Between the Age of Darkness and the Break of Dawn — Page 6

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

لَسْتُ أُبَادِلُكَ ثَنَاءً بِثَنَاءِ، إِذَا قُلْتُ لَكَ إِنَّ مَا جَلَوْتَهُ أَنْتَ لِي مِنْ دَقَائِقِ الْأَحْدَاثِ التَّارِيخِيَّةِ قَدْ أَنَارَ لِي كَثِيرًا مِنْ غَوَامِضِ التَّارِيخِ وَمُشْكِلَاتِهِ.

I am not just offering you empty praise when I say that the historical details you clarified for me have shed light on many of history's mysteries and complexities.

وَلَيْسَ أَبْهَجَ مِنْ لِقَاءِ زَمِيلَيْنِ يَرْمِيَانِ إِلَى غَرَضِ وَاحِدٍ، وَيَهْدِفَانِ إِلَى غَايَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ.

There is nothing more joyful than two colleagues meeting who share the same purpose and aim for the same goal.

وَلَقَدِ افْتَرَقْنَا فِي خِتَامِ الْعُطْلَةِ السَّابِقَةِ عَلَى أَنْ نُتِمَّ مَا بَدَأْنَاهُ مِنْ حِوَارٍ شَائِقٍ جَذَّابٍ.

We parted at the end of our last break with the agreement to continue the engaging conversation we had begun.

وَمَا أَظُنُّكَ نَاسِيًا وَعْدَكَ.

I trust you haven't forgotten your promise.

كَلَّا يَا سَعِيدُ.

Certainly not, Sa'id.

بَلْ أَنَا عَلَى الْعَكْسِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَتَرَقَّبُ إِنْجَازَهُ بِفَارِغِ الصَّبْرِ.

On the contrary, I have been waiting for its completion with great impatience.

لَا أَكْذِبُكَ الْقَوْلَ يَا صَلَاحُ، فَإِنَّ جُمْلَةً رَائِعَةً قُلْتَهَا فِي عُرْضِ أَحَادِيثِكَ السَّابِقَةِ، لَا تَزَالُ تَرِنُّ فِي أُذُنِي، وَتَتَرَدَّدُ فِي خَاطِرِي، وَلَا يَزَالُ مَعْنَاهَا يَتَجَدَّدُ أَمَامِي كُلَّ يَوْمٍ كَمَا تَتَجَدَّدُ الْأَنْهَارُ كُلَّ رَبِيعٍ، فَيَمْلَأُ نَفْسِي ثِقَةً وَابْتِهَاجًا.

I am being sincere, Salah: a wonderful remark you made during our previous talks still rings in my ears and echoes in my mind. Its meaning continues to renew itself for me every day—like rivers renewing themselves each spring—filling my soul with confidence and joy.

وَمَا أَنْسَ لَا أَنْسَ هَذَا الْمَعْنَى الرَّائِعَ الَّذِي لَا يَفْتَأُ يُذَكِّرُنِي بِنَفْسِهِ، بَيْنَ حِينٍ وَآخَرَ، فَلَا يَدَعُ إِلَى نِسْيَانِهِ سَبِيلًا.

I will never forget that profound insight; it constantly reminds me of itself, leaving no chance for it to slip from my memory.

أَيَّ مَعْنًى تَقْصِدُ؟

Which insight do you mean?

لَقَدْ سَأَلْتُكَ فِي آخِرِ لِقَاءِ كَيْفَ تَجَمَّعَ شَمْلُ الْعَرَبِ فِي صَدْرِ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَكَيْفَ تَوَحَّدَ أَمْرُهُمْ بَعْدَ التَّفَرُّقِ، فَلَمْ تَقِفْ فِي سَبِيلِهِمْ عَقَبَةٌ، وَدَانَتْ لَهُمُ الدُّنْيَا، فَبَلَغُوا فِي أَعْوَامٍ مَا لَمْ يَبْلُغْهُ غَيْرُهُمْ فِي قُرُونٍ؟

At our last meeting, I asked you how the Arabs were able to unite in the early days of Islam, how they overcame their divisions, cleared every obstacle in their path, and saw the world submit to them, achieving in mere years what others could not in centuries.

فَمَا رَاعَنِي إِلَّا قَوْلُكَ: أُولَئِكَ قَوْمٌ كَانَ أُسْتَاذُهُمُ النَّبِيُّ، فَكَانَ لَهُمْ فِيهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ، فَغَرَسَ فِيهِمْ مِنْ فَضَائِلِهِ وَمَزَايَاهُ مَا مَكَّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلَ عُرُوشَ الْجَبَابِرَةِ وَتِيجَانَ الْقَيَاصِرَةِ تَدِينُ لَهُمْ فِي كُلِّ أَنْحَاءِ الدُّنْيَا!

