On Fatalism BY THE IMAM SHAFAY MOHAMMED BEN IDRIS (767 – 840 CE)
Not always wealth, not always force,
A splendid destiny commands;
The lordly vulture gnaws the corse
That rots upon yon barren sands.
Nor want nor weakness still conspires
To bind us to a sordid state;
The fly, that with a touch expires,
Sips honey from the royal plate.