Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

(Have they not travelled in the earth and had hearts with which to reason, or ears with which to hear? And it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts.

اَفَلَمْ يَس۪يرُوا فِي الْاَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَٓا اَوْ اٰذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَاۚ فَاِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْاَبْصَارُ وَلٰكِنْ تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّت۪ي فِي الصُّدُورِ
Afalam yaseeroo fee al-ardi fatakoonalahum quloobun yaAAqiloona biha aw athanunyasmaAAoona biha fa-innaha la taAAmaal-absaru walakin taAAma alquloobu allateefee assudoor
#wordmeaningroot
1afalamSo have not
2yasīrūthey traveledسير
3in
4l-arḍithe landارض
5fatakūnaand isكون
6lahumfor them
7qulūbunheartsقلب
8yaʿqilūna(to) reasonعقل
9bihāwith it
10awor
11ādhānunearsاذن
12yasmaʿūna(to) hearسمع
13bihāwith it
14fa-innahāFor indeed, [it]
15not
16taʿmā(are) blindedعمي
17l-abṣāruthe eyesبصر
18walākinbut
19taʿmā(are) blindedعمي
20l-qulūbuthe heartsقلب
21allatīwhich
22(are) in
23l-ṣudūrithe breastsصدر
  • Aisha Bewley

    Have they not travelled about the earth and do they not have hearts to understand with or ears to hear with? It is not their eyes which are blind but the hearts in their breasts which are blind.

  • Progressive Muslims

    Have they not roamed the land and had hearts with which to comprehend and ears with which to hear No, it is not the sight which is blind, but it is the hearts that are in the chests that are blind.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    Have they never journeyed about the earth, letting their hearts gain wisdom, and causing their ears to hear? Indeed, it is not their eyes that become blind, but blind become their hearts that are in the breasts.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    (Have they not travelled in the earth and had hearts with which to reason, or ears with which to hear? And it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    Have they not roamed the earth and had hearts with which to comprehend and ears with which to hear? No, it is not the sight which is blind, but it is the hearts that are in the chests that are blind.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    Have they not roamed the land and had hearts with which to reason and ears with which to hear? No, it is not the sight which is blind, but it is the hearts that are in the chests that are blind.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Did they not roam the earth, then use their minds to understand, and use their ears to hear? Indeed, the real blindness is not the blindness of the eyes, but the blindness of the hearts inside the chests.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Have they not travelled in the land that they could have the heart to understand, and ears to hear? It is not the eyes alone that do not see, oblivious are the hearts within their breasts.

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

    So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts.

  • Muhammad Asad

    Have they, then, never journeyed about the earth, letting their hearts gain wisdom, and causing their ears to hear? Yet, verily, it is not their eyes that have become blind - but blind have become the hearts that are in their breasts!

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Have they not travelled in the land, and have they hearts wherewith to feel and ears wherewith to hear? For indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts, which are within the bosoms, that grow blind.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Have they not journeyed in the land that their hearts might understand and their ears might listen? For indeed it is not the eyes that are blinded;* it is rather the hearts in the breasts that are rendered blind.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    Have they -these infidels- not journeyed through the land and employed the faculty of reason in forming conclusions and looked with their minds' eyes to realize as much as their hearts may comprehend and their ears may hear! Indeed, it is not the eyes of the body that go blind but it is the eyes of the hearts in the breasts and those of the mind.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    Do they never travel to see these ruins that may make them to think and open their ears (and let the word of God penetrate in?) The fact of the matter is, there is nothing wrong with their eyes; it is the consciousness which is blind to the fact.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    Have they not travelled throughout the land so their hearts may reason, and their ears may listen? Indeed, it is not the eyes that are blind, but it is the hearts in the chests that grow blind.

  • Taqi Usmani

    Have they not, then, traveled on earth so that they should have had hearts to understand with, or ears to listen with? The fact is that it is not the eyes that turn blind, but what turns blind is the hearts contained in the chests.

  • Abdul Haleem

    Have these people not travelled through the land with hearts to understand and ears to hear? It is not people’s eyes that are blind, but their hearts within their breasts.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    What, have they not journeyed in the land so that they have hearts to understand with or ears to hear with? It is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts within the breasts.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Have they not travelled on through the land? and have they not hearts to understand with, or ears to hear with? for it is not their eyes which are blind, but blind are the hearts which are within their breasts.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    And how many a city (community) have We destroyed while it was guilty (did wrong), and it tumbled down on its roof, lying ruined to this day, and how many a deserted well and lofty palace!

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    Then have they not traveled in the earth so that they have hearts to consider with or ears to hear with? Surely then it is not the beholdings (i. e. the eyes) that (grow) blind, but (it is) the hearts within the breasts that (grow) blind.

  • George Sale

    Do they not therefore journey through the land? And have they not hearts to understand with, or ears to hear with? Surely as to these things their eyes are not blind, but the hearts are blind which are in their breasts.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    Do they not go through the land, so that their hearts can thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to listen? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts that are in their chests.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Why do they not travel in the land so that they should have hearts that help them to understand and ears which can help them hear? As a matter of fact (when going astray) it is not the (physical) eyes that are blind but blind are the hearts which lie in the bosoms.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    Have they not traveled over the land so that they may have hearts by which they may apply reason, or ears by which they may hear? Indeed it is not the eyes that turn blind, but the hearts turn blind —those that are in the breasts!