Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

They said: “If the wolf should eat him when we are a group, then will we be the losers.”

قَالُوا لَئِنْ اَكَلَهُ الذِّئْبُ وَنَحْنُ عُصْبَةٌ اِنَّٓا اِذاً لَخَاسِرُونَ
Qaloo la-in akalahu aththi/buwanahnu AAusbatun inna ithan lakhasiroon
#wordmeaningroot
1qālūThey saidقول
2la-inIf
3akalahueats himاكل
4l-dhi'buthe wolfذاب
5wanaḥnuwhile we
6ʿuṣ'batun(are) a groupعصب
7innāindeed, we
8idhanthen
9lakhāsirūnasurely (would be) losersخسر
  • Aisha Bewley

    They said, ‘If a wolf does come and eat him up when together we make up a powerful group in that case we would truly be in loss!’

  • Progressive Muslims

    They said: "If the wolf eats him, while we are a numerous group, then we are the losers. "

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    They said, "If a wolf devours him in the strong presence (of the ten) of us, will our lives be worth living?"

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    They said: “If the wolf should eat him when we are a group, then will we be the losers.”

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    They said: "If the wolf eats him, while we are a numerous group, then we are the losers."

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    They said, "If the wolf eats him, while we are a gang, then we are the losers."

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    They said, "Indeed, if the wolf devours him, with so many of us around, then we are really losers."

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    They replied: "If a wolf should devour him when we are there, a well-knit band, we shall certainly be treacherous. "

  • Sahih International (Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)

    They said, " If a wolf should eat him while we are a clan, indeed, we would then be losers. "

  • Muhammad Asad

    Said they: "Surely, if the wolf were to devour him notwithstanding that we are so many-then, behold, we ought ourselves to perish!"

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    They said: If the wolf should devour him when we are (so strong) a band, then surely we should have already perished.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    They said: "Should a wolf eat him, despite the presence of our strong group, we would indeed be a worthless lot!"

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    They protested, thus: "If this be true"t, they said, "and the wolf were to devour him when we are a collective mass of men, then we will have incurred privation of attributes and it would be a lost sorrow to wail our fall. "

  • Bijan Moeinian

    They replied: "We will be good for nothing, if a wolf attacks him while he is among us. "

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    They said: "If a wolf devours him, while we are a strong group (to guard him), then surely, we are the losers."

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    They said: "If the wolf were to devour him while we are (so large) a party, then should we indeed (first) have perished ourselves!"

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    They said, "If a wolf were to devour him, despite our strong group, then we would certainly be losers!"

  • Taqi Usmani

    They said, "If a wolf eats him up, while we are a whole group, we are then losers indeed."

  • Abdul Haleem

    They said, ‘If a wolf were to eat him when there are so many of us, we would truly be losers!’

  • Arthur John Arberry

    They said, 'If the wolf eats him, and we a band, then are we losers!'

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Said they, 'Why, if the wolf should devour him while we are (such) a band, verily, we then should deserve to lose!'

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    Said he, "Verily, it grieves me that you should take him with you, for I fear lest the wolf devour him while you take no heed. "

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    They said, "Indeed, in case the wolf eats him, and we are a band, (then) surely we are indeed losers!"

  • George Sale

    They said, surely if the wolf devour him, when there are so many of us, we shall be weak indeed.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    They said: "If the wolf were to eat him when we are (so large) a party, then truly we should be the losers!"

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    They said, `If the wolf were to devour him inspite of the fact we are a formidable party, in that case we shall be indeed losers. '

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    They said, ‘Should the wolf eat him while we are a hardy group, then we will indeed be losers!’