Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

And you killed them not, but God killed them; and thou threwest not when thou didst throw, but God threw; and that He might test the believers by a fair trial from Him; God is hearing and knowing:

فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ قَتَلَهُمْۖ وَمَا رَمَيْتَ اِذْ رَمَيْتَ وَلٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ رَمٰىۚ وَلِيُبْلِيَ الْمُؤْمِن۪ينَ مِنْهُ بَلَٓاءً حَسَناًۜ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ سَم۪يعٌ عَل۪يمٌ
Falam taqtuloohum walakinna Allahaqatalahum wama ramayta ith ramayta walakinnaAllaha rama waliyubliya almu/mineena minhu balaanhasanan inna Allaha sameeAAun AAaleem
#wordmeaningroot
1falamAnd not
2taqtulūhumyou kill themقتل
3walākinnabut
4l-lahaAllah
5qatalahumkilled themقتل
6wamāAnd not
7ramaytayou threwرمي
8idhwhen
9ramaytayou threwرمي
10walākinnabut
11l-lahaAllah
12ramāthrewرمي
13waliyub'liyaand that He may testبلو
14l-mu'minīnathe believersامن
15min'hufrom Him
16balāan(with) a trialبلو
17ḥasanangoodحسن
18innaIndeed
19l-lahaAllah
20samīʿun(is) All-Hearingسمع
21ʿalīmunAll-Knowingعلم
  • Aisha Bewley

    You did not kill them; it was Allah who killed them; and you did not throw, when you threw; it was Allah who threw: so He might test the muminun with this excellent trial from Him. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  • Progressive Muslims

    It was not you who killed them, but it was God who killed them. And it was not you who launched when you did, but it was God who launched. And so that the believers would be tested well by God. God is Hearer, Knowledgeable.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    You subdued them not, Allah did. You threw not the arrows, Allah did. For, Allah had permitted you to repel the aggression. He gives the believers a chance to earn credit from Him. Allah is Hearer, Knower.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    And you killed them not, but God killed them; and thou threwest not when thou didst throw, but God threw; and that He might test the believers by a fair trial from Him; God is hearing and knowing:

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    It was not you who killed them, but it was God who killed them. And it was not you who launched when you did, but it was God who launched. And so that the believers would be tested well by Him. God is Hearer, Knowledgeable.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    It was not you who killed them, but it was God who killed them. It was not you who launched when you did, but it was God who launched. So that those who acknowledge would be tested well by Him. God is Hearer, Knowledgeable.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    It was not you who killed them; GOD is the One who killed them. It was not you who threw when you threw; GOD is the One who threw. But He thus gives the believers a chance to earn a lot of credit. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    It was not you who killed them, but God did so. You did not throw what you threw, (sand into the eyes of the enemy at Badr), but God, to bring out the best in the faithful by doing them a favour of His own. God is all-hearing and all-knowing.

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

    And you did not kill them, but it was Allah who killed them. And you threw not, , when you threw, but it was Allah who threw that He might test the believers with a good test. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

  • Muhammad Asad

    And yet, it was not you who slew the enemy, but it was God who slew them; and it was not thou who cast , when thou didst cast it, but it was God who cast it: and in order that He might test the believers by a goodly test of His Own or daining. Verily, God is all-hearing, all-knowing!

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Ye (Muslims) slew them not, but Allah slew them. And thou (Muhammad) threwest not when thou didst throw, but Allah threw, that He might test the believers by a fair test from Him. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    So the fact is that it was not you, but it was Allah Who killed them; and it was not you when you threw , but it was Allah Who threw it,* (and the believers were employed for the task) that He might cause the believers to successfully pass through this test. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    You people must realize that it was not you who brought death upon the infidels but it was Allah Who destroyed them. It was not you O Muhammad who aimed when you spattered, but it was Allah Who directed the sand you hurled at your enemy. Nor was it you who deprived them of power when you threw the handful of sand at their faces, but it was Allah Who eclipsed their sight. Nonetheless, Allah has determined to test the quality of those who have conformed to Islam with gracious intentions; on the one hand with His prevenient grace producing the repentance and faith without which the grace of justification cannot be received and on the other hand with the efficacious grace really effecting the end for which it is given; Allah is indeed Sami'un (Omnipresent) with unlimited audition and 'Alimun (Omniscient).

  • Bijan Moeinian

    Know that it was not you who killed them! It was the Lord Who killed them. It was not you who threw (the sand) against them! It was the Lord Who did it. God did it in order to make it easier for the believer to pass this excellent test of theirs; God hears everything and Knows everything.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    You killed them not, but Allâh killed them. And you (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) threw not when you did throw, but Allâh threw, that He might test the believers by a fair trial from Him. Verily, Allâh is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah: when thou threwest (a handful of dust), it was not thy act, but Allah's: in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself: for Allah is He Who heareth and knoweth (all things).

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    It was not you ˹believers˺ who killed them, but it was Allah Who did so. Nor was it you ˹O Prophet˺ who threw ˹a handful of sand at the disbelievers˺, but it was Allah Who did so, rendering the believers a great favour. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  • Taqi Usmani

    So, it is not you who killed them, but in fact Allah killed them. And you did not throw when you threw but Allah did throw, so that He might bless the believers with a good favour. Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  • Abdul Haleem

    It was not you who killed them but God, and when you threw it was not your throw but God’s, to do the believers a favour: God is all seeing and all knowing-

  • Arthur John Arberry

    You did not slay them, but God slew them; and when thou threwest, it was not thyself that threw, but God threw, and that He might confer on the believers a fair benefit; surely God is All-hearing, All-knowing.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Ye did not slay them, but it was God who slew them; nor didst thou shoot when thou didst shoot, but God did shoot, to try the believers from Himself with a goodly trial; verily, God both hears and knows.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    It is not you who slew them, but it was Allah who slew them; nor was it you who threw (the dust to blind the enemy), but Allah who threw it to test the believers by goodly test from Himself; verily, Allah is Hearer, Knower.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    So, you did not kill them, but Allah killed them; and in no way did you (i. e., the prophet) throw when you threw, but Allah threw, and that He might try the believers by a fair trial from Himself. Surely Allah is Ever-Hearing, Ever-Knowing.

  • George Sale

    So you slew them not; but it was Allah Who slew them. And thou threwest not when thou didst throw, but it was Allah Who threw, that He might overthrow the disbelievers and that He might confer on the believers a great favour from Himself. Surely, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    It is not you who killed them: It was Allah Who killed them; And when you threw (a handful of dust), it was not your act, but Allah's (act): So that He might test the believers by a kind trail from Himself: Surely, Allah is All Hearing (Sami’), All Knowing (Aleem).

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Therefore (in this war O Muslims!) you killed them not. (As a matter of fact) it was Allâh Who killed them. And (O Prophet!) it was not you who threw (a handful of small stones) when you did (apparently) throw them (towards the enemy) but it was Allâh Who threw (that He might vanquish your enemies) and that He might confer on the believers from Himself a bounteous favour. Verily, Allâh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    You did not kill them; rather it was Allah who killed them; and you did not throw when you threw, rather it was Allah who threw, that He might test the faithful with a good test from Himself. Indeed Allah is all-hearing, all-knowing.