Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

And We destroyed no city save it had a known writ;

وَمَٓا اَهْلَكْنَا مِنْ قَرْيَةٍ اِلَّا وَلَهَا كِتَابٌ مَعْلُومٌ
Wama ahlakna min qaryatin illawalaha kitabun maAAloom
#wordmeaningroot
1wamāAnd not
2ahlaknāWe destroyedهلك
3minany
4qaryatintownقري
5illābut
6walahā(there was) for it
7kitābuna decreeكتب
8maʿlūmunknownعلم
  • Aisha Bewley

    We did not destroy any city without it having a set time.

  • Progressive Muslims

    We have not destroyed any town except that it had an appointed time.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    And Our Law of Requital annihilated no community or township before the period of respite was over (13:38).

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    And We destroyed no city save it had a known writ;

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    Wehave not destroyed any town except that it had an appointed time.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    We have not destroyed any town except that it had an appointed time.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    We never annihilated any community, except in accordance with a specific, predetermined time.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Not one habitation have We destroyed but at the time determined for it.

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

    And We did not destroy any city but that for it was a known decree.

  • Muhammad Asad

    And never have We destroyed any community unless a divine writ had (previously been made known to it;

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    And We destroyed no township but there was a known decree for it.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Whenever We destroyed a town, a definite term had previously been decreed for it.*

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    We never destroyed a city, a people or a nation arbitrarily but according to a justified act. There and then their end is being predetermined and unalterably decreed.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    Every town which God destroyed, was given a prescribed time for re-thinking and repentance (as a sign of God’s mercy. )

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    And never did We destroy a township but there was a known decree for it.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Never did We destroy a population that had not a term decreed and assigned beforehand.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    We have never destroyed a society without a destined term.

  • Taqi Usmani

    We did not destroy any town without having a pre-determined time for it.

  • Abdul Haleem

    Never have We destroyed a community that did not have a set time;

  • Arthur John Arberry

    Never a city have We destroyed, but it had a known decree,

  • E. Henry Palmer

    We never destroyed a city without it had its noted doom.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    We never did destroy a community but there was a fixed term decreed for it.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    And in no way did We cause any town to perish except that it had a known (prescribed) Book.

  • George Sale

    We have not destroyed any city, but a fixed term of repentance was appointed them.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    And We never destroyed a population that did not have a term already decided (written) and allocated.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    And never did We destroy a township but it had a decree made known.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    We did not destroy any town but that it had a known term.