Lights from the Blessed Birth (أضواء من المولد السعيد) — Page 17

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

كَانَتْ هَذِهِ الْمَبَادِئُ الْأَرْبَعَةُ أَشْبَهَ بِأَعْمِدَةٍ قَامَ عَلَيْهَا ذَلِكَ الْبِنَاءُ الشَّامِخُ.

These four principles were like the pillars of that lofty structure.

مَا أَبْرَعَكَ فِي التَّشْوِيقِ، وَإِثَارَةِ الِانْتِبَاهِ يَا رَشَادُ!

Rashad, you are a master at building suspense and grabbing attention!

إِنَّهَا مَبَادِئُ أَرْبَعَةٌ، لَا تَتِمُّ سَعَادَةُ الْإِنْسَانِ بِغَيْرِهَا.

They are four principles without which human happiness remains incomplete.

إِنَّ السَّعَادَةَ، فِيمَا يَقُولُونَ، غَايَةٌ لَا تُدْرَكُ.

Happiness, as they say, is an unattainable goal.

إِنَّ طَرَائِقَ السَّعَادَةِ مَعْرُوفَةٌ وَاضِحَةٌ، وَلَكِنَّهَا عَسِيرَةٌ شَاقَّةٌ.

The paths to happiness are clear and well-known, yet they are difficult and arduous.

لَا يَجْتَازُهَا إِلَّا مَنْ حَبَاهُ اللهُ نِعْمَةَ التَّوْفِيقِ.

No one can traverse them except those whom God has blessed with success.

سَتَرَيَان أَنَّ تِلْكَ الْمَبَادِئَ الْأَرْبَعَةَ الَّتِي غَرَسَهَا الرَّسُولُ فِي صَحَابَتِهِ هِيَ، وَحْدَهَا، الطَّرَائِقُ الْمُوَصِّلَةُ إِلَى سَعَادَةِ الدَّارَيْنِ.

You will both see that those four principles the Messenger instilled in his companions are the only paths leading to happiness in both worlds.

بِرَبِّكَ إِلَّا مَا عَجَّلْتَ لَنَا بِذِكْرِهَا، يَا رَشَادُ، بَعْدَ أَنْ أَلْهَبْتَ شَوْقَنَا إِلَيْهَا.

For heaven's sake, Rashad, do tell us what they are, now that you have stoked our curiosity.

إِنَّكُمَا لَتَعْرِفَانِهَا، كَمَا أَعْرِفُهَا، وَكَمَا يَعْرِفُهَا كُلُّ مُسْلِمٍ حَقَّ الْمَعْرِفَةِ.

You both know them, just as I do, and just as every Muslim truly knows them.

وَلَكِنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ وَحْدَهَا لَا تَكْفِي.

But knowledge alone is not enough.

فَمَاذَا يَبْقَى وَرَاءَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ؟

What, then, remains beyond knowledge?

الِانْتِفَاعُ بِمَا يَعْرِفُ!

Putting that knowledge to use!

صَدَقْتَ.

You are right.

فَلَوْ عَرَفَ الْإِنْسَانُ أَنَّ فِي طَرِيقِهِ هَاوِيَةً سَحِيقَةً يَهْلِكُ مَنْ تَرَدَّى فِيهَا عَلَى الْفَوْرِ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يُعِدَّ نَفْسَهُ لِلْحَذَرِ مِنْهَا، وَتَرَاخَى فِي الِاحْتِيَاطِ، لِتَوَفِّي السُّقُوطِ فِيهَا، لَكَانَتْ مَعْرِفَتُهُ عَدِيمَةَ الْجَدْوَى.

If a man knew there was a deep abyss on his path that would instantly kill anyone who fell into it, yet he failed to prepare himself, remained cautious, or grew lax in taking precautions to avoid it, his knowledge would be useless.

بَلْ كَانَ أَجْدَرَ بِاللَّوْمِ، وَأَبْعَدَ عَنِ الْمَعْذِرَةِ مِمَّنْ جَهِلَهَا، وَلَمْ يُدْرِكْ خَطَرَهَا.

In fact, he would be more deserving of blame and have less of an excuse than someone who was ignorant of the danger entirely.

