Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

And there prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, and from asking forgiveness of their Lord, only that the practice of the former peoples should come to them, or the punishment should come to them face to face.

وَمَا مَنَعَ النَّاسَ اَنْ يُؤْمِنُٓوا اِذْ جَٓاءَهُمُ الْهُدٰى وَيَسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّهُمْ اِلَّٓا اَنْ تَأْتِيَهُمْ سُنَّةُ الْاَوَّل۪ينَ اَوْ يَأْتِيَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ قُبُلاً
Wama manaAAa annasa anyu/minoo ith jaahumu alhuda wayastaghfiroorabbahum illa an ta/tiyahum sunnatu al-awwaleena awya/tiyahumu alAAathabu qubula
#wordmeaningroot
1wamāAnd nothing
2manaʿapreventsمنع
3l-nāsamenنوس
4anthat
5yu'minūthey believeامن
6idhwhen
7jāahumuhas come to themجيا
8l-hudāthe guidanceهدي
9wayastaghfirūand they ask forgivenessغفر
10rabbahum(of) their Lordربب
11illāexcept
12anthat
13tatiyahumcomes to themاتي
14sunnatu(the) wayسنن
15l-awalīna(of) the former (people)اول
16awor
17yatiyahumucomes to themاتي
18l-ʿadhābuthe punishmentعذب
19qubulanbefore (them)قبل
  • Aisha Bewley

    When guidance came to the people nothing prevented them from having iman and asking for forgiveness from their Lord but the fact that the pattern of previous peoples did not happen to them or that the punishment did not appear before their eyes.

  • Progressive Muslims

    And what prevented the people from believing when the guidance came to them, and to seek forgiveness from their Lord Are they waiting for what happened to the people of old to come to them, or that the retribution be brought to them face to face

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    For, what is there to keep people from attaining belief now that Guidance has come to them, and from asking the protecting forgiveness of their Lord? Unless they choose the fate of the ancient people to befall them or that the doom reaches them even faster.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    And there prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, and from asking forgiveness of their Lord, only that the practice of the former peoples should come to them, or the punishment should come to them face to face.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    And what prevented the people from believing when the guidance came to them, and to seek forgiveness from their Lord? Are they waiting for what happened to the people of old to come to them, or that the retribution be brought to them face to face?

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    When the guidance came to them nothing prevented the people from acknowledging, and seeking forgiveness from their Lord, except they sought to receive the ways of the previous people, or receive the retribution face to face.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Nothing prevented the people from believing, when the guidance came to them, and from seeking the forgiveness of their Lord, except that they demanded to see the same (kind of miracles) as the previous generations, or challenged to see the retribution beforehand.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    There is nothing to prevent men from believing when the guidance has come to them, and asking for their Lord's forgiveness, unless they want the example of earlier people visited upon them, or the punishment to appear right before their eyes.

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

    And nothing has prevented the people from believing when guidance came to them and from asking forgiveness of their Lord except that there befall them the precedent of the former peoples or that the punishment should come before them.

  • Muhammad Asad

    for, what is there to keep people from attaining to faith now that guidance has come unto them, and from asking their Sustainer to forgive them their sins - unless it be that the fate of the people of ancient times should befall them , or that the suffering should befall them in the hereafter?

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    And naught hindereth mankind from believing when the guidance cometh unto them, and from asking forgiveness of their Lord unless (it be that they wish) that the judgment of the men of old should come upon them or (that) they should be confronted with the Doom.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    What is it that prevented mankind from believing when the guidance came to them, and from asking forgiveness of their Lord, except that they would like to be treated as the nations of yore, or that they would like to see the scourge come upon them face to face?

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    What kept people back from acknowledging and accepting the spirit of truth presented to them to guide them into all truth and inspire them to invoke their Creator's mercy and forgiveness but to rest content until they are wedded to the same calamities wedding those of old or to perceive through sense of sight the torment destined to be laid upon the damned!

  • Bijan Moeinian

    The only thing that prevented man from believing and asking for forgiveness (when the guidance was presented to them) was their insistence upon the miracles (which did not change the disbelievers’ attitude in the past) or seeing the Lord’s punishment beforehand (which naturally would have been the end. )

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    And nothing prevents men from believing, (now) when the guidance (the Qur’ân) has come to them, and from asking Forgiveness of their Lord, except that the ways of the ancients be repeated with them (i.e. their destruction decreed by Allâh), or the torment be brought to them face to face?

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    And what is there to keep back men from believing, now that Guidance has come to them, nor from praying for forgiveness from their Lord, but that (they ask that) the ways of the ancients be repeated with them, or the Wrath be brought to them face to face?

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    And nothing prevents people from believing when guidance comes to them and from seeking their Lord’s forgiveness except ˹their demand˺ to meet the same fate of earlier deniers or that the torment would confront them face to face.

  • Taqi Usmani

    The only thing that prevented people from believing, even after the guidance had come to them, and from seeking forgiveness from their Lord, is (their demand) that what used to come to the earlier people should come to them as well, or that the punishment should visit them face to face.

  • Abdul Haleem

    Now that guidance has come to them, what stops these people believing and asking forgiveness from their Lord before the fate of earlier peoples annihilates them or their torment confronts them?

  • Arthur John Arberry

    And naught prevented men from believing when the guidance came unto them, and seeking their Lord's forgiveness, but that the wont of the ancients should come upon them, or that the chastisement should come upon them face to face.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Naught prevented men from believing when the guidance came to them, or from asking pardon of their Lord, except the coming on them of the course of those of yore, or the coming of the torment before their eyes.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    Verily, We have displayed in this Quran for men all kinds of similitudes (parables); but man is ever contentious.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    And in no way did anything prevent mankind from believing (Literally: made them not to believe) as the guidance came to them and asking their Lord to forgive them, except that the enactment (for) the earliest (people) should come up to them, or that the torment should come up to them face to face.

  • George Sale

    Yet nothing hindreth men from believing, now a direction is come unto them, and from asking pardon of their Lord, excepting that they wait until the punishment of their predecessors come to be inflicted on them, or that the chastisement of the next life come upon them publicly.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    And what is there to keep back men from believing, now that (Allah’s) Guidance has come to them, and from praying for forgiveness from their Lord, except that (they like) the ways of the old be repeated with them, or the punishment (of Allah) be brought to them face to face?

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Unless the precedence of the ancients should be repeated in their case or the punishment should stare them in the face, there is nothing to hinder people from believing in the guidance when it comes to them and from seeking protection and pardon of their Lord.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    People do not refuse to have faith when guidance comes to them and to plead to their Lord for forgiveness, without being overtaken by the precedent of the ancients, or confronting the punishment.