أَحْمَدُكَI praise You اللَّهُمَّO God ذَاpossessor of الإفْضَالِbounty
أَحْمَدُكَ اللَّهُمَّ ذَا الإفْضَالِ
حَمْداًpraise عَلَىin التَّكْرارِrepetition والتَّوالِيand succession
حَمْداً عَلَى التَّكْرارِ والتَّوالِي
I praise You, O God, possessor of bounty,
I praise you, O Allah, Most Gracious
with praise repeated and offered in succession.
With endless praise and gratitude
ثُمّthen الصَّلاَةُblessings والسَّلامُand peace أَبَداَforever
ثُمّ الصَّلاَةُ والسَّلامُ أَبَداَ
عَلَىupon النَّبِيِّthe Prophet الهاشِمِيthe Hashimite مُحَمّداMuhammad
عَلَى النَّبِيِّ الهاشِمِي مُحَمّدا
Then blessings and peace forever
And invoke blessings and peace forever
upon the Hashimite Prophet, Muhammad,
Upon the Hashimite Prophet Muhammad
وَآلِهِand his family أَئِمّةِleaders of العِبادِthe worshippers
وَآلِهِ أَئِمّةِ العِبادِ
وَصَحْبِهand his companions الأَفاضِلthe virtuous الأمْجادِthe illustrious
وَصَحْبِه الأَفاضِل الأمْجادِ
and his family, leaders of the worshippers,
And his household, the Imams of mankind
and his virtuous, illustrious companions.
And his excellent and glorious companions
وبَعْدَهُand after that فالبَحْثُthen the inquiry فيinto القِيامِstanding
وبَعْدَهُ فالبَحْثُ في القِيامِ
فيat غَايَةِthe utmost degree of الإشْكالِdifficulty والإِيْهامِand ambiguity
في غَايَةِ الإشْكالِ والإِيْهامِ
And after that: the question of standing
Thereafter, contemplating the issue of Fate
presents the utmost difficulty and ambiguity.
Proved extremely perplexing and confusing
خُضْنَاwe waded بِهِinto it حَتّىuntil تَخَوَّفْناwe feared الغَرَقْdrowning
خُضْنَا بِهِ حَتّى تَخَوَّفْنا الغَرَقْ
ثُمَّthen وقَفْناand we stopped بَعْدafter ذَاthat مِنَout of الفَرْقْfear
ثُمَّ وقَفْنا بَعْد ذَا مِنَ الفَرْقْ
We waded into it until we feared drowning,
We delved into it until we almost drowned
then, after that, we stopped out of fear.
Then we stopped, divided into sects
ثُمّthen رَجَوْناwe hoped for كَشْفَthe clearing of هَذِيthis الْمُعْضِلَهْquandary
ثُمّ رَجَوْنا كَشْفَ هَذِي الْمُعْضِلَهْ
وحَلَّand the resolution of هَذِيthis الخُطَّةِmatter المسْتَشْكِلهْperplexing
وحَلَّ هَذِي الخُطَّةِ المسْتَشْكِلهْ
Then we hoped for this quandary to be cleared
We hoped this knotty problem would be solved
and this perplexing matter to be resolved
And this complex riddle would be unraveled
عِنْدَwith إمامِthe imam of الأُمَّةِthe community البَحْرِthe sea الخِضَمّvast and deep
عِنْدَ إمامِ الأُمَّةِ البَحْرِ الخِضَمّ
مُجْتَهِدِthe independent jurist of العَصْرِthe age بإجْماعِby the consensus of الأُمَمْthe peoples
مُجْتَهِدِ العَصْرِ بإجْماعِ الأُمَمْ
by the community's imam, that vast, deep sea,
By the Imam of the nation, the vast ocean
the age's independent jurist, by the consensus of the peoples,
The Mujtahid of the age, by consensus of nations
خِيرَةthe chosen one of رَبِّthe Lord of العَرْشِthe Throne للْعِبادِfor the worshippers
خِيرَة رَبِّ العَرْشِ للْعِبادِ
يَهْدِيُهمhe guides them أَكْرِمْhow noble بِهِhe is مِنْas a هَادِيguide
يَهْدِيُهم أَكْرِمْ بِهِ مِنْ هَادِي
the Lord of the Throne's chosen one for the worshippers.
The chosen one of the Lord of the Throne
He guides them—how noble a guide he is!
To rightly guide people, the most generous guide
إنّindeed بِهِthrough him دِينَthe religion of الإلَهِGod نَهْجاbecame clear
إنّ بِهِ دِينَ الإلَهِ نَهْجا
وَكانَand he was حَقّاًtruly فَرَحاًjoy ثُمَّthen رَجاhope
وَكانَ حَقّاً فَرَحاً ثُمَّ رَجا
Through him, indeed, God's religion became clear,
Through him the religion of God became manifest
and he was truly a source of joy, then hope.
Bringing true joy and hope to people
تَكْسِيرُthe breaking of أَعْلامِbanners of ابْتِداعٍinnovation قَدْalready ظَهَرْappeared
تَكْسِيرُ أَعْلامِ ابْتِداعٍ قَدْ ظَهَرْ
وظَهّرَand he made manifest الدّينَthe religion القَويمَupright فَاظّهَرْso it appeared
وظَهّرَ الدّينَ القَويمَ فَاظّهَرْ
The breaking of innovation's banners has become manifest,
Breaking the banners of heretical innovations
and he revealed the upright faith, which shone forth.
