True Devotion

Each Arabic line is a button. Press it to go through its words, then press a word for its meaning.

فَإِن قَبِلْتَ نُصْحِي

If you accept my advice,

فَمَا أَوْلَاكَ بِالخَيْرِ وَالتَّوْقِيرِ

Then how deserving you are of goodness and respect,

وَإِنْ أَعْرَضْتَ كَإِعْرَاضِكَ عَنْ وَصِيَّةِ الإِلٰهِ العَظِيمِ

And if you turn away as you turned away from the command of the Almighty God,

فَتَبًّا لَكَ سَائِرَ الدَّهْرِ

Then woe to you for all eternity;

فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ وَهُوَ أَصْدَقُ مَنْ قَالَ

For God says, and He is the most truthful of speakers,

وأرحم من أمر ، وأعلم من أوحى ، وأكرم من هدى ،

And more merciful than those who command, more knowledgeable than those who have revealed, and more generous than those who guide,

وَهُوَ أَشْفَقُ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ أَنْفُسِنَا

And He is more compassionate toward us than we are to ourselves,

وَلَقَدْ وَصَّيْنَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الكِتَابَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَإِيَّاكُمْ أَنْ اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فَبِاللَّهِ

And We have certainly instructed those who were given the Scripture before you and yourselves to fear God;

قُلْ لِي هَل يَكُونُ طَالِبٌ مِنْ خُدَّامِ السُّنَّةِ يَتَهَاوَنُ بِالصَّلَوَاتِ

Tell me, can a seeker among the servants of the Sunnah be negligent in prayers,

أَوْ يَتَعَانَى تِلْكَ القَاذُورَاتِ

Or engage in those abominations?

لَا وَاللَّهِ

No, by God,

وَلَا هُوَ مِمَّنِ اتَّقَى اللَّهَ وَأَنْحَسُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ

And neither is he among those who fear God, and worse than all of that,

مُحَدِّثٌ يَكْذِبُ فِي حَدِيثِهِ ، وَيَخْتَلِقُ الفَشَارَاتِ

A narrator lies in his narration and fabricates falsehoods,

فَإِنْ تَرَقَّتْ هِمَّتُهُ المَقِيتَةُ إِلَى الكَذِبِ فِي النَّقْلِ ، وَالتَّزْوِيرِ فِي الطِّبَاقِ ، فَقَدِ اسْتَرَاحَ

For if his vile ambition reaches lying in transmission and falsifying documents, then he has found ease,

وَطَرَسَ الطَّلَبَةُ عَلَى اسْمِهِ وَرَسْمِهِ صُورَةً وَمَعْنًى

And the students erased his name and form, both in image and meaning.

وإن تعانى سرقة الأجزاء ، أو كشط الأوقاف ، فهذا لص بسمت محدث ،

And if he engages in stealing parts or scraping endowments, then he is a thief in the guise of a narrator,

وَإِنْ جَعَلَ الطَّلَبَ لَهُ مَأْكَلَهُ وَدُكَّانًا ، فَالأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ

And if he makes seeking knowledge his means of livelihood and business, then actions are judged by intentions,

وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ فَاقْرَأْ كِتَابَكَ كَفَى بِنَفْسِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَسِيبًا

And there is no power except with God, so read your book; sufficient are you as a reckoner against yourself,

وَأَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ أَنْ أَكُونَ قَدْ ضَيَّعْتُ الزَّمَانَ فِي نَعْتِ بَطَلَةِ الطَّلَبَةِ

And I seek refuge in God from having wasted time in praising a useless student,

أَبْلَاهُمُ اللَّهُ بِالغَلَبَةِ فَافْتَحْ عَيْنَكَ ، وَأَحْضِرْ ذِهْنَكَ ، وَأَرْعِنِي سَمْعَكَ

May God test them with defeat; so open your eyes, bring your mind, and lend me your ear,

فَإِنِ انْتَفَعْتَ وَعَقَدْتَ مَعَ اللَّهِ عَقْدًا ، فَقَدْ تَوَسَّمْتُ فِيكَ الخَيْرَ

For if you benefit and make a covenant with God, then I have perceived goodness in you,

وَإِنْ شَرَدْتَ وَرَكِبْتَ الإِعْرَاضَ وَالكَسَلَ مِثْلِي ، فَوَاحَسْرَتَا عَلَيَّ وَعَلَيْكَ

And if you stray and embrace neglect and laziness like me, then alas for both you and me,

فَثَمَّةَ طَرِيقٌ قَدْ بَقِيَ لَا أَكْتُمُهُ عَنْكَ ، وَهُوَ كَثْرَةُ الدُّعَاءِ

Then there remains a path I do not hide from you, which is abundant supplication,

وَالِاسْتِعَانَةُ بِاللَّهِ العَظِيمِ فِي آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ

And seeking help from the Almighty God during the night and the day,

وَكَثْرَةُ الإِلْحَاحِ عَلَى مَوْلَاكَ بِكُلِّ دُعَاءٍ مَأْثُورٍ تَسْتَحْضِرُهُ أَوْ غَيْرَ مَأْثُورٍ

And persistent supplication to your Lord with every remembered or unremembered prayer,

وَعَقِيبَ الخَمْسِ ، فِي أَنْ يُصْلِحَكَ وَيُوَفِّقَكَ وَالْزَمْ وَلَا بُدَّ آيَةَ الكُرْسِيِّ فِي دُبُرِ الصَّلَوَاتِ المَفْرُوضَةِ

And after the five prayers, to guide and aid you, and always adhere to Ayat al-Kursi at the end of the obligatory prayers,

وَأَكْثِرْ الاِسْتِغْفَارَ وَالأَذْكَارَ ،

And increase in seeking forgiveness and in making remembrance,

وَالْزَمِ الصِّدْقَ المُفْرِطَ عَنْ كُلِّ بُدٍّ فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

And adhere to absolute honesty in everything without exception,

وَلَا تَسْتَكْبِرْ ، وَلَا تَكُنْ مِمَّنْ يَسْتَكْبِرُ بِمَا عَلِمَ

And do not be arrogant, and do not be among those who are arrogant about what they know,

فَإِنَّكَ جَاهِلٌ خَبَلٌ فَدَاوِمْ بِاللَّهِ عَلَى التَّوَاضُعِ الزَّائِدِ

For surely you are ignorant and foolish, so persist in excessive humility with God,

وَالمَسْكَنَةُ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلَّا الفَاسِقِينَ مِنْهُمْ

And humility towards Muslims, except for the transgressors among them,

وَأَحِبَّ لِلَّهِ ، وَأَبْغِضْ فِي اللَّهِ

And love for the sake of God, and hate for the sake of God,

وَثِقْ بِاللَّهِ ، وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ

And trust in God, and rely on God,

وَأَنْزِلْ ضَرُورَتَكَ بِاللَّهِ ، وَلَا تَسْتَغْنِ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

And place your needs with God, and do not seek independence except through God,

وَأَكْثِرْ مِنْ لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

And frequently say 'There is no power nor strength except by God,'

وَمِنَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا دَائِمًا أَبَدًا

And send abundant, perpetual blessings and peace upon the Messenger of God forever.

انْتَهَتِ الوَصِيَّةُ قُوبِلَتْ

The counsel is concluded and accepted.