Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

He it is that gives life and gives death; and when He decrees a matter, He but says to it: “Be thou,” and it is.

هُوَ الَّذ۪ي يُحْـي۪ وَيُم۪يتُۚ فَاِذَا قَضٰٓى اَمْراً فَاِنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ۟
Huwa allathee yuhyee wayumeetufa-itha qada amran fa-innama yaqoolu lahukun fayakoon
#wordmeaningroot
1huwaHe
2alladhī(is) the One Who
3yuḥ'yīgives lifeحيي
4wayumītuand causes deathموت
5fa-idhāAnd when
6qaḍāHe decreesقضي
7amrana matterامر
8fa-innamāthen only
9yaqūluHe saysقول
10lahuto it
11kunBeكون
12fayakūnuand it isكون
  • Aisha Bewley

    It is He who gives life and causes to die. When He decides on something, He just says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.

  • Progressive Muslims

    He is the One who gives life and causes death. And when He decides upon anything, He simply says to it: "Be" and it is.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    He it is Who grants life and causes death. The moment He decrees a thing, He says to it only "Be!" and it is.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    He it is that gives life and gives death; and when He decrees a matter, He but says to it: “Be thou,” and it is.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    He is the One who gives life and death. And when He decides upon anything, He simply says to it: 'Be,' and it is.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    He is the One who gives life and causes death. When He decides upon anything, He simply says to it: "Be" and it is.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    He is the only One who controls life and death. To have anything done, He simply says to it, "Be," and it is.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    It is He who gives you life and death. When He creates a thing, He has only to say: "Be," and it is.

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

    He it is who gives life and causes death; and when He decrees a matter, He but says to it, "Be," and it is.

  • Muhammad Asad

    It is He who grants life and deals death; and when He wills a thing to be, He but says unto it, "Be" - and it is.

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    He it is Who quickeneth and giveth death. When He ordaineth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    He it is Who gives life and causes death. Whenever He decrees a thing, He only commands to it "Be", and it is.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    It is He who gives life and inspirits the property of animate existence, and He occasions death and deprives of animate existence, and when He determines to bring anything into being, He simply says: "Be" and it is.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    God is the One Who Gives life and ordains death. Whatever He desires to be done, He simply says: "Be" and it shall be.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    It is He Who gives life and causes death. And when He decides upon a thing He says to it only: "Be!" - and it is.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    It is He Who gives Life and Death; and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it, "Be", and it is.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    He is the One Who gives life and causes death. When He decrees a matter, He simply tells it, "Be!" And it is!

  • Taqi Usmani

    He is the One who gives life and brings death, and when He decides to do something, He only says to it: "Be" and it comes to be.

  • Abdul Haleem

    It is He who gives life and death, and when He ordains a thing, He says only ‘Be’ and it is.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    It is He who gives life, and makes to die; and when He decrees a thing, He but says to it 'Be,' and it is.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    He it is who quickens and kills, and when He decrees a matter, then He only says to it, 'BE,' and it is.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    He it is Who gives life and brings death, so when He decrees an affair, He only says to it, "Be", and it is.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    He is The (One) who gives life and makes to die; so when He decrees a Command, then surely He only says to it, "Be!" and it is.

  • George Sale

    It is He who giveth life, and causeth to die: And when He decreeth a thing, He only saith unto it, be, and it is.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    It is He Who gives life and causes death; And when He decides upon a thing, He says to it only: "Be," and it is.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    He it is Who gives life and causes death. And when He decides a thing to be, He says to it only, `Be' and it comes to be (in due course).

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    It is He who gives life and brings death. So when He decides on a matter, He just says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is.