Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

She said: “Kings, when they enter a city, spoil it and make its most honoured people abject; and thus will they do.

قَالَتْ اِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ اِذَا دَخَلُوا قَرْيَةً اَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُٓوا اَعِزَّةَ اَهْلِهَٓا اَذِلَّةًۚ وَكَذٰلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ
Qalat inna almulooka ithadakhaloo qaryatan afsadooha wajaAAaloo aAAizzata ahlihaathillatan wakathalika yafAAaloon
#wordmeaningroot
1qālatShe saidقول
2innaIndeed
3l-mulūkathe kingsملك
4idhāwhen
5dakhalūthey enterدخل
6qaryatana townقري
7afsadūhāthey ruin itفسد
8wajaʿalūand makeجعل
9aʿizzata(the) most honorableعزز
10ahlihā(of) its peopleاهل
11adhillatan(the) lowestذلل
12wakadhālikaAnd thus
13yafʿalūnathey doفعل
  • Aisha Bewley

    She said, ‘When kings enter a city, they lay waste to it and make its mightiest inhabitants the most abased. That is what they too will do.

  • Progressive Muslims

    She said: "When the kings enter a town they destroy it and make its most noble people humiliated. It is such that they do."

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    She said, "Behold, when kings invade a town, they ruin it and humiliate its dignitaries. This is what they shall do.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    She said: “Kings, when they enter a city, spoil it and make its most honoured people abject; and thus will they do.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    She said: "When the kings enter a town they destroy it and make its most noble people humiliated. It is such that they do."

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    She said, "When the kings enter a town they destroy it and make its most noble people humiliated. It is such that they do."

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    She said, "The kings corrupt any land they invade, and subjugate its dignified people. This is what they usually do.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    She said: "Surely when kings enter a city they destroy it and despoil the honour of its nobility. So will they do (to us).

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

    She said, "Indeed kings - when they enter a city, they ruin it and render the honored of its people humbled. And thus do they do.

  • Muhammad Asad

    Said she: "Verily, whenever kings enter a country they corrupt it, and turn the noblest of its people into the most abject. And this is the way they behave?

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    She said: Lo! kings, when they enter a township, ruin it and make the honour of its people shame. Thus will they do.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    The Queen said: "When the kings enter a country they cause corruption in it and abase those of its people who are held in honour.* This is what they are wont to do.*

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    "The problem is" she said, "that when kings make –hostile- entry into a country to take possession of the land they plunder it and they humble its superiors and render them inferior, and this is what they usually do!"

  • Bijan Moeinian

    She said: "When the kings invade a town, they usually destroy it and undignified their citizens. "

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    She said: "Verily kings, when they enter a town (country), they despoil it and make the most honourable amongst its people the lowest. And thus they do.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    She said: "Kings, when they enter a country, despoil it, and make the noblest of its people its meanest thus do they behave.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    She reasoned, "Indeed, when kings invade a land, they ruin it and debase its nobles. They really do so!

  • Taqi Usmani

    She said, "In fact when the kings enter a town, they put it to disorder, and put its honorable citizens to disgrace, and this is how they normally do.

  • Abdul Haleem

    She said, ‘Whenever kings go into a city, they ruin it and humiliate its leaders- that is what they do-

  • Arthur John Arberry

    She said, 'Kings, when they enter a city, disorder it and make the mighty ones of its inhabitants abased. Even so they too will do.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    She said, 'Verily, kings when they enter a city despoil it, and make the mighty ones of its people the meanest; thus it is they do!

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    They said, "We are endowed with strength, and endowed with martial prowess; but the command is yours, so consider what you will command. "

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    She said, "Surely, kings, when they enter a town, do corruption in it and make the mighty ones of its population humiliated. And thus they (too) will perform (similarly).

  • George Sale

    She said, verily kings, when they enter a city by force, waste the same, and abase the most powerful of the inhabitants hereof: And so will these do with us.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    She said: "Verily, when kings enter a country, ruin it, and make the noblest from its people, its meanest; They act like this.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    She said, `Surely, when the kings enter a township (as invaders) they ruin it and reduce its most honourable residents to the most degraded positions. And such indeed will be their (- of Solomon and his men's) ways.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    She said, ‘Indeed when kings enter a town, they devastate it, and reduce the mightiest of its people to the most abased. That is how they act.