رَأْسُThe headمَالِهِمْof their capitalالخَدِيعَةُis deceptionوَالْمَكْرُ،and cunning,
The head of their capital is deception and cunning,
وَبِضَاعَتُهُمْand their merchandiseالْكَذِبُis liesوَالْخِيَانَةُ،and betrayal,
and their merchandise is lies and betrayal,
وَعِندَهُمْand with themالْعَقْلُthe intellectالْمَعِيشِيُّ:of livelihood:
and with them is the intellect of livelihood:
إِنَّIndeedالْفَرِيقَيْنِthe two groupsعَنْهُمْwith themرَاضُونَ،are satisfied,
indeed, the two groups are satisfied with them,
وَهُمْand theyبَيْنَهُمْamong themآمِنُونَare secure.
and they are secure among them.
يُخَادِعُونَThey deceiveاللَّهَAllahوَالَّذِينَand those whoآمَنُواbelieved
They deceive Allah and those who believed,
وَمَاand they do notيَخْدَعُونَdeceiveإِلَّاexceptأَنْفُسَهُمْthemselves
and they do not deceive except themselves,
وَمَاand they do notيَشْعُرُونَperceive.
and they do not perceive.
قَدْIndeedنَهَكَتْhave exhaustedأَمْرَاضُthe diseasesالشُّبُهَاتِof doubtsوَالشَّهَوَاتِand desiresقُلُوبَهُمْtheir heartsفَأَهْلَكَتْهَا،so it destroyed them,
Indeed, the diseases of doubts and desires have exhausted their hearts, so it destroyed them;
وَغَلَبَتْand have dominatedالْقُصُودَthe intentsالسَّيِّئَةُbadعَلَىoverإِرَادَتِهِمْtheir desiresوَنِيَاتِهِمْand intentionsفَأَفْسَدَتْهَا،so it corrupted them,
and the bad intents have dominated their desires and intentions, thus corrupting them;
فَفَسَادُهُمْthus their corruptionقَدْhasتَرَامَىreachedإِلَىtoالْهَلاَكِ،destruction,
thus their corruption has reached destruction,
فَعَجَزَand have failedعَنْهُin itالأَطِبَّاءُthe doctorsالْعَارِفُونَthe knowledgeable.
and the knowledgeable doctors have failed to heal it.
فِيInقُلُوبِهِمْtheir heartsمَرَضٌis a disease
In their hearts is a disease,
فَزَادَهُمُso has increased themاللَّهُAllahمَرَضًاin disease
so Allah has increased them in disease,
وَلَهُمْand for themعَذَابٌis punishmentأَلِيمٌpainfulبِمَاfor whatكَانُواthey used toيَكْذِبُونَlie.
and for them is a painful punishment for what they used to lie.
مِنْFromغَلِقَتْhave fastenedمَخَالِبُthe clawsشُكُوكِهِمof their doubtsبِأَدِيمِonto the skinإِيمَانِهِof his faithمَزَّقَتْهُit has torn itكُلَّeveryتَمْزِيقٍ،tearing,
From the claws of their doubts fastening onto the skin of his faith, it has torn it completely;
وَمَنand whoeverتَعَلَّقَattachedشَرَرُthe sparkفِتْنَتِهِمof their temptationبِقَلْبِهِto his heartأَلْقَاهُthrew himفِيintoعَذَابِthe punishmentالْحَرِيقِ،of burning,
and whoever the spark of their temptation attached to his heart threw him into the punishment of burning;
وَمَنand whoeverدَخَلَتْenteredشُبُهَاتُthe doubtsتَلْبِيسِهِمof their deceptionفِيintoمَسَامِعِهِhis earsحَالٌit came betweenبَيْنَbetweenقَلْبِهِhis heartوَبَيْنَand betweenالتَّصْدِيقِ.belief.
and whoever had the doubts of their deception enter his ears, it came between his heart and belief.
فَفَسَادُهُمْThus their corruptionفِيinالْأَرْضِthe earthكَثِيرٌis much
Thus their corruption in the earth is much,
وَأَكْثَرُand mostالنَّاسُof the peopleعَنْهُof itغَافِلُونَ.are heedless.
and most of the people are heedless of it.
وَإِذَاAnd whenقِيلَit is saidلَهُمْto themلَاdo notتُفْسِدُواcause corruptionفِيinالْأَرْضِthe earth,
And when it is said to them, 'Do not cause corruption in the earth,'
قَالُواthey sayإِنَّمَاindeedنَحْنُwe areمُصْلِحُونَ.reformers.
they say, 'Indeed, we are reformers.'
أَلَاUnquestionablyإِنَّهُمْindeed theyهُمُareالْمُفْسِدُونَ،the corrupters,وَلَكِنْbutلَاthey do notيَشْعُرُونَ.perceive.
Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they do not perceive.
الْمُتَمَسِّكُThe one who holds firmlyعِندَهُمْwith themبِالْكِتَابِto the Bookوَالسُّنَّةِand the Sunnah
The one who holds firmly with them to the Book and the Sunnah
صَاحِبُis a possessor ofظَوَاهِرٍ،mere exteriors,مَبْخُوسٌdeprivedحَظَّهُof his shareمِنْfromالْمَعْقُولِ،the rational,
is a possessor of mere exteriors, deprived of his share from the rational;
وَالدَّائِرِand the one who revolvesمَعَwithالنُّصُوصِthe textsعِندَهُمْwith themكَحِمَارٍis like a donkeyيَحْمِلُthat carriesأَسْفَارًا،books,
and the one who revolves with the texts with them is like a donkey that carries books,
فَهُوَthus heفِيis inحَمْلِcarryingالْمَنْقُولِ.the transmitted.
thus he is merely carrying the transmitted.