Indeed, everything apart from God is vain.

From a religious perspective, worldly things are transient beside God. Vain here concerns their lack of lasting permanence, rather than simply whether an object or activity is useful.

This half-line by Labid is reported in al-Bukhari’s Great History. The linked source quotes it in a transmission praising the truth expressed by the poet.

The cited passage is half a verse, explaining its brevity. Transmission in a religious work supplies a particular reading context. The translation keeps the contrast between the world and God; the commentary clarifies that perspective without treating the line as a judgement on every everyday activity.

صدر بيت للبيد، كما رواه البخاري في التاريخ الكبير, باب لبيد؛ ورد في الحديث: «أصدق كلمة قالها الشاعر قول لبيد»

The text appears in the indicated source. A traditional attribution remains distinct from proof of authorship: see the context.

Read the passage in the work