# Anybody on here speak Arabic? (translation help) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 17, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952 "2010-11-17T06:01:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![History\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/67e7ee/32.png) [@History\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Monk)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/1 "2010-11-17T06:01:52Z")
A friend wanted some help translating these lyrics: Ya subhannallah hayyul Qayyum Subhannallahi Amma Yassifun Sallalah wallah Muhammad (Sal.) Ya Rabbi sali alahi wa salim Neither of us speak Arabic. Please fight our ignorance. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/2 "2010-11-17T19:11:39Z")
You’d need the lyrics in Arabic, not transliterated, but you could then try [Google Translate](http://translate.google.com/). J. ---
**Author:** ![History\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/67e7ee/32.png) [@History\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Monk)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/3 "2010-11-18T20:52:42Z")
Unfortunately, all I can find is the transliterated text. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/4 "2010-11-18T21:10:28Z")
You can still use Google Translate. Select Arabic - English, and tick the check box that says “Allow phonetic typing”. Then you type in the transliterated text. Every time you type a word and press the space bar it magically changes to Arabic script, and you’ll see the English translation on the right. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/5 "2010-11-18T22:13:24Z")
The 3rd word in the 4th line translates as “Mohamed”. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is some sort of prayer. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/6 "2010-11-18T22:23:57Z")
Eh. . . did you consider getting on [the Google?](http://www.christianforums.com/t7385689/) ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/7 "2010-11-19T00:15:53Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Eh. . . did you consider getting on [the Google?](http://www.christianforums.com/t7385689/) Oh come mate give him a hand, the link responds to this very question and I was bemused to read this is a Arab Christian poem. > [@](#): > > Ya Subhan Allah: Glory be to Allah /Glorious is Allah (this is said only of God/Allah) > > el-Hayy: The Ever Living (one of 99 names/attributes) > > el-qayyum: The Provider of All/ The Self Subsisting that provides all (one of 99 names) > Subhan Allah : (same as above) Glory be to Allah /Glorious is Allah > > Amma Yassifun: as to what they describe (now usually it depends on context and what comes after. i.e. if talking about about kofar: it means the ‘blashpemy/ignorance…’ of what they say; if talking about believers: then the good stuff and the praise to God. If what comes in next line is part of it, then could be inferred that referring to the Prophet (PBUH) …depends on context > > Sallah Allahu ala Muhammed: May Allah send blessings and peace upon the Prophet > > Ya Rabbi: addressing God > > Salah Allah aliyh wa salam: (same as above): May Allah send blessings and peace upon the Prophet ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/8 "2010-11-19T03:11:16Z")
> [@wmfellows](#): > > Oh come mate give him a hand, the link responds to this very question and I was bemused to read this is a Arab Christian poem. What you’ve shown is an Islamic poem, not Christian. ---
**Author:** ![History\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/67e7ee/32.png) [@History\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Monk)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/9 "2010-11-20T03:10:30Z")
Thank you very much. (And thanks, I didn’t know about that feature of Google Translate. Just copying and pasting it in made it register as Uzbek.) I’d assume it’s Muslim too, if only because of the reference to Mohamed. ---
**Author:** ![ShrimpCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@ShrimpCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShrimpCanuck)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2010, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-on-here-speak-arabic-translation-help/560952/10 "2010-12-30T11:46:14Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > What you’ve shown is an Islamic poem, not Christian. Eh, half and half, actually. It’s part of a song by the band mewithoutYou, whose leadsinger and lyricist is currently Christian, but was raised Muslim and often includes Arabic language (and Islamic imagery) in his songs. For instance, one song off their last album is called “Allah, Allah, Allah”. I think they do an awesome job of getting Christians to understand Muslim beliefs, and to approach Islam from an interested point of view looking at how much the religions and people have in common. For example, I came to this site searching for the specific translation of these lines - so thankyou very much for the translation! 😛