Lights from the Blessed Birth (أضواء من المولد السعيد) — Page 8

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

مَا أَعْجَبَ أَمْرَ أُولَئِكَ الْغُوَاةِ الضَّالِّينَ!

How strange the behavior of those misguided, straying people!

أَتْرَاهُمْ جَاءُوا مِنَ الْحَبَشَةِ، وَقَطَعُوا مَسَافَةَ مَا بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ مَكَّةَ لِهَذَا الْغَرَضِ الْآثِمِ: هَدْمِ بَيْتِ اللَّهِ؟

Do you think they came all the way from Abyssinia to Mecca for such a sinful purpose: the destruction of the House of God?

قَدِمُوا مِنْ صَنْعَاءَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ فِي جَيْشِ زَاخِرٍ، مَوْفُورِ الْعَدَدِ وَالْعَتَادِ.

They arrived from Sana'a to Mecca with a massive army, well-supplied in both men and equipment.

أَيْنَ صَنْعَاءُ مِنَ الْحَبَشَةِ، أَيُّهَا الصَّدِيقُ الْعَزِيزُ؟

Where is Sana'a in relation to Abyssinia, my dear friend?

إِنَّ صَنْعَاءَ عَاصِمَةُ الْيَمَنِ، وَلَيْسَتْ مِنْ بُلْدَان الْحَبَشَةِ.

Sana'a is the capital of Yemen; it is not part of Abyssinia.

فَهَلْ هِيَ بَادِرَةٌ سَبَقَ لِسَانُكَ إِلَيْهَا؟

Was that just a slip of the tongue?

كَلَّا بَلْ هِيَ قَصْدُ قَاصِدٍ.

No, it was quite intentional.

وَكَلِمَةٌ عَنَاهَا قَائِلُهَا!

A word meant exactly as it was spoken!

أَلَسْتَ تَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ أَبْرَهَةُ الْحَبَشِيُّ وَجَيْشُهُ؟

Do you not say that it was Abraha the Abyssinian and his army?

كَانَ الْحَبَشُ قَدِ اسْتَوْلَوْا عَلَى بِلَادِ الْيَمَنِ فِي ذَلِكَ الزَّمَنِ.

The Abyssinians had seized Yemen during that era.

مَتَى اسْتَوْلَوْا عَلَيْهَا؟

When did they seize it?

فِي الْقَرْنِ السَّادِسِ الْمِيلَادِيِّ.

In the sixth century AD.

فَمَا بَالُ مَلِكِ الْحَبَشَةِ يَنْقُلُ حَاضِرَةَ مُلْكِهِ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ؟

Why would the King of Abyssinia move his royal capital to Yemen?

مَنْ قَالَ ذَلِكَ؟!

Who said that?

أَلَمْ يَنْتَقِلْ مَلِكُ الْحَبَشَةِ إِلَى صَنْعَاءَ، وَيَتَّخِذْهَا حَاضِرَةً لِمُلْكِهِ؟

Did the King of Abyssinia not relocate to Sana'a and make it his capital?

كَلَّا لَمْ يَنْتَقِلْ مَلِكُ الْحَبَشَةِ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ.

No, the King of Abyssinia did not relocate to Yemen.

أَلَمْ تَقُلْ: إِنَّ أَبْرَهَةَ الْحَبَشِيَّ قَدْ زَحَفَ بِجَيْشِهِ مِنْ صَنْعَاءَ، وَهِيَ حَاضِرَةُ الْيَمَنِ، إِلَى مَكَّةَ لِيَهْدِمَ الْكَعْبَةَ؟

Did you not say that Abraha the Abyssinian marched with his army from Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, to Mecca to destroy the Kaaba?

بَلَى.

I did.

فَهَلْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَبْرَهَةَ كَانَ مَلِكَ الْحَبَشَةِ!

So you thought Abraha was the King of Abyssinia!

الْآنَ ذَكَرْتُ أَنَّ مَلِكَ الْحَبَشَةِ كَانَ النَّجَاشِيَّ.

I just remembered that the King of Abyssinia was the Negus.

فَمَنْ أَبْرَهَةٌ؟

Then who is Abraha?

Vocabulary · المفردات (17 verbs · 39 nouns)

• عَجِبَ — to wonder
• رَأَى — to see
• جَاءَ — to come
• قَطَعَ — to cut
• قَدِمَ — to arrive
• سَبَقَ — to precede
• عَنَى — to mean
• قَالَ — to say
• كَانَ — to be
• اِسْتَوْلَى — to seize
• نَقَلَ — to move
• اِنْتَقَلَ — to relocate
• اِتَّخَذَ — to take
• زَحَفَ — to march
• هَدَمَ — to demolish
• حَسِبَ — to think
• ذَكَرَ — to remember
• ضَوْء — light
• مَوْلِد — birth
• سَعِيد — happy
• أَمْر — matter
• غَاو — misguided person
• ضَالٌّ — straying person
• مَسَافَة — distance
• غَرَض — purpose
• آثِمٌ — sinful
• هَدْم — demolition
• بَيْت — house
• جَيْش — army
• زَاخِر — abundant
• مَوْفُور — plentiful
• عَدَد — number
• عَتَاد — equipment
• صَدِيق — friend
• عَزِيز — dear
• عَاصِمَة — capital
• بَلَد — country
• بَادِرَة — hasty remark
• لِسَان — tongue
• قَصْد — intention
• قَاصِد — intender
• كَلِمَة — word
• قَائِل — speaker
• حَبَشِيٌّ — Abyssinian
• حَبَش — Abyssinians
• زَمَن — time
• اِسْتِيلَاء — seizure
• حَبَشِيٌّ — Abyssinians
• قَرْن — century
• سَادِس — sixth
• مِيلَادِيٌّ — AD
• بَال — state
• مَلِك — king
• حَاضِرَة — metropolis
• كَعْبَة — Kaaba
• نَجَاشِيٌّ — Negus