Chapter 2
A Caution About The Whims of the Self
مَوْلَاىَ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ دَائِمًا أَبَدًا
عَلَى حَبِيبِكَ خَيْرِ الخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمِ
mawlā’a ṣalli wasallim dā’iman abadan
ʿalā ḥabībika khayril khalqi kullihimi
O my Lord, bless and grant peace always and forever
Upon Your beloved one, the Best of all Creation
إِنَّ أَمَّارَتِي بِالسُّوءِ مَا اتَّعَظَتْ
مِنْ جَهْلِهَا بِنَذِيرِ الشَّيْبِ وَالهَرَمِ
inna ammāratī bis sū’i mat taʿaẓat
min jahlihā binadhīrish shaybi wal harami
My foolish reckless self refused to heed the warning
Heralded by the onset of grey hair and old age
وَلاَ أَعَدَّتْ مِنَ الفِعْلِ الجَمِيلِ قِرَى
ضَيْفٍ أَلَمَّ بِرَأْسِي غَيْرَ مُحْتَشِمِ
wala aʿaddat minal fiʿlil jamīli qirā
ḍayfin alamma bira’sī ghayra muḥtashimi
And it had not prepared any good deeds to properly welcome
This guest who had turned up on my head unannounced
لَوْ كُنْتُ أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي مَا أُوَقِّرُهُ
كَتَمْتُ سِرًّا بَدَاليِ مَنْهُ بِالكَتَمِ
law kuntu aʿlamu annī mā uwaqqiruhu
katamtu sirran badaālyi manhu bil katami
If I had known that I could not receive him with honour,
I would have hidden my secret from him with dye
مَنْ لِي بِرَدِّ جِمَاحٍ مِنْ غَوَايَتِهَا
كَمَا يُرَدُّ جِمَاحُ الخَيْلِ بِاللُّجُمِ
man lī biraddi jimāḥin min ghawāyatihā
kamā yuraddu jimāḥul khayli bil lujumi
Who can hold back my headstrong soul from the error of its ways,
Just as wild horses are restrained with bridles and reins?
فَلاَ تَرُمْ بِالمَعَاصِي كَسْرَ شَهْوَتِهَا
إِنَّ الطَّعَامَ يُقَوِّي شَهْوَةَ النَّهِمِ
fala tarum bil maʿāṣī kasra shahwatihā
innaṭ ṭaʿāma yuqawwī shahwatan nahimi
Do not aim to break the desires by plunging further into sin,
The glutton’s greed is only increased by [the sight of] food
وَالنَّفْسُ كَالطِّفْلِ إِنْ تُهْمِلْهُ شَبَّ عَلَى
حُبِّ الرَّضَاعِ وَإِنْ تَفْطِمْهُ يَنْفَطِمِ
wan nafsu kaṭ ṭifli in tuhmilhu shabba ʿalā
ḥubbir raḍāʿi wa in tafṭimhu yanfaṭimi
The self is like an infant, if you neglect its proper care, It will grow up still loving to suckle;
But once you wean it, it will be weaned
فَاصْرِفْ هَوَاهَا وَحَاذِرْ أَنْ تُوَلِّيَهُ
إِنَّ الهَوَى مَا تَوَلَّى يُصْمِ أَوْ يَصِمِ
faṣ rif hawāhā waḥādhir an tuwalliyahu
innal hawā mā tawallā yuṣmi aw yaṣimi
So dismiss its passions, beware of letting them take over, For when passion gets the upper hand,
It will either kill or bring dishonour
وَرَاعِهَا وَهِيَ فِي الأَعْمَالِ سَائِمَةٌ
وَإِنْ هِيَ اسْتَحْلَتِ المَرْعَى فَلاَ تُسِمِ
warāʿihā wahiya fīl aʿmāli sā’imatun
wa in hiyas taḥlatil marʿā fala tusimi
Keep a watchful eye on it as it grazes in the field of actions,
And if it finds the pasture too delightful, do not let it graze unchecked
كَمْ حَسَّنَتْ لَذَّةً لِلمَرْءِ قَاتِلَةً
مِنْ حَيْثُ لَمْ يَدْرِ أَنَّ السُّمَّ فِي الدَّسَمِ
kam ḥassanat ladhdhatan lilmar’i qātilatan
min ḥaythu lam yadri annas summa fīd dasami
How often a pleasure that is in fact deadly has seemed good,
To one who does not know there may be poison in the fat
وَاخْشَ الدَّسَائِسَ مِنْ جُوعٍ وَمِنْ شِبَعٍ
فَرُبَّ مَخْمَصَةٍ شَرٌّ مِنَ التُّخَمِ
wakh shad dasā’isa min jūʿin wamin shibaʿin
farubba makhmaṣatin sharrun minat tukhami
Beware the snares of hunger and satiety,
For an empty stomach may be worse than over-eating
وَاسْتَفْرِغِ الدَّمْعَ مِنْ عَيْنٍ قَدِ امْتَلَأَتْ
مِنَ المَحَارِمِ وَالْزَمْ حِمْيَةَ النَّدَمِ
was tafrighid damʿa min ʿaynin qadim tala’at
minal maḥārimi wal zam ḥimyatan nadami
Dry the tears from eyes that have had their fill of forbidden things,
And henceforth let your only diet be regret
وَخَالِفِ النَّفْسَ وَالشَّيْطَانَ وَاعْصِهِمَا
وَإِنْ هُمَا مَحَضَاكَ النُّصْحَ فَاتَّهِمِ
wakhālifin nafsa wash shayṭāna waʿ ṣihimā
wa in humā maḥaḍākan nuṣḥa fat tahimi
Oppose the self and shaytan – and defy them,
If they try to offer you advice, treat it with suspicion
وَلاَ تُطِعْ مِنْهُمَا خَصْمًا وَلاَ حَكَمًا
فَأَنْتَ تَعْرِفُ كَيْدَ الخَصْمِ وَالحَكَمِ
wala tuṭiʿ minhumā khaṣman wala ḥakaman
fa anta taʿrifu kaydal khaṣmi wal ḥakami
Never obey them, whether they oppose or come to arbitrate,
For you know by now the tricks of both opponents and arbitrators
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ قَوْلٍ بِلاَ عَمَلٍ
لَقَدْ نَسَبْتُ بِهِ نَسْلاً لِذِي عُقُمِ
astaghfiru Allaha min qawlin bila ʿamalin
laqad nasabtu bihi naslan lidhī ʿuqumi
I beg Allah’s forgiveness for saying things I do not do,
As though I were ascribing progeny to one who was barren
أَمَرْتُكَ الخَيْرَ لَكِنْ مَا ائْتَمَرْتُ بِهِ
وَمَا اسْتَقَمْتُ فَمَا قَوْلِي لَكَ اسْتَقِمِ
amartukal khayra lakin ma’ tamartu bihi
wamas taqamtu famā qawlī lakas taqimi
I ordered you to be good, but then didn’t heed my own advice,
I was not myself upright, so what of my telling you, ‘Be upright!’
وَلاَ تَزَوَّدْتُ قَبْلَ المَوْتِ نَافِلَةً
وَلَمْ أُصَلِّ سِوَى فَرْضٍ وَلَمْ أَصُمِ
wala tazawwadtu qablal mawti nāfilatan
walam uṣalli siwā farḍin walam aṣumi
I have not made much provision of voluntary prayer Before death comes to take me,
Neither have I prayed nor fasted more than was obligatory