I was struck by your reply: 'They were a people whose teacher was the Prophet, and in him they found a perfect example. He instilled in them his own virtues and merits, which empowered them on earth and brought the thrones of tyrants and the crowns of emperors to their feet across the globe.'

وَمَنْ كَانَ رَسُولُ الْهُدَى قَائِدَهُمْ وَهَادِيَهُمْ، لَمْ يُسْتَكْثَرْ عَلَيْهِمْ شَيْءٌ، مَهْمَا يَجِلَّ وَيَعْظُمُ.

For those who had the Messenger of Guidance as their leader and guide, no achievement is too great, no matter how monumental.

كُنْ عَلَى ثِقَةٍ يَا سَعِيدُ أَنَّ فَضْلَ الرَّسُولِ، عَلَيْهِ صَلَوَاتُ اللهِ وَتَحِيَّاتُهُ، لَا يَظْهَرُ لَنَا وَاضِحًا جَلِيًّا إِلَّا إِذَا عَرَفْنَا مِقْدَارَ مَا كَانَ يُخَيِّمُ عَلَى النَّاسِ مِنْ ظَلَامِ الْفِكْرِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْعَصْرِ.

Rest assured, Sa'id, that the greatness of the Messenger—may God’s peace and blessings be upon him—only becomes truly clear to us when we understand the sheer darkness of ignorance that loomed over people in that era.

Vocabulary · المفردات (40 verbs · 80 nouns)

• بَادَلَ — to exchange
• قَالَ — to say
• جَلَا — to clarify
• أَنَارَ — to illuminate
• رَمَى — to aim
• هَدَفَ — to aim
• اِفْتَرَقَ — to separate
• أَتَمَّ — to complete
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• ظَنَّ — to think
• تَرَقَّبَ — to await
• أَنْجَزَ — to accomplish
• كَذَبَ — to lie
• زَالَ — to continue
• رَنَّ — to ring
• تَرَدَّدَ — to echo
• تَجَدَّدَ — to renew
• مَلَأَ — to fill
• نَسِيَ — to forget
• فَتِئَ — to cease
• ذَكَّرَ — to remind
• وَدَعَ — to leave
• قَصَدَ — to intend
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• تَجَمَّعَ — to gather
• تَوَحَّدَ — to unite
• وَقَفَ — to stand
• دَانَ — to submit
• بَلَغَ — to reach
• رَاعَ — to startle
• كَانَ — to be
• غَرَسَ — to plant
• مَكَّنَ — to empower
• جَعَلَ — to make
• اِسْتَكْثَرَ — to deem too much
• جَلَّ — to become majestic
• عَظُمَ — to grow great
• ظَهَرَ — to appear
• عَرَفَ — to know
• خَيَّمَ — to loom
• عَصْر — era
• ظَلَام — darkness
• مَطْلَع — beginning
• فَجْر — dawn
• ثَنَاء — praise
• دَقِيقَة — minute
• حَدَث — event
• تَارِيخِيّ — historical
• كَثِير — much
• غَامِض — mystery
• تَارِيخ — history
• مُشْكِلَة — problem
• لِقَاء — meeting
• زَمِيل — colleague
• غَرَض — purpose
• وَاحِد — one
• غَايَة — goal
• خِتَام — conclusion
• عُطْلَة — vacation
• سَابِق — previous
• حِوَار — dialogue
• شَائِق — interesting
• جَذَّاب — attractive
• وَعْد — promise
• عَكْس — opposite
• فَارِغ — empty
• صَبْر — patience
• قَوْل — saying
• جُمْلَة — sentence
• رَائِع — wonderful
• عُرْض — course
• حَدِيث — conversation
• أُذُن — ear
• خَاطِر — mind
• مَعْنًى — meaning
• يَوْم — day
• نَهْر — river
• رَبِيع — spring
• نَفْس — soul
• ثِقَة — confidence
• اِبْتِهَاج — joy
• حِين — time
• آخَر — other
• سَبِيل — way
• جَمْع — gathering
• شَمْل — unity
• عَرَبِيّ — Arab
• صَدْر — early period
• إِسْلَام — Islam
• أَمْر — affair
• تَفَرُّق — division
• عَقَبَة — obstacle
• دُنْيَا — world
• عَام — year
• قَرْن — century
• قَوْم — people
• أُسْتَاذ — teacher
• نَبِيّ — prophet
• أُسْوَة — example
• حَسَن — good
• فَضِيلَة — virtue
• مَزِيَّة — merit
• أَرْض — earth
• عَرْش — throne
• جَبَّار — tyrant
• تَاج — crown
• قَيْصَر — emperor
• نَاحِيَة — parts
• رَسُول — messenger
• هُدًى — guidance
• قَائِد — leader
• هَاد — guide
• شَيْء — thing
• صَلَاة — prayer
• الله — God
• تَحِيَّة — greeting
• وَاضِح — clear
• جَلِيّ — evident
• مِقْدَار — amount
• فِكْر — thought