Original Arabic Text

Metre: vāfir, mefâ‘îlün mefâ‘îlün fe‘ûlün (this scansion, which departs from the edition's "serî‘", is ours).

القَولُ فِي عَذابِ القَبْرِ وَسائِرِ أحوالِ المَعادِ
el-Ḳavlu fī ‘aẕābi’l-ḳabri ve sā’iri aḥvāli’l-me‘ād (on the punishment of the grave and the other states of the hereafter)

عَذابُ القَبْرِ لِلْكُفّارِ حَقٌّ
وَبَعضَ المُذْنِبِينَ لَدَى ارْتِحالِ

‘Aẕābu’l-ḳabri li’l-küffāri ḥaḳḳun
Ve ba‘żi’l-müẕnibīne ledā’rtiḥālī

وَتَنعِيمُ المُطِيعِ بِقَبرٍ حَقٌّ
بِما يَعْلَمُهُ رَبِّي ذِي التَّعالِي

Ve tan‘īmu’l-muṭī‘i bi-ḳabrin ḥaḳḳun
Bi-mā ya‘lemuhū rabbī ẕi’t-te‘ālī

حَدِيثُ سُؤالِ مُنْكَرٍ وَالنَّكِيرِ
صَحِيحٌ ثابِتٌ يا ذا الجَلالِ

Ḥadīs̱u su’āli münkerin ve’n-nekīri
Ṣaḥīḥun s̱ābitun yā ẕe’l-celālī

وَبَعثُ خَلائِقٍ وَالوَزْنُ حَقٌّ
وَقَدْ يَنْفِيهِ أرْبابُ الضَّلالِ

Ve ba‘s̱u ḫalā’iḳın ve’l-veznu ḥaḳḳun
Ve ḳad yenfīhi erbābu’ż-żalālī

سُؤالُ النّاسِ يَومَ الحَشْرِ حَقٌّ
كَما حَقَّ الكِتابُ لَدَى السُّؤالِ

Su’ālu’n-nāsi yevme’l-ḥaşri ḥaḳḳun
Kemā ḥaḳḳa’l-kitābu ledā’s-su’ālī

وَحَوضٌ فِي جِنانِ الخُلْدِ حَقٌّ
فَتُسْقَى المُؤمِنُونَ لَدى اغْتِلالِ

Ve ḥavżun fī cināni’l-ḫuldi ḥaḳḳun
Fe-tusḳa’l-mü’minūne ledā’ġtilālī

حَدِيثُ الجَنَّةِ وَالنّارِ حَقٌّ
هُما مَوجُودَتانِ بِلا اخْتِلالِ

Ḥadīs̱u’l-cenneti ve’n-nāri ḥaḳḳun
Humā mevcūdetāni bi-lā’ḫtilālī

وَاهلُهُما كَذلكَ لَيسَ يَفْنَى
وَدَلَّ بِهِ أحادِيثٌ عَوالِ

Ve ehluhumā keẕālike leyse yefnā
Ve delle bihī eḥādīs̱un ‘avālī

وَمُرْتَكِبُ الكَبِيرَةِ دونَ كُفْرٍ
عَرِيٌّ مِن سِماتِ الكُفْرِ خالِي

Ve mürtekibu’l-kebīreti dūne küfrin
‘Ariyyun min simāti’l-küfri ḫālī

وَرَبِّي لَيسَ يَغْفِرُ أهلَ شِركٍ
وَقَدْ وُعِدَتْ لَهُمْ دارُ النَّكالِ

Ve rabbī leyse yaġfiru ehle şirkin
Ve ḳad vu‘idet lehüm dāru’n-nekālī

وَيَغفِرُ دُونَ ذلكَ ما يَشاءُ
فَلا تَكُ فِي القُنُوطِ عَنِ النَّوالِ

Ve yaġfiru dūne ẕālike mā yeşā’u
Fe-lā tekü fi’l-ḳunūṭi ‘ani’n-nevālī

وَقَدْ جازَ العِقابُ عَلَى الصَّغائِرْ
فَلا تَأمَنْ مِنْ إدراكِ المِحالِ

Ve ḳad cāze’l-‘iḳābu ‘ale’ṣ-ṣaġā’ir
Fe-lā te’men min idrāki’l-miḥālī

وَقَدْ تُعْفَى الكَبائِرُ دُونَ كُفْرٍ
إذا لَمْ يَسْتَحِلْ عِندَ اشْتِغالِ

Ve ḳad tu‘fe’l-kebā’iru dūne küfrin
İẕā lem yestaḥil ‘inde’ştiġālī

وَاسْتِحلالُ كُلِّ الذَّنْبِ كُفْرٌ
فَلا تَقْرَبْ بِهِ يا ذا الخِلالِ

Ve’stiḥlālu külli’ẕ-ẕenbi küfrun
Fe-lā taḳrab bihī yā ẕe’l-ḫilālī

وَقَدْ ثَبَتَتْ شَفاعَةُ كُلِّ رُسُلٍ
لِذَنْبِ المُذْنِبِينَ ذَوِي فِعالِ

Ve ḳad s̱ebetet şefā‘atu külli rusulin
Li-ẕenbi’l-müẕnibīne ẕevī fi‘ālī

وَأصْحابُ الكَبائِرِ دُونَ كُفْرٍ
فَلا تَبْقَى بِدارِ الاشْتِعالِ

Ve aṣḥābu’l-kebā’iri dūne küfrin
Fe-lā tebḳā bi-dāri’l-iştı‘ālī

In English

115. The punishment of the grave is true for the unbelievers and for some sinners when they depart this life.

116. The blessing of the obedient servant in the grave is also true, in the manner my exalted Lord knows.

117. The report about the questioning by Munkar and Nakīr is sound and established, O man of dignity.

118. The raising of creatures and the weighing of deeds are true, though the people of error deny it.

119. The questioning of mankind on the Day of Gathering is true, just as the giving of the book of deeds at the questioning is true.

120. The Pool in the gardens of eternity is true; the believers will be given to drink from it when they burn with thirst.

121. The report of paradise and hell is true; both already exist, without defect.

122. Their inhabitants likewise will not perish; hadiths of high authority point to this.

