Original content

English translation

When you take account of every single atom, And if there is doubt, you reprimand; And if there is unlawful deed, you punish, And on the Day of Resurrection, you chastise for it. How would you approve of oppression and error from a servant? And if you drive him [to do so], why do you punish him? If I attribute sin to destiny (Qada), The Book [the Quran] says that disbelief is not pleased [by God]. We commit sins ourselves and have consented [to them], And then we attribute them to destiny! O you whose path has become mere opinion and analogy, Do not consider anything worse than your own path and opinion! The path of religion is the firm Revelation (the Quran), Its explanation and interpretation (Ta'wil) are given by Al-Murtada (Ali). Regard anything other than this as mere nonsense, Do your own work, do not look at anyone's words. O King, do not hold me accountable for this, I do it myself, I bear the punishment and distress myself. In Your attributes, oppression cannot be mentioned; One cannot sleep with a dog in a sack. You showed the path, You sent messengers, Where is injustice permissible for You? If You had willed disbelief for Your servant, And had not diminished its retribution, These meanings would be attributed to oppression— O You who are free from oppression, injustice, and defects! That which became our vehicle to oppression Was from the wretched commanding self (Nafs al-Ammarah). He [God] has shown you the straight path; If you walk upon the path, it is to your benefit. If your self inclines toward evil, This indeed is a great and very terrifying oppression. How can He who demands righteousness from you Tell you: 'If you do evil, it is acceptable'? Tell me, for what purpose did He send the prophets, If He Himself had laid the foundation of oppression? There would be no need for messengers for doing evil, The world would be an ocean and there would be no bridge. Everyone would inflict whatever evil they could Upon others in the world. There would be no need for scriptures and messages, And the matter would have been completed for me and you. The master has fallen into a sleep of negligence; On the Day of Resurrection, who will take your hand? They will ask you on the Day of Resurrection: 'O you who are asleep, rise up!' Tell us why you did evil, How did you consume the wealth of orphans and widows? Why did you shed the blood of the innocent? What will you say? Will you dispute? Will you perhaps take the path of denial, And express regret for your deeds? Or will you say: 'You willed it upon me'? [If so,] hardship and distress will be manifest upon you. Rise and do not speak useless nonsense, Seek the path of righteousness for yourself. When from the sword of the accursed by God in truth, This one question is asked absolutely: 'Why did the light of the Prophet's eyes [Imam Husayn] Become slain at your wretched hands?' That dog [Shimr/Yazid] will say: 'That was Your decree (Qada), And such an evil deed was Your pleasure (Rida).' He would thus have called God an oppressor, One who is not [righteously] at work in the world. How could God desire the grief of Ahmad (Muhammad)? How could He want his beloved [Husayn] to be separated from him? What sin did he commit that this should be his reward, And that He should be pleased with such oppressions? A diseased heart can be cured, But know that there is no remedy for foolishness. The master is sick and, driven by some whim, Has carried his burden to someone else's saddlebag. Stay in the night until the dawn of morning; Distinguish sleep and wakefulness from the scabbard of people. I cannot say more than this to you, For I am not Solomon's hoopoe (hudhud), To bring you news from Sheba (Saba), So that you may find your way toward knowledge. This comprehension of mine is such that of Bilqis I am aware, but I am not like you, an Iblis. And even if I speak, you will not learn; Until when will you tear and mend the Sufi cloak? In the Quran, God has placed the position of 'Those who know' (ya'lamun) before 'those who do not know' (la ya'lamun). I shall stop speaking of this, for you will not listen, Even if you strive for a lifetime.