إِذا أُخبِرتَ عَن رَجُلٍ بَريءٍ

إِذا أُخبِرتَ عَن رَجُلٍ بَريءٍ

مِنَ الآفاتِ ظاهِرُهُ صَحيحُ

مِنَ الآفاتِ ظاهِرُهُ صَحيحُ

If you are told of a man who is free

If you are told of a man free of faults

of faults, whose outward appearance is sound,

Whose outward appearance is sound

فَسَلهُم عَنهُ هَل هَوَ آدَمِيٌّ

فَسَلهُم عَنهُ هَل هَوَ آدَمِيٌّ

فَإِن قالوا نَعَم فَالقَولُ ريحُ

فَإِن قالوا نَعَم فَالقَولُ ريحُ

then ask them about him: is he human?

Ask them if he is human

And if they say yes, that claim is wind.

For if they say yes, their words are but wind

وَلَكِن بَعضُها أَهلُ اِستِتارٍ

وَلَكِن بَعضُها أَهلُ اِستِتارٍ

وَعِندَ اللَهِ أَجمَعُنا جَريحُ

وَعِندَ اللَهِ أَجمَعُنا جَريحُ

And yet some of them are adept at hiding,

Yet some are adept at concealing themselves

and in God's sight we are all wounded.

And with God we are all flawed

وَمِن إِنعامِ خالِقَنا عَلَينا

وَمِن إِنعامِ خالِقَنا عَلَينا

بِأَنَّ ذُنوبَنا لَيسَت تَفوحُ

بِأَنَّ ذُنوبَنا لَيسَت تَفوحُ

And among our Creator's favors to us

And of our Creator's blessings upon us

is that our sins give off no smell.

Is that our sins do not stink

فَلَو فاحَت لِأَصبَحنا هُروباً

فَلَو فاحَت لِأَصبَحنا هُروباً

فُرادى بِالفَلا ما نَستَريحُ

فُرادى بِالفَلا ما نَستَريحُ

For if they gave off a smell, we would take to flight,

Else we would have fled in the morning

each alone in the desert, finding no rest.

Alone in the desert, unable to rest

وَضاقَ بِكُلِّ مُنتَحِلٍ صَلاحاً

وَضاقَ بِكُلِّ مُنتَحِلٍ صَلاحاً

لَنَتنِ ذُنوبِهِ البَلدُ الفَسيحُ

لَنَتنِ ذُنوبِهِ البَلدُ الفَسيحُ

And for every pretender to righteousness, too cramped would be

And every land, however vast

the spacious land, because of the stench of his sins.

Would be too narrow for the stench of each pretender to righteousness