Making the true religion prevail and dominate
يَتْبَعُhe follows ماwhat صَحّis sound ولاand does not يَعْبَاheed بِماwhat
يَتْبَعُ ما صَحّ ولا يَعْبَا بِما
دَانَprofessed بِهit الآباءُthe forefathers أَنْجُمُstars of السَّماthe sky
دَانَ بِه الآباءُ أَنْجُمُ السَّما
He follows what is sound and pays no heed to what
Following authentic traditions, paying no heed
the forefathers professed—those stars of the sky.
To what the ancestors espoused, the stars of heaven
فدِينُهُso his religion السُّنَّةُthe Sunnah والكِتَابُand the Book
فدِينُهُ السُّنَّةُ والكِتَابُ
لاnot ماwhat عَلَيْهِupon it الأَهْلُthe family الأصْحابُthe companions
لا ما عَلَيْهِ الأَهْلُ الأصْحابُ
His religion, then, is the Sunnah and the Book,
His religion is the Sunnah and the Book
not what family and companions adhere to.
Not what the contemporaries and partisans uphold
يَمْشيhe walks عَلَىupon الهَدْيthe guidance الذِيwhich عَلَيْهِupon it
يَمْشي عَلَى الهَدْي الذِي عَلَيْهِ
مَشَىwalked الأُوَلْthe earliest generations ويَنْتَمِيand he belongs إلَيْهto it
مَشَى الأُوَلْ ويَنْتَمِي إلَيْه
He walks the path of guidance on which
He follows the guidance that the early Muslims followed
the earliest generations walked, and to it he belongs.
And identifies himself with them
لاnot يَرْتَضِيhe accepts وَسْمَthe label of اعْتِزالٍMuʿtazilism لاَno وَلاَand not
لا يَرْتَضِي وَسْمَ اعْتِزالٍ لاَ وَلاَ
وَسْمَthe label of الذيthe one whom قابَلَهُopposed him عَبْدُthe servant of الملاthe assembly
وَسْمَ الذي قابَلَهُ عَبْدُ الملا
He accepts no label of Muʿtazilism—no, nor
He accepts neither the label of withdrawalists
the label of the one whom the servant of the assembly opposed.
Nor the label of those who opposed Abd al-Malik
يَجْزِمُhe asserts decisively إنْif صَحَّتْis sound بهِconcerning it الدِّلاَلَهْthe evidence
يَجْزِمُ إنْ صَحَّتْ بهِ الدِّلاَلَهْ
He speaks decisively when the evidence for it is sound.
He is certain if the evidence is sound
And it leads conclusively to what he indicated
فجاءَنَاso there came to us مِنْهُfrom him الّذيthat which أَفَادَاbrought benefit
فجاءَنَا مِنْهُ الّذي أَفَادَا
وَبَدَّدَand dispelled الإشْكالَthe difficulty بَلْrather أَباداeradicated
وَبَدَّدَ الإشْكالَ بَلْ أَبادا
So from him there came to us what brought benefit
He brought us what we aspired to
and dispelled the difficulty—rather, eradicated it.
Dispelling doubts and even eliminating them
جَاءَhe came بماwith what تَقْصُرُfall short عَنْهُof it الْمَهَرَهْthe experts
جَاءَ بما تَقْصُرُ عَنْهُ الْمَهَرَهْ
فيin ضِمْنِthe scope of ماwhat أَبْرَزَهُhe brought it forth وأَظْهَرَهْand made it manifest
في ضِمْنِ ما أَبْرَزَهُ وأَظْهَرَهْ
He brought what the experts fall short of,
With knowledge beyond the experts' competence
within what he brought forth and made plain.
Among what he presented and made clear
جَاءَhe came بِأَضْعَافِwith many times الّذيwhat رَجَوْناwe hoped for
جَاءَ بِأَضْعَافِ الّذي رَجَوْنا
ونَقَّحَand he refined الْمَغْزَىthe aim الّذيwhich غَزَوْناwe campaigned for
ونَقَّحَ الْمَغْزَى الّذي غَزَوْنا
He brought many times what we had hoped for
He gave us many times what we hoped for
and clarified the aim for which we had campaigned.
And refined the essence we sought
ثُمَّthen حَمِدْناwe praised عِنْدَat ذَاthat ذَاكَthat السُّرَىnight journey
ثُمَّ حَمِدْنا عِنْدَ ذَا ذَاكَ السُّرَى
لَمّاwhen رَأَيْناwe saw وِرْدَناour coming to water ماwhat أَصْدَراit brought forth
لَمّا رَأَيْنا وِرْدَنا ما أَصْدَرا
Then, at that point, we praised that night journey,
We praised, at that point, our secret joy
when we saw what our coming to water had brought forth.
When we received all we had sought
لّماwhen حَمَلْناwe carried القَوْسَthe bow نَحْوَtoward البارِيthe bow-maker
لّما حَمَلْنا القَوْسَ نَحْوَ البارِي
يَوْماًone day ظَفِرْناwe attained مِنْهُfrom him بالأَوْطارِthe desired ends
يَوْماً ظَفِرْنا مِنْهُ بالأَوْطارِ
When we carried the bow toward its maker
When we set out towards the Creator
one day, we attained from him our desired ends.
One day we obtained the prize through Him
Claude 2 is inferred from the historical translator configuration. The original record does not identify its model.