Preferring the Hereafter

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الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي جَعَلَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى الحَقِيقَةِ مَعْبَرَ اعْتِبَارٍ

Praise be to Allah who made this world, in truth, a passage for reflection,

يَغْتَفِرُ مَلَّاحُ سَفِينَتِهَا إِلَى جَذَفٍ وَاصْطِبَارٍ

Its sailor overlooks the world, rowing with patience and endurance,

وَلَمْ يَرْضَهَا لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ فَبَنَى لَهُمْ غَيْرَ هَذِهِ الدَّارِ

And He was not pleased with it for His close ones, so He built for them another abode,

وَبَالَغَ فِي ذَمِّهَا وَيَكْفِي مَا فِيهَا مِنَ الْأَكْدَارِ

And He went to lengths in condemning it, and the distresses within it are enough,

غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ زَيَّنَهَا وَطِفْلُ الهَوَى ذُو اغْتِرَارٍ

Yet, He adorned it, and the child of desire is prone to deception,

زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنْطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ فَلِلشَّهَوَاتِ حِيلَةٌ غَيَّارٌ

Beautified for people is the love of desires: from women and children, and heaped-up treasures of gold and silver, and branded horses, and cattle and tilled land; but desires have a deceptive strategy,

مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَلِلنِّسَاءِ حَبَائِلُ الشَّيْطَانِ الْمَكَارِ

From the women and for the women are the cunning traps of the deceitful Satan,

تُخَرِّبُ إِحْدَاهُنَّ الدِّينَ بَعْدَ أَنْ تُخَرِّبَ الدَّارَ

One of them ruins the religion after she ruins the home,

فَالْعَرَبِيُّ يَقُولُ مِنْ مُعَاشَرَتِهِنَّ وَيْلِي

So the Arab says from associating with them, 'Woe to me',

وَالْأَعْجَمِيُّ يَصِيحُ زَنَهَارَ

And the foreigner cries, 'Zanahar' (Woe),

وَالْبَنِينَ وَكَمْ صِغَرٍ قَاسَى الْأَبُ لِأَجْلِ الصِّغَارِ فَلَمَّا تَرَقَّوْا فَعَقُّوا وَالْعُقُوقُ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ الْكِبَارِ

And the children, how much hardship the father endures for the sake of the young; but when they grow up, they disobey, and disobedience is among the grave sins,

وَالْقَنَاطِيرُ الْمُقَنْطَرَةُ وَمَا اجْتَمَعَتْ إِلَّا بِأَوْزَارٍ

And the heaped-up treasures that are accumulated only through burdens,

وَالْخَيْلُ الْمُسَوَّمَةُ يَجُولُ بِهَا فِي حَلْبَةِ العَجَبِ الْمَغْوَارِ

And the branded horses are paraded in the arena of the bold, showcasing pride,

بَيْنَا تَجْرِي بِرَاكِبِهَا عَثَرَتْ بِهِ أَيَّ عِثَارٍ

While it runs with its rider, it stumbles with him — what a stumble!

وَالْأَنْعَامُ وَهِيَ مُعْجِبَةٌ لِلْمَالِكِ وَالنُّظَّارِ

And the cattle, which impress both the owner and the onlookers,

بَيْنَا هِيَ فِي صُعُودِ الزِّيَادَةِ إِذَا صَاحِبُهَا إِلَى الْقَبْرِ فِي انْحِدَارٍ

While it is in the ascent of increase, suddenly its owner heads to the grave in decline,

وَالْحَرْثُ مُخْضَرًّا وَمُصَفَّرًا مُخْتَلِفَ الأَلْوَانِ وَالْأَزْهَارِ

And the tilled land, green and yellow, with various colors and flowers,

تَبَدَّلَتْ أَوْرَاقُهُ عَنِ الْوَرَقِ غِرْبَانَ الْبَيْنِ فَقَامَتْ تَنْدُبُ الآثَارَ

Its leaves were replaced by the ravens of parting, and they stood lamenting the traces,

ذَلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا

That is the enjoyment of worldly life.