Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

If you were witnesses when death was present with Jacob: — when he said to his sons: “What will you serve after me?” — they said: “We will serve thy God, and God of thy fathers Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One God, and to Him are we submitting.”

اَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَٓاءَ اِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُۙ اِذْ قَالَ لِبَن۪يهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ بَعْد۪يۜ قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ اِلٰهَكَ وَاِلٰهَ اٰبَٓائِكَ اِبْرٰه۪يمَ وَاِسْمٰع۪يلَ وَاِسْحٰقَ اِلٰهاً وَاحِداًۚ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ
Am kuntum shuhadaa ith hadarayaAAqooba almawtu ith qala libaneehi mataAAbudoona min baAAdee qaloo naAAbudu ilahakawa-ilaha aba-ika ibraheema wa-ismaAAeelawa-ishaqa ilahan wahidan wanahnu lahumuslimoon
#wordmeaningroot
1amOr
2kuntumwere youكون
3shuhadāawitnessesشهد
4idhwhen
5ḥaḍaracame toحضر
6yaʿqūbaYaqub
7l-mawtu[the] deathموت
8idhwhen
9qālahe saidقول
10libanīhito his sonsبني
11What
12taʿbudūnawill you worshipعبد
13minfrom
14baʿdīafter meبعد
15qālūThey saidقول
16naʿbuduWe will worshipعبد
17ilāhakayour Godاله
18wa-ilāhaand (the) Godاله
19ābāika(of) your forefathersابو
20ib'rāhīmaIbrahim
21wa-is'māʿīlaand Ishmael
22wa-is'ḥāqaand Isaac
23ilāhanGodاله
24wāḥidanOneوحد
25wanaḥnuAnd we
26lahuto Him
27mus'limūna(are) submissiveسلم
  • Aisha Bewley

    Or were you present when death came to Ya‘qub and he said to his sons, ‘What will you worship when I have gone?’ They said, ‘We will worship your God, the God of your forefathers, Ibrahim, Isma‘il and Ishaq – one God. We are Muslims submitted to Him.’

  • Progressive Muslims

    Or were you present when death came to Jacob and he told his sons: "Who shall you serve after I am gone", they said: "Your god, and the god of your fathers Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac; One god and to Him we surrender. "

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    Were you present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his children, "Whom will You serve after me?" They replied, "We shall serve your God, the God of your fathers, Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac - the One God - And unto Him we have surrendered, and for Him we are Muslims. "

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    If you were witnesses when death was present with Jacob: — when he said to his sons: “What will you serve after me?” — they said: “We will serve thy God, and God of thy fathers Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One God, and to Him are we submitting.”

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    Or were you present when death came to Jacob and he said to his sons: "Who shall you serve from after me?" They said: "Your god, and the god of your fathers Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac; One god and to Him we submit."

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    Or were you present when death came to Jacob and he told his sons, "Who shall you serve after I am gone?" They said, "Your god, and the god of your fathers Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac; One god and to Him we peacefully surrender."

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Had you witnessed Jacob on his death bed; he said to his children, "What will you worship after I die?" They said, "We will worship your god; the god of your fathers Abraham, Ismail, and Isaac; the one god. To Him we are submitters."

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    And Abraham left this legacy to his sons, and to Jacob, and said: "O my sons, God has chosen this as the faith for you. Do not die but as those who have submitted (to God)."

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

    Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims to Him."

  • Muhammad Asad

    Nay, but you bear witness that when death was approaching Jacob, he said unto his sons: "Whom will you worship after I am gone?" They answered: "We will worship thy God, the God of thy forefathers Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, the One God; and unto Him w; 1l we surrender ourselves. "

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Or were ye present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto his sons: What will ye worship after me? They said: We shall worship thy god, the god of thy fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One Allah, and unto Him we have surrendered.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Why, were you witnesses when death came to Jacob? He asked his children: "Whom will you serve after me?" They said: “We shall serve your God, the God of your forefathers, Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, the One God, and unto Him do we submit.”