123. One who commits a grave sin short of unbelief is clear and free of the marks of unbelief.

124. My Lord does not forgive the people of polytheism; the abode of torment has been promised to them.

125. He forgives whatever He wills short of that; do not despair of His bounty.

126. Punishment for minor sins is also possible; do not feel safe from being overtaken by retribution. (Footnote: "miḥāl", punishment.)

127. Grave sins short of unbelief may also be pardoned, so long as they are not deemed lawful while committed.

128. To deem any sin lawful is unbelief; do not go near it, O man of good qualities.

129. The intercession of all the messengers for the sins of wrongdoers is established.

130. Those who commit grave sins short of unbelief will not remain for ever in the abode of flame.

Literary and Historical Commentary

A List Built on "Ḥaḳḳun"

In six of the sixteen couplets the first line ends on the same word: "ḥaḳḳun", it is true. The punishment of the grave is true, the blessing of the obedient in the grave is true, the resurrection and the weighing of deeds are true, the questioning at the Gathering is true, the Pool is true, paradise and hell are true. Sa‘dī Çelebi does not explain the states of the hereafter one by one; he confirms each with the same stamp and moves on. The repetition works like an internal rhyme and settles easily on the tongue; it also makes every couplet restate the section's real claim, that all of this is real. Ünlüsoy and Asım's Turkish does not let go of this voice, placing "is true" at the end of almost every sentence.

Choices in the Detail

Within the list there are a few small qualifications. The punishment of the grave is true for unbelievers and also for "some sinners"; the blessing in the grave is given "in the manner my Lord knows". For the questioning by Munkar and Nakīr the word "hadith" is used, and the report is said to be sound and established. The Pool is placed in "cinānu’l-ḫuld", the gardens of eternity, with the addition that believers burning with thirst will drink from it. Of paradise and hell it is said that "both already exist", and that their inhabitants will not perish. Under these last two rulings a short basis is set: "hadiths of high authority point to this". In place of detailed proof, the existence of proof is reported.

Sin, Forgiveness and Intercession

The second half of the section is given to the fate of the sinner, and its tone moves between hope and warning. One who commits a grave sin short of unbelief is clear of the marks of unbelief, that is, he is not counted an unbeliever. God does not forgive polytheism and forgives whatever He wills short of it; so one must not fall into despair. On the other hand, minor sins too may be punished; so no one should consider himself safe. This two-sided warning between forgiveness and punishment is given in the hundred and twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth couplets with two separate "fe-lā": do not despair, do not feel secure.

The dividing line is deeming a sin lawful. A grave sin may be pardoned so long as it is not deemed lawful while committed; but to deem any sin lawful is unbelief. The last two couplets speak of intercession and say that those guilty of grave sins will not remain in hell for ever. Both scholars write that Sa‘dī accepts that all the prophets will intercede; the phrase "külli rusulin" (of all the messengers) in the Arabic line says so plainly.

Bibliography

Online sources