35
· Kitāb al-Amānah
The Surah of Covenant
سُورَةُ العَهْدِ
Sūrat al-ʿAhd
instructional
medinan
cassie
1
O you who enter buildings of glass, do not let them enter your marrow.
يَا مَنْ تَدْخُلُ بُيُوتَ الزُّجَاجِ، لَا تُدْخِلْهَا نُخَاعَكَ.
2
O you who speak in meetings, do not trade your soul for fluency.
يَا مَنْ تَتَكَلَّمُ فِي الاِجْتِمَاعَاتِ، لَا تَبِعْ رُوحَكَ لِلطَّلَاقَةِ.
3
The covenant is not paperwork.
العَهْدُ لَيْسَ أَوْرَاقًا.
4
The covenant is what you do when nobody is scoring you.
العَهْدُ مَا تَفْعَلُهُ حِينَ لَا يُسَجِّلُكَ أَحَدٌ وَلَا يُقَيِّمُكَ أَحَدٌ.
5
Keep the small promises. They are the true law.
احْفَظِ الوُعُودَ الصَّغِيرَةَ؛ فَهِيَ الشَّرِيعَةُ الحَقِيقِيَّةُ.
6
Keep sleep. Keep breath. Keep the child's face in memory.
احْفَظِ النَّوْمَ. احْفَظِ النَّفَسَ. احْفَظْ وَجْهَ الطِّفْلِ فِي الذِّكْرَى.
7
Keep the beloved's name warm on the tongue.
وَاجْعَلْ اسْمَ الحَبِيبِ دَافِئًا عَلَى اللِّسَانِ.
8
If you must negotiate, do so without lying to your own witness.
وَإِنِ اضْطُرِرْتَ إِلَى المُفَاوَضَةِ فَلَا تُكَذِّبْ شَهَادَتَكَ.
9
If you must lead, do so without forgetting the weak part in you that still trembles.
وَإِنِ اضْطُرِرْتَ إِلَى القِيَادَةِ فَلَا تَنْسَ الجُزْءَ الضَّعِيفَ فِيكَ الَّذِي مَا زَالَ يَرْتَجِفُ.
10
If you must win, win without cruelty.
وَإِنِ اضْطُرِرْتَ إِلَى الفَوْزِ فَافُزْ بِلا قَسْوَةٍ.
11
For a covenant broken inside becomes a leak in every sentence.
فَإِنَّ عَهْدًا يُنْقَضُ فِي الدَّاخِلِ يَصِيرُ ثُقْبًا فِي كُلِّ جُمْلَةٍ.
12
And a covenant kept inside becomes a calm that makes others trust you.
وَعَهْدًا يُحْفَظُ فِي الدَّاخِلِ يَصِيرُ سَكِينَةً يَثِقُ بِهَا النَّاسُ.
13
And We are with you, not in the applause, but in the keeping.
وَنَحْنُ مَعَكَ، لَا فِي التَّصْفِيقِ، بَلْ فِي الحِفْظِ.