظاهِرُ

عَمايَةُ يَومٍ شَرُّهُ مُتَظاهِرُ

from early morning until night came and there lifted

From dawn until night came and the darkness intensified

the murk of a day whose evils compounded one another.

The evil of a day whose harm spread

وَما زالَ ذاكَ الدَأبُ حَتّى تَخاذَلَت

وَما زالَ ذاكَ الدَأبُ حَتّى تَخاذَلَت

هَوازِنُ وَاِرفَضَّت سُلَيمٌ وَعامِرُ

هَوازِنُ وَاِرفَضَّت سُلَيمٌ وَعامِرُ

And that struggle went on until mutual support failed

And this continued until Hawazin turned back

among Hawazin, and Sulaym and Amir scattered.

And Sulaim and Amir retreated

وَكانَت قُرَيشٌ يَفلِقُ الصَخرَ حَدُّها

وَكانَت قُرَيشٌ يَفلِقُ الصَخرَ حَدُّها

إِذا أَوهَنَ الناسَ الجُدودُ العَواثِرُ

إِذا أَوهَنَ الناسَ الجُدودُ العَواثِرُ

And Quraysh's cutting edge would cleave rock

Quraysh, whose blades could split rock

when stumbling fortunes weakened men.

When the eternal covenants enfeebled people

وَكانَت قُرَيشٌ لَو ظَهَرنا عَلَيهِمُ

وَكانَت قُرَيشٌ لَو ظَهَرنا عَلَيهِمُ

شِفاءً لِما في الصَدرِ وَالبُغضُ ظاهِرُ

شِفاءً لِما في الصَدرِ وَالبُغضُ ظاهِرُ

And Quraysh, had we prevailed over them, would have been

Quraysh, if we had prevailed over them

a cure for what lay in the breast—and hatred was plain.

It would have cured what was in our hearts, though hatred appeared