Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

And when We favour a man, he turns away and distances himself; and when evil touches him, he is without hope.

وَاِذَٓا اَنْعَمْنَا عَلَى الْاِنْسَانِ اَعْرَضَ وَنَاٰ بِجَانِبِه۪ۚ وَاِذَا مَسَّهُ الشَّرُّ كَانَ يَؤُ۫ساً
Wa-itha anAAamna AAalaal-insani aAArada wanaa bijanibihiwa-itha massahu ashsharru kana yaoosa
#wordmeaningroot
1wa-idhāAnd when
2anʿamnāWe bestow favorنعم
3ʿalāon
4l-insānimanانس
5aʿraḍahe turns awayعرض
6wanaāand becomes remoteناي
7bijānibihion his sideجنب
8wa-idhāAnd when
9massahutouches himمسس
10l-sharuthe evilشرر
11kānahe isكون
12yaūsan(in) despairياس
  • Aisha Bewley

    When We bless man, he turns away and draws aside. When evil touches him, he despairs.

  • Progressive Muslims

    And if We bless mankind, he turns away and turns his side. But when adversity touches him, he is ever in despair!

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    People without higher objectives easily exult and turn away when Our Laws make life pleasant for them. And they quickly despair when a hardship touches them. (41:51).

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    And when We favour a man, he turns away and distances himself; and when evil touches him, he is without hope.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    And if We bless man, he turns away and turns his side. But when adversity touches him, he is despairing!

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    When We bless the human being, he turns away and turns his side. But when adversity touches him, he is ever in despair!

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    When we bless the human being, he becomes preoccupied and heedless. But when adversity strikes him, he turns despondent.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    When We are gracious to man he turns away and moves aside; yet when evil befalls him he begins to despair.

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

    And when We bestow favor upon the disbeliever, he turns away and distances himself; and when evil touches him, he is ever despairing.

  • Muhammad Asad

    for when We bestow Our blessings upon man, he turns away and arrogantly keeps aloof ; and when evil fortune touches him, he abandons all hope.

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    And when We make life pleasant unto man, he turneth away and is averse; and when ill toucheth him he is in despair.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Whenever We bestow favours upon man, he arrogantly turns away and draws aside; and whenever evil visits him, he is in utter despair.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    When We mercifully bring man in Our grace and show it in Our munificence, he feels impelled to move away and more distant from what Allah inclines him to propound, and when he is befallen with a misfortune or wedded to a calamity he nurses despair.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    Man (is not consistent in his behavior. He) becomes proud of himself, when I shower him with my blessings (thinking he has "earned it himself), and becomes depressed in bad times (thus confessing with his behavior that his talents are good for nothing, if they are not backed by God.)

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    And when We bestow Our Grace on man (the disbeliever), he turns away and becomes arrogant (far away from the Right Path). And when evil touches him, he is in great despair.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Yet when We bestow Our favours on man, he turns away and becomes remote on his side (instead of coming to Us), and when evil seizes him he gives himself up to despair!

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    When We grant people Our favours, they turn away, acting arrogantly. But when touched with evil, they lose all hope.

  • Taqi Usmani

    When We bestow Our favor upon man, he avoids (to recognize it) and keeps himself far aside (from obedience), and when some evil touches him, he is in total despair.

  • Abdul Haleem

    When We favour man he turns arrogantly to one side, but when harm touches him, he falls into despair.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    And when We bless man, he turns away, and withdraws aside; but when evil visits him, he is in despair.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    And when we favour man he turns away and retires aside, but when evil touches him he is ever in despair.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    And when We favour man he turns away and is averse, but when evil touches him he is in despair.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    And when We (confer) favors upon man, he veers away and retires aside; and when evil touches him, he has been constantly despairing.

  • George Sale

    When We bestow favours on man, he retireth and withdraweth himself ungratefully from Us: But when evil toucheth him, he despaireth of our mercy.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    And when We grant Our gifts to man, he turns away and becomes far on his (own) side (instead of turning to Us), and when evil touches him, he gives himself up to sorrow!

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    And when We bestow favours on a human being, he turns away and withdraws himself aside, but when evil overtakes him he is given to despair.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    When We bless man, he is disregardful and turns aside; but when an ill befalls him, he is despondent.