Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

They said: “Call thou to thy Lord for us that He make plain to us what she is; heifers seem alike to us; and, if God wills, we will be guided.”

قَالُوا ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّنْ لَنَا مَا هِيَۙ اِنَّ الْبَقَرَ تَشَابَهَ عَلَيْنَاۜ وَاِنَّٓا اِنْ شَٓاءَ اللّٰهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَ
Qaloo odAAu lana rabbakayubayyin lana ma hiya inna albaqara tashabahaAAalayna wa-inna in shaa Allahulamuhtadoon
#wordmeaningroot
1qālūThey saidقول
2ud'ʿuPrayدعو
3lanāfor us
4rabbaka(to) your Lordربب
5yubayyinto make clearبين
6lanāto us
7what
8hiyait (is)
9innaIndeed
10l-baqara[the] cowsبقر
11tashābahalook alikeشبه
12ʿalaynāto us
13wa-innāAnd indeed we
14inif
15shāawillsشيا
16l-lahuAllah
17lamuh'tadūna(will) surely be those who are guidedهدي
  • Aisha Bewley

    They said, ‘Ask your Lord to make it clear to us what it should be like. Cows are all much the same to us. Then, if Allah wills, we will be guided.’

  • Progressive Muslims

    They said: "Call upon your Lord for us that He may clarify which one it is, for the heifers all look alike to us and we will, God willing, be guided. "

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    They said, "Pray for us unto your Lord that He make it clear to us what exactly she is. For cows are much alike to us; and if Allah wills, we may be led aright."

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    They said: “Call thou to thy Lord for us that He make plain to us what she is; heifers seem alike to us; and, if God wills, we will be guided.”

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    They said: "Call upon your Lord for us that He may clarify which one it is, for the heifers all look alike to us and we will, God willing, be guided."

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    They said, "Call upon your Lord for us that He may clarify which one it is, for the heifers all look alike to us and we will, God willing, be guided."

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    They said, "Call upon your Lord to show us which one. The heifers look alike to us and, GOD willing, we will be guided."

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    "Call on your Lord, " they said, "to name its variety, as cows be all alike to us. If God wills we shall be guided aright."

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

    They said, "Call upon your Lord to make clear to us what it is. Indeed, cows look alike to us. And indeed we, if Allah wills, will be guided."

  • Muhammad Asad

    Said' they: "Pray on our behalf unto thy Sustainer that He make clear to us what she is to be like, for to us all cows resemble one another; and then, if God so wills, we shall truly be guided aright!"

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. Lo! cows are much alike to us; and Lo! if Allah wills, we may be led aright.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    They said: "Pray to your Lord that He make clear to us what cow she is. Cows seem much alike to us, and if Allah wills, we shall be guided."

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    Again they said to Mussa: "Beseech Allah, your Creator, on our behalf to specify the characteristic features of the cow since to us all cows are alike, and Allah willing we will be able to find the cow meeting the said features".

  • Bijan Moeinian

    They said: "Ask <u>your</u> Lord to be more specific as there are so many cows with these characteristics! then <u>God willing</u>, we will find it. "

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    They said, "Call upon your Lord for us to make plain to us what it is. Verily, to us all cows are alike. And surely, if Allâh wills, we will be guided."

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    They said: "Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us what she is: To us are all heifers alike: We wish indeed for guidance, if Allah wills."

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    Again they said, "Call upon your Lord so that He may make clear to us which cow, for all cows look the same to us. Then, Allah willing, we will be guided ˹to the right one˺."

  • Taqi Usmani

    They said, "Pray for us to your Lord that He makes it clear to us of what sort should she be, for this cow has made us confused and, if Allah wills, We shall certainly take the right course."

  • Abdul Haleem

    They said, ‘Call on your Lord for us, to show us what it is: all cows are more or less alike to us. With God’s will, we shall be guided.’

  • Arthur John Arberry

    They said, 'Pray to thy Lord for us, that He make clear to us what she may be; cows are much alike to us; and, if God will, we shall then be guided. '

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Again they said, 'Pray thy Lord to show us what she is to be; for cows appear the same to us; then we, if God will, shall be guided. '

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    Again they said, "Pray to your Lord to show us what she is to be; for cows appear the same to us; then we, if Allah will, shall be guided. "

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    They said, "Invoke your Lord for us that He make evident to us what she is; surely the cows to us are similar to each other; and surely in case Allah so decides, we will indeed be rightly-guided. "

  • George Sale

    They said, pray for us unto thy Lord, that He would further shew us what cow it is, for several cows with us are like one another, and we, if God please, will be directed.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    They said: "Pray to your Lord on our behalf to explain to us what it is: To us all calves (heifers) are alike: We truly want guidance, if Allah wills. "

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    They said, `Pray for us to your Lord to make clear to us what it (- the cow in question) is (definitely like); for (all such) cows are much alike to us, and we shall indeed, if Allâh will, be guided to the right goal. '

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    They said, ‘Invoke your Lord for us, that He may clarify for us what she may be. Indeed all cows are much alike to us, and, if Allah wishes, we will surely be guided.’