The Companions' Migration — Umar Embraces Islam — Page 6

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

لَقَدْ ذَكَّرَنِي حَدِيثُكَ بِطُرْفَةٍ سَمِعْتُهَا عَنْ وَاشِنْجِطْنَ: مُحَرِّرِ أَمْرِيكَا.

Your words reminded me of an anecdote I heard about Washington, the editor of America.

لَعَلَّكَ تَعْنِي قِصَّتَهُ مَعَ كَاتِبِهِ.

Perhaps you mean the story about his writer.

لَسْتُ أَعْنِي غَيْرَهَا.

That is exactly the one.

قُصَّهَا عَلَيْنَا، يَا صَلَاحُ.

Tell us, Salah.

لَكَ مَا تُرِيدُ، يَا سَعِيدُ: تَأَخَّرَ كَاتِبُ وَاشِنْجِطْنَ خَمْسَ دَقَائِقَ عَنْ مَوْعِدِهِ، فَلَمَّا سَأَلَهُ عَنْ سَبَبِ تَأَخُّرِهِ، تَعَلَّلَ بِاخْتِلَالِ سَاعَتِهِ.

As you wish, Saeed: Washington's writer was five minutes late for an appointment, and when asked why, he blamed his watch.

أَتَعْرِفُ مَاذَا صَنَعَ، يَا سَعِيدُ؟

Do you know what he did, Saeed?

نَهَاهُ عَنِ الْعَوْدَةِ إِلَى مِثْلِهَا.

He told him not to let it happen again.

وَلَكِنْ بِأَيِّ أُسْلُوبٍ؟

But in what way?

مَاذَا قَالَ؟

What did he say?

الْتَفَتَ إِلَى كَاتِبِهِ عَابِسًا، وَقَالَ لَهُ مُنْذِرًا: إِمَّا أَنْ تُغَيِّرَ سَاعَتَكَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ نُغَيِّرَكَ.

He turned to his writer, frowned, and warned him: Either you change your watch, or we will change you.

لَيْتَ رِفَاقَنَا جَمِيعًا يَحْفَظُونَ هَذَا الدَّرْسَ الْبَلِيغَ!

If only all our colleagues would take that lesson to heart!

لَمْ نَنْسَ حَدِيثَكَ، يَا رَشَادُ، فِي الْأُسْبُوعِ الْمَاضِي.

We haven't forgotten your talk last week, Rashad.

وَقَدْ خَرَجْنَا مِنْهُ بِفَوَائِدَ لَا تُحْصَى.

We walked away with countless insights.

إِنَّ تَبَادُلَ الرَّأْيِ خَيْرُ مِعْوَانٍ عَلَى جَلَاءِ الْحَقَائِقِ التَّارِيخِيَّةِ.

Exchanging opinions is the best way to clarify historical facts.

وَغَيْرِ التَّارِيخِيَّةِ.

And non-historical ones, too.

عَلَى جَلَاءِ الْحَقَائِقِ كُلِّهَا، أَيَّا كَانَ لَوْنُهَا.

To clarify all facts, regardless of their nature.

كُنَّا قَبْلَ حُضُورِكَ نَتَنَاقَشُ فِي الْهِجْرَةِ.

Before you arrived, we were discussing migration.

أَيَّ الْهِجْرَتَيْنِ تَعْنِيَانِ؟

Which of the two migrations do you mean?

أَهْنَاكَ هِجْرَتَانِ؟

Are there two?

هِجْرَتَانِ، إِنْ شِئْتُمَا، أَوْ ثَلَاثٌ.

Two, if you like, or even three.

أَيُّ مَشِيئَةٍ لَنَا فِيمَا سَلَفَ مِنْ حَوَادِثِ التَّارِيخِ؟

What say do we have over past historical events?

وَهَلْ تَتَغَيَّرُ وَقَائِعُ التَّارِيخِ وَفْقَ مَشِيئَاتِنَا وَأَهْوَائِنَا؟

Do historical facts change according to our whims and desires?

Vocabulary · المفردات (26 verbs · 40 nouns)

• ذَكَّرَ — to remind
• سَمِعَ — to hear
• عَنَى — to mean
• قَصَّ — to narrate
• أَرَادَ — to want
• تَأَخَّرَ — to delay, to lag behind
• سَأَلَ — to ask
• تَعَلَّلَ — to make an excuse
• عَرَفَ — to know
• صَنَعَ — to do
• نَهَى — to forbid
• قَالَ — to say
• الْتَفَتَ — to turn
• عَبَسَ — to frown
• أَنْذَرَ — to warn
• غَيَّرَ — to change
• حَفِظَ — to memorize
• نَسِيَ — to forget
• خَرَجَ — to exit
• أَحْصَى — to count
• كَانَ — to be
• تَنَاقَشَ — to discuss
• شَاءَ — to wish
• سَلَفَ — to pass
• تَغَيَّرَ — to change
• تَبَادَلَ — to exchange
• هِجْرَة — migration
• صَحَابِيّ — companion
• إِسْلَام — Islam
• وَفَاء — fulfillment
• وَعْد — promise
• حَدِيث — talk
• طُرْفَة — anecdote
• مُحَرِّر — liberator
• قِصَّة — story
• كَاتِب — writer
• دَقِيقَة — minute
• مَوْعِد — appointment
• سَبَب — reason
• تَأَخُّر — delay
• اخْتِلَال — malfunction
• سَاعَة — clock
• عَوْدَة — return
• أُسْلُوب — style
• دَرْس — lesson
• بَلِيغ — eloquent
• أُسْبُوع — week
• مَاضِي — past
• فَائِدَة — benefit
• تَبَادُل — exchange
• رَأْي — opinion
• خَيْر — good
• مِعْوَان — helper
• جَلَاء — clarification
• حَقِيقَة — fact
• تَارِيخِيّ — historical
• لَوْن — type
• حُضُور — presence
• عَدَد — number
• مَشِيئَة — will
• حَادِثَة — event
• وَاقِعَة — fact
• هَوَى — whim
• عَابِس — frowning
• رَفِيق — companion
• تَارِيخ — history