Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

If you do good, you do good to your souls; and if you do evil, it is to them. Then when the promise of the latter came, that they should disgrace your faces, and enter the place of worship as they entered it the first time, and destroy all that they overcame with destruction.

اِنْ اَحْسَنْتُمْ اَحْسَنْتُمْ لِاَنْفُسِكُمْ وَاِنْ اَسَأْتُمْ فَلَهَاۜ فَاِذَا جَٓاءَ وَعْدُ الْاٰخِرَةِ لِيَسُٓؤُ۫ا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَلِيَدْخُلُوا الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا دَخَلُوهُ اَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَلِيُتَبِّرُوا مَا عَلَوْا تَتْب۪يراً
In ahsantum ahsantumli-anfusikum wa-in asa/tum falaha fa-itha jaawaAAdu al-akhirati liyasoo-oo wujoohakum waliyadkhulooalmasjida kama dakhaloohu awwala marratin waliyutabbiroo maAAalaw tatbeera
#wordmeaningroot
1inIf
2aḥsantumyou do goodحسن
3aḥsantumyou do goodحسن
4li-anfusikumfor yourselvesنفس
5wa-inand if
6asatumyou do evilسوا
7falahāthen it is for it
8fa-idhāSo when
9jāacameجيا
10waʿdupromiseوعد
11l-ākhiratithe lastاخر
12liyasūūto sadden
13wujūhakumyour facesوجه
14waliyadkhulūand to enterدخل
15l-masjidathe Masjidسجد
16kamājust as
17dakhalūhuthey (had) entered itدخل
18awwalafirstاول
19marratintimeمرر
20waliyutabbirūand to destroyتبر
21what
22ʿalawthey had conqueredعلو
23tatbīran(with) destructionتبر
  • Aisha Bewley

    If you do good, you do it to yourselves. If you do evil, you do it to your detriment. When the next promised time arrived, it was so that they could injure you and enter the Temple as they had entered it the first time, and in order to completely destroy what they had conquered.

  • Progressive Muslims

    If you do good, then it will be good for you, and if you do bad, then so be it. But when the promise of the second time comes, they will make your faces filled with sorrow and they will enter the Temple as they did the first time, and they will strike down all that was raised up.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    We made it clear, "If you (keep the Commandments and) do collective good, you will be doing good to yourselves. And if you do evil, you will hurt yourselves. (You did not heed these warnings), and then the second warning came to pass. (The Roman General Titus invaded Jerusalem in 70 C.E.). His armies entered the Temple and destroyed everything they conquered completely, just as the Babylonians had done before.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    If you do good, you do good to your souls; and if you do evil, it is to them. Then when the promise of the latter came, that they should disgrace your faces, and enter the place of worship as they entered it the first time, and destroy all that they overcame with destruction.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    If you do good, then it will be good for you, and if you do bad, then so be it. But when the promise of the second time comes, they will make your faces filled with sorrow and they will enter the Temple as they did the first time, and they will strike down all that was raised up.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    If you do good, then it will be good for you, and if you do bad, then so be it. But when the promise of the second time comes, they will make your faces filled with sorrow and they will enter the Temple as they did the first time, and they will strike down all that was raised up.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    "If you work righteousness, you work righteousness for your own good, but if you commit evil you do so to your own detriment. Thus, when the second time comes to pass, they will defeat you and enter the masjid, just as they did the first time. They will wipe out all the gains you had accomplished."

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    "If you do good, you will do so for your own good; if you do ill, you will do it for your own loss. " So, when the time of the second prediction comes, (We shall rouse another people) to shame you, and enter the Temple as they had done the first time, and to destroy what they conquered utterly.

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

    , "If you do good, you do good for yourselves; and if you do evil, to yourselves. " Then when the final promise came, to sadden your faces and to enter the temple in Jerusalem, as they entered it the first time, and to destroy what they had taken over with destruction.

  • Muhammad Asad

    "If you persevere in doing good, you will but be doing good to yourselves; and if you do evil, it will be to yourselves. " And so, when the prediction of the second came true, to disgrace you utterly, and to enter the Temple as had entered it once before, and to destroy with utter destruction all that they had conquered.