وَلَوْ أَنَّ إِنْسَانًا عَرَفَ أَنَّ نَجَاتَهُ عَلَى قَيْدِ خُطُوَاتٍ مِنْهُ، ثُمَّ قَصَّرَ فِي الِانْتِفَاعِ بِمَا عَرَفَ.

If a man knew his salvation was only a few steps away, yet he failed to act on that knowledge,

لَا يَلُومَنَّ إِلَّا نَفْسَهُ!

he would have no one to blame but himself!

الْآنَ اجْتَمَعَتِ الْكَلِمَةُ عَلَى أَنَّ الْمَعْرِفَةَ لَا قِيمَةَ لَهَا، إِذَا لَمْ يَصْحَبْهَا الْعَمَلُ عَلَى اسْتِثْمَارِهَا، وَالِانْتِفَاعِ بِهَا.

We are all agreed, then, that knowledge is worthless unless accompanied by action and the will to apply it.

ذَلِكَ يَقِينٌ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ.

That is a certainty beyond doubt.

وَلَكِنَّكَ لَا تَزَالُ تُشَوِّقُنَا إِلَى تِلْكَ الْمَبَادِئِ الْعَالِيَةِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ الَّتِي بَنَّهَا الرَّسُولُ الْكَرِيمُ.

Yet you still keep us in suspense regarding those four noble principles established by the Messenger.

Vocabulary · المفردات (29 verbs · 58 nouns)

• كَانَ — to be
• قَامَ — to stand
• تَفَرَّعَ — to branch out
• تَمَّ — to conclude, to finish
• قَالَ — to say
• أَدْرَكَ — to perceive
• اِجْتَازَ — to cross
• حَبَا — to bestow
• غَرَسَ — to plant
• وَصَلَ — to connect
• عَجَّلَ — to hasten
• أَلْهَبَ — to inflame
• عَرَفَ — to know
• كَفَى — to suffice
• بَقِيَ — to remain
• صَدَقَ — to speak the truth
• هَلَكَ — to perish
• تَرَدَّى — to fall
• أَعَدَّ — to prepare
• تَرَاخَى — to grow lax
• جَهِلَ — to lack knowledge
• قَصَّرَ — to fall short
• لَامَ — to blame
• اِجْتَمَعَ — to gather
• صَحِبَ — to accompany
• اِسْتَثْمَرَ — to invest
• زَالَ — to continue
• شَوَّقَ — to make eager
• بَنَى — to build
• ضَوْء — light
• مَوْلِد — birth
• سَعِيد — happy
• مَبْدَأ — principle
• عَمُود — pillar
• بِنَاء — structure
• شَامِخ — lofty
• أَصْل — origin
• عَالِيَة — high
• تَشْوِيق — eagerness
• إِثَارَة — excitement
• انْتِبَاهٌ — attention
• سَعَادَة — happiness
• إِنْسَان — human
• عَجَب — wonder
• غَايَة — goal
• طَرِيقَة — way
• مَعْرُوفَة — known
• وَاضِحَة — clear
• عَسِير — difficult
• شَاقَّة — arduous
• نِعْمَة — blessing
• تَوْفِيق — success
• رَسُول — messenger
• صَحَابَة — companion
• دَار — abode
• رَبٌّ — lord
• ذِكْر — mention
• شَوْق — longing
• مُسْلِم — Muslim
• حَقٌّ — truth
• مَعْرِفَة — knowledge
• انْتِفَاعٌ — benefit
• هَاوِيَة — abyss
• سَحِيق — deep
• فَوْر — instant
• حَذَر — caution
• احْتِيَاط — precaution
• سُقُوط — fall
• جَدْوَى — usefulness
• لَوْم — blame
• مَعْذِرَة — excuse
• خَطَر — danger
• نَجَاة — salvation
• قَيْد — measure
• خُطْوَة — step
• قَوْل — saying
• عَمَل — work
• كَلِمَة — word
• قِيمَة — value
• اسْتِثْمَارٌ — investment
• يَقِين — certainty
• رَيْب — doubt
• كَرِيم — generous
• أَشْبَه — most similar
• أَبْعَد — farther
• عَدِيمَة — lacking, devoid of
• مُوَصِّلَة — leading