A portion of the lofty firmament, whereas the rest of it (1)
is either fearful dread or reassuring safety, both awe-inspiring.

It is living and lifeless, motionless and in motion—
if only you would reflect on its many aspects.

With its fivefold complement you behold it as the very cause of its existence,
yet, in secret, it is its own effect, a secret it never divulges (2).

Stripped of that quintet and of every grammatical sign,
it still subsists, a predicate borne by its subject.

In respect of its tense it is a past action still to come;
its craftsmanship is praised through the praise (3) of its Maker.

⦗7⦘
It is a restriction upon what is absolute—particularity within universality;
an increment that singles out the individual over the collective (4).

A thing that abides while departing, possible like the impossible,
as slow as it is swift.

Its very name is the most essential word in Sacred Law and religion,
and its annexed forms embrace both roots and branches.

Its subtle yet august meaning accords with the science of al-Khalīl,
though it is derived from none of his scansion.

Should a master of prosody seek to resolve it,
he will find it among the separated feet or in their totality.

And when a full moon sets it with a matchless pearl,
it becomes a necklace that enhances the pearls it adorns (5).

Its fruits belong to the logician and the sage,
and its cure lies in its passing away and return.

It bears an Ashʿarī emblem yet follows a Hanbalī creed—
marvel, then, at such a conjunction!

Its completion is found in the verse of the Kindite poet:
“None preserves a pledge like the one who wastes it.”

It quenches your thirst with the dew of its arrival,
and in darkness it shows you guidance when it rises.