دَعْنِي وَوَصْفِيَ آيَاتٍ لَهُ ظَهَرَتْ

ظُهُورَ نَارِ الْقِرَى لَيْلًا عَلَى عَلَمِ

Let me describe to you the signs that were manifested for him,

Visible like the village beacons lit atop hills at night.

فَالدُّرُّ يَزْدَادُ حُسْنًا وَهْوَ مُنْتَظِمٌ

وَلَيْسَ يَنْقُصُ قَدْرًا غَيْرَ مُنْتَظِمِ

Though a pearl is more lovely when strung [with others],

Its value is not diminished when alone and unstrung.

فَمَا تَطَاوُلُ آمَالِ الْمَدِيحِ إِلَى

مَا فِيهِ مِنْ كَرَمِ الْأَخْلَاقِ وَ الشِّيَمِ

To what hope can the giver of praise aspire

Of doing justice to his noble qualities and traits?

آيَاتُ حَقٍّ مِنَ الرَّحْمٰنِ مُحْدَثَةٌ

قَدِيمَةٌ صِفَةُ الْمَوْصُوفِ بِالْقِدَمِ

Signs of truth from the All-Merciful—revealed within time

Yet pre-eternal; the attribute of Him who is pre-eternal.

لَمْ تَقْتَرِنْ بِزَمَانٍ وَهْيَ تُخْبِرُنَا

عَنِ الْمَعَادِ وَعَنْ عَادٍ وَعَنْ إِرَمِ

They are not connected with time, yet they inform us

About the Resurrection, and about ʿĪd and Iram.

دَامَتْ لَدَيْنَا فَفَاقَتْ كُلَّ مُعْجِزَةٍ

مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ إِذْ جَاءَتْ وَلَمْ تَدُمِ

They remained with us, thus surpassing every miracle

Of the other Prophets, which came but did not last.

مُحَكَّمَاتٌ فَمَا تُبْقِينَ مِنْ شُبَهٍ

لِذِي شِقَاقٍ وَمَا يَبْغِينَ مِنْ حَكَمِ

Unequivocal verses leaving no doubt to remain

in dissenters, and requiring no arbiter.

مَا حُورِبَتْ قَطُّ إِلَّا عَادَ مِنْ حَرَبٍ

أَعْدَى الْأَعَادِي إِلَيْهَا مُلْقِيَ السَّلَمِ

No implacable foe has attacked them

But that he retreated from battle and sued for peace.

رَدَّتْ بَلَاغَتُهَا دَعْوَى مُعَارِضِهَا

رَدَّ الْغَيُورِ يَدَ الْجَانِي عَنِ الْحُرَمِ

Their sheer eloquence refutes the claim of their opponent,

As a jealous man wards off an assailant’s hand from his wife.

لَهَا مَعَانٍ كَمَوْجِ الْبَحْرِ فِي مَدَدٍ

وَ فَوْقَ جَوْهَرِهِ فِي الْحُسْنِ وَالْقِيَمِ

They contain meanings like the sea’s bountiful waves,

And surpass the sea’s jewels in beauty and value.

فَمَا تُعَدُّ وَلَا تُحْصَى عَجَائِبُهَا

وَلَا تُسَامُ عَلَى الْإِكْثَارِ بِالسَّأَمِ

Their marvels can neither be counted nor numbered,

And frequent repetition never gives rise to tedium.

قَرَّتْ بِهَا عَيْنُ قَارِيهَا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ

لَقَدْ ظَفِرْتَ بِحَبْلِ اللهِ فَاعْتَصِمِ

They delighted the one who recited them, so I told him,

‘You have the Rope of Allah, so hold fast to it!’

إِنْ تَتْلُهَا خِيفَةً مِنْ حَرِّ نَارِ لَظَى

أَطْفَأْتَ حَرَّ لَظَى مِنْ وِرْدِهَا الشَّبِمِ

If you recite them out of fear of a blazing fire’s heat

from their cool wells they will quench the blazing heat

كَأَنَّهَا الْحَوْضُ تَبْيَضُّ الْوُجُوهُ بِهِ

مِنَ الْعُصَاةِ وَقَدْ جَاؤُوهُ كَالْحُمَمِ

Like the Pool, they brighten the faces of the sinful,

Though they had come to it as black as charcoal.

وَكَالصِّرَاطِ وَكَالْمِيزَانِ مَعْدِلَةً

فَالْقِسْطُ مِنْ غَيْرِهَا فِي النَّاسِ لَمْ يَقُمِ

Like the Traverse and like Scales in justice;

True justice amongst men cannot be upheld from any other source.

لَا تَعْجَبَنْ لِحَسُودٍ رَاحَ يُنْكِرُهَا

تَجَاهُلًا وَهْوَ عَيْنُ الْحَاذِقِ الْفَهِمِ

Do not be amazed at an envious person who denies them

Feigning ignorance, though he has perception and understanding.

قَدْ تُنْكِرُ الْعَيْنُ ضَوْءَ الشَّمْسِ مِنْ رَمَدٍ

وَيُنْكِرُ الْفَمُ طَعْمَ الْمَاءِ مِنْ سَقَمِ

For the eye, when inflamed, may be averse to the sun’s light;

And the mouth, when ailing, may loathe water’s taste.