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    (Saying): If ye do good, ye do good for your own souls, and if ye do evil, it is for them (in like manner). So, when the time for the second (of the judgments) came (We roused against you others of Our slaves) to ravage you, and to enter the Temple even as they entered it the first time, and to lay waste all that they conquered with an utter wasting.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Whenever you did good, it was to your own advantage; and whenever you committed evil, it was to your own disadvantage. So, when the time of the fulfilment of the second promise arrived, (We raised other enemies that would) disfigure your faces and enter the Temple (of Jerusalem) as they had entered the first time, and destroy whatever they could lay their hands on.*

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    There, you can see that if you imprint your deeds with wisdom and piety and conduct yourselves with prudence, you advantage yourselves of good behavior. But if you should bode ill, misbehave or commit yourselves to an evil line of conduct you will have harmed your own souls. Then, when in due time the second occasion* came to pass you were overpowered and vanquished that your countenances spoke a different language. Your eyes shriveled into darkness in your heads and you fell into the darkness of dismay and they -the enemies- broke into you Temple as they did once before and reduced to ruins all that they acquired.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    If you choose to be righteous, you are doing a favor to yourself. If you choose to be evil, your evil acts will come back to haunt you. Thus, when it came to the fulfillment of the second warning, you were subjected to the other people’s tyranny. They brought you to grief and entered into your Temple the same way that they defeated you the first time. What a terrible defeat you were subjected to.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    (And We said): "If you do good, you do good for your ownselves, and if you do evil (you do it) against yourselves." Then, when the second promise came to pass, (We permitted your enemies) to disgrace your faces and to enter the mosque (of Jerusalem) as they had entered it before, and to destroy with utter destruction all that fell in their hands.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    If ye did well, ye did well for yourselves; if ye did evil, (ye did it) against yourselves. So when the second of the warnings came to pass, (We permitted your enemies) to disfigure your faces, and to enter your Temple as they had entered it before, and to visit with destruction all that fell into their power.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    If you act rightly, it is for your own good, but if you do wrong, it is to your own loss. "And when the second warning would come to pass, your enemies would ˹be left to˺ totally disgrace you and enter that place of worship as they entered it the first time, and utterly destroy whatever would fall into their hands.

  • Taqi Usmani

    (saying) ‘If you do good, you will do it for your own benefit, and if you do evil, it will be against yourselves’. Later, when came the time appointed for the second, (We sent others,) so that they spoil your faces, and so that they enter into the Mosque as the former ones entered it the first time, and utterly destroy whatever they prevail upon.

  • Abdul Haleem

    whether you do good or evil it is to your own souls––and when the second warning was fulfilled to shame your faces and enter the place of worship as they did the first time, and utterly destroy whatever fell into their power.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    'If you do good, it is your own souls you do good to, and if you do evil it is to them likewise. ' Then, when the promise of the second came to pass, We sent against you Our servants to discountenance you, and to enter the Temple, as they entered it the first time, and to destroy utterly that which they ascended to.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    'If ye do well, ye will do well to your own souls; and if ye do ill, it is against them! 'And when the threat for the last came - to harm your faces and to enter the mosque as they entered it the first time, and to destroy what they had got the upper-hand over with utter destruction. '

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    If you do well, you do well to your own souls; and if you do evil, you do it against your own souls. And when the second warning came, We permitted your enemies to disfigure your faces and to enter your Temple as they had entered it the first time, and to destroy all that fell into their hands."

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    In case you do fair (deeds), you do (fair deeds) for yourselves; and in case you do odious deeds, they are against yourselves. Then, when the promise of the Hereafter comes, (Some consider all of these to be past events) (other bondmen of Ours) are to deface (Literally: to vex your faces, i.e. to do odious deeds to you) you and to enter the Mosque, as they entered it the first time, and to annihilate utterly (Literally: with "an utter) whatever they got exalted over.

  • George Sale

    if ye do well, ye will do well to your own souls; and if ye do evil, ye will do it unto the same. And when the punishment threatened for your latter transgression came to be executed, We sent enemies against you to afflict you, and to enter the temple, as they entered it the first time, and utterly to destroy that which they had conquered.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    (And We said:) "If you do well, you do well for yourselves; If you do evil, (you do it) against yourselves. " So, when the second warnings came true, (We let your enemies) disfigure your faces, and enter your mosque (in Jerusalem) like they had entered it before, and bring destruction to all that fell into their power.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    (We said, ) `If you did good, you did it for your ownselves, and if you did evil it was only to the same end. ' So when (the time for carrying out) the latter warning came (We raised certain other people - Romans under Titus in 70 A.D., against you to destroy your glory), so that they might do evil to (you and) your leading men and invade and enter the Mosque (at Jerusalem) in the same way as others (of your enemies) had invaded and entered it the first time, and so that they might destroy utterly all that they had conquered.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    ‘If you do good, you will do good to your souls, and if you do evil, it will be for them. ’ So when the occasion for the other comes, they will make your faces wretched, and enter the Temple just as they entered it the first time, and utterly destroy whatever they come upon.