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    Or you people were present when Ya’qub lay on his deathbed and you testify that he enjoined his sons to adhere to a system of faith other than Islam? In fact, you knew well that on his deathbed Ya’qub gathered his sons and said to them: "Whom shall you worship after I have departed life?" they said: "We will pay reverence to Allah, your Allah, the Ilah of your fathers, Ibrahim, Isma‘il and Ishak (Isaac), One Ilah to Whom we display our devotion and adoration by appropriate acts and rites conforming our will to His blessed wil"l.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    You (Mohammad/ Muslims) were not present at the death bead of Jacob when he asked his children: "Who will you worship after me? “ They replied: “We will worship none but your God; the Lord of our forefathers: Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac. He is the only God and to Whom we submit ourselves "

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya‘qûb (Jacob)? When he said unto his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We shall worship your Ilâh (God - Allâh), the Ilâh (God) of your fathers, Ibrâhîm (Abraham), Ismâ‘îl (Ishmael), Ishâq (Isaac), One Ilâh (God), and to Him we submit (in Islâm)."

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Were ye witnesses when death appeared before Jacob? Behold, he said to his sons: "What will ye worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship Thy god and the god of thy fathers, of Abraham, Isma'il and Isaac,- the one (True) Allah: To Him we bow (in Islam)."

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    Or did you witness when death came to Jacob? He asked his children, "Who will you worship after my passing?" They replied, “We will ˹continue to˺ worship your God, the God of your forefathers—Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac—the One God. And to Him we ˹all˺ submit.”

  • Taqi Usmani

    Is it that you were present when death approached Ya‘qūb, when he said to his sons: "What will you worship after me"? They said, “We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Ibrāhīm, Ismā‘īl (Ishmael) and IsHāq (Isaac), the one God, and to Him we submit ourselves.”

  • Abdul Haleem

    Were you there to see when death came upon Jacob? When he said to his sons, ‘What will you worship after I am gone?’ they replied, ‘We shall worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac, one single God: we devote ourselves to Him.’

  • Arthur John Arberry

    Why, were you witnesses, when death came to Jacob? When he said to his sons, 'What will you serve after me?' They said, 'We will serve thy God and the God of thy fathers Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, One God; to Him we surrender. '

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Were ye then witnesses when Jacob was facing death, when he said to his sons, 'What will ye serve when I am gone?' They said, 'We will serve thy God, the God of thy fathers Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, one God; and we are unto Him resigned. '

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    Were you then witnesses when Jacob was facing death, when he said to his sons, "What will you serve when I am gone?" They said, "We will serve your God, the God of your fathers Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, one God; and unto Him have we surrendered. "

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    Or (even) were you witnesses as death was present to Yaaqûb? (Jacob) As he said to his seeds' (Or. sons) "What will you worship even after me?" They said, " We will worship your God and the God of your fathers Ibrahîm, Shuaayb and Ishaq, (Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, respectively) One God; and to Him we are Muslims." (i.e., to Him we surrender).

  • George Sale

    Were ye present when Jacob was at the point of death? When he said to his sons, whom will ye worship after me? They answered, we will worship thy God, and the God of thy fathers Abraham, and Ismael, and Isaac, one God, and to him will we be resigned.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    Or, were you witness when death appeared before Yàqoub (Jacob)? "Look", he said to his sons: "What will you worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship your Allah and the Allah of your fathers— Of Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Ishmael), and Isháq (Isaac), the One (True) Allah: To Him we bow (in Islam). "

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Were you present when death visited Jacob, and when he said to his sons, `What (God) will you worship after me?' They replied, `We will worship your God, the God of your fathers - Abraham, Ismâîl and Isaac, the only One God, and to Him do we submit ourselves. '

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    Were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his children, ‘What will you worship after me?’ They said, ‘We will worship your God, and the God of your fathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac, the One God, and to Him do we submit. ’