1. قُلْ لِعَلِيٍّ نَالا

    مِنْ رَبِّهِ الإقْبالا

    Say to Ali, who has attained

    favor from his Lord:

  2. قَدْ فَتَحَ اللهُ لَهُ

    بالفَهْمِ ما أَعْضَلَه

    God has opened up for him,

    through understanding, what had baffled him.

  3. وفَتْحُ هَذا البَابِ

    هُو هِبَةُ الوَهّابِ

    And the opening of this door

    is the gift of the Bestower.

  4. وَسَائِرُ العُلُومِ

    يَسيرةُ الْمَفْهُومِ

    And the other branches of learning

    are easy to comprehend.

  5. فَبَعْدَ فَهْمِ النّحْوِ

    لِكُلِّ عِلْمٍ يَحْوي

    For, after understanding grammar,

    he masters every field of learning.

  6. فَكَيْفَ لا وَقَدْ غَدا

    في غَيْرِهِ مُسَدّدا

    How could he not, when he has become

    proficient in other fields?

  7. في جُمْلَةِ الآلاتِ

    قَدْ أنْفَقَ الساعاتِ

    On all the auxiliary disciplines

    he has spent hours,

  8. حَتّى غَدا مَذْكُرا

    بما حَوَى مَشْهُورا

    until he became well known,

    famous for what he had mastered.

  9. وَقَارَبَ الكَمالا

    وزَاحَمَ الرِّجالا

    And he approached perfection,

    and rivaled men of learning,

  10. مَعَ صِفاتٍ فائِقَهْ

    وَفي سِماتٍ رائِقَه

    with outstanding qualities

    and with pleasing traits:

  11. نَجَابَةً ودِينا

    وَهِمَّةً وَزَيْنا

    nobility and piety,

    and high resolve and grace.

  12. وَصَارَ بَدْراً في العُلَى

    وَزِينَةً بَيْنَ الْمَلا

    And he became a full moon in the heights,

    and an ornament among the assembly.

  13. غَدَا عَلَيْهِ النَّومُ

    غَلا عَلَيْهِ السَّوْمُ

    Sleep has become for him

    a costly bargain.

  14. ما هَذِهِ رُطُوبَهْ

    بَلْ هَذِهِ أُعْجُوبَهْ

    This is no mere dampness;

    rather, this is a marvel!

  15. في غَالِبِ النَّهارِ

    يَنامُ لا يُمَارِي

    For most of the day

    he sleeps, and does not deny it.

  16. فَأَيْنَ أَيْنَ الهِمَّهْ

    إنْ كانَ مِنْها شَمَّهْ

    Where, then, where is his resolve,

    if there is so much as a whiff of it?

  17. وَهَلْ لَهُ من مثْل

    في مِثْل هَذَا يَفْعَل

    And has he any equal

    in doing the like of this?

  18. وهَلْ لَهُ مِنْ عَزْمَهْ

    يَكُونُ فيها خَيْثَمَه

    And has he any firm resolve

    in which he might be a Khaythamah?

  19. فإنَّ ذا يَسْرِي إلَى

    فَسادِ عَقْلِ العُقَلا

    For this leads to

    corruption of the minds of the wise,

  20. ويُنْحِلث الأَجْساما

    ويَبْعَثْ الآلاما

    and wastes away bodies,

    and brings on pains,

  21. يُصَفّرُ الأَلْوانا

    ويُمْرِضُ الأَبْدانا

    turns complexions yellow,

    and makes bodies ill.

  22. فَهَلْ يَبيعُ علْمَهُ

    وعَقْلَهُ وجِسْمَهُ

    Will he, then, sell his knowledge,

    and his mind and his body,

  23. بِهَذِهِ الأُضْحوكهْ

    ومِثْلِ هَذي النَّوكهْ

    for this absurdity

    and folly such as this?