Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

O you who heed warning: when you rise up for the duty: wash your faces, and your hands to the elbows, and wipe your heads, and your feet to the ankles. And if you are unclean, purify yourselves. And if you were ill, or on a journey, or one of you came from the privy, or you have lain with women, then find not water: resort to clean soil, and wipe your faces and your hands with it. God wishes not to place any distress upon you; but He wishes to purify you and to complete His favour upon you, that you might be grateful.

يَٓا اَيُّهَا الَّذ۪ينَ اٰمَنُٓوا اِذَا قُمْتُمْ اِلَى الصَّلٰوةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْ وَاَيْدِيَكُمْ اِلَى الْمَرَافِقِ وَامْسَحُوا بِرُؤُ۫سِكُمْ وَاَرْجُلَكُمْ اِلَى الْكَعْبَيْنِۜ وَاِنْ كُنْتُمْ جُنُباً فَاطَّهَّرُواۜ وَاِنْ كُنْتُمْ مَرْضٰٓى اَوْ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ اَوْ جَٓاءَ اَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الْغَٓائِطِ اَوْ لٰمَسْتُمُ النِّسَٓاءَ فَلَمْ تَجِدُوا مَٓاءً فَتَيَمَّمُوا صَع۪يداً طَيِّباً فَامْسَحُوا بِوُجُوهِكُمْ وَاَيْد۪يكُمْ مِنْهُۜ مَا يُر۪يدُ اللّٰهُ لِيَجْعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ حَرَجٍ وَلٰكِنْ يُر۪يدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ وَلِيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
Ya ayyuha allatheena amanooitha qumtum ila assalati faghsiloowujoohakum waaydiyakum ila almarafiqi wamsahoobiruoosikum waarjulakum ila alkaAAbayni wa-in kuntumjunuban fattahharoo wa-in kuntum marda awAAala safarin aw jaa ahadun minkum mina algha-itiaw lamastumu annisaa falam tajidoo maanfatayammamoo saAAeedan tayyiban famsahoobiwujoohikum waaydeekum minhu ma yureedu AllahuliyajAAala AAalaykum min harajin walakin yureeduliyutahhirakum waliyutimma niAAmatahu AAalaykumlaAAallakum tashkuroon
#wordmeaningroot
1yāayyuhāO you
2alladhīnawho
3āmanūbelieveامن
4idhāWhen
5qum'tumyou stand upقوم
6ilāfor
7l-ṣalatithe salatصلو
8fa-igh'silūthen washغسل
9wujūhakumyour facesوجه
10wa-aydiyakumand your handsيدي
11ilātill
12l-marāfiqithe elbowsرفق
13wa-im'saḥūand wipeمسح
14biruūsikumyour headsراس
15wa-arjulakumand your feetرجل
16ilātill
17l-kaʿbaynithe anklesكعب
18wa-inBut if
19kuntumyou areكون
20junuban(in) a state of ceremonial impurityجنب
21fa-iṭṭahharūthen purify yourselvesطهر
22wa-inBut if
23kuntumyou areكون
24marḍāillمرض
25awor
26ʿalāon
27safarina journeyسفر
28awor
29jāahas comeجيا
30aḥadunanyoneاحد
31minkumof you
32minafrom
33l-ghāiṭithe toiletغوط
34awor
35lāmastumuhas (had) contactلمس
36l-nisāa(with) the womenنسو
37falamand not
38tajidūyou findوجد
39māanwaterموه
40fatayammamūthen do tayyammumيمم
41ṣaʿīdan(with) earthصعد
42ṭayyibancleanطيب
43fa-im'saḥūthen wipeمسح
44biwujūhikumyour facesوجه
45wa-aydīkumand your handsيدي
46min'huwith it
47Does not
48yurīduintendرود
49l-lahuAllah
50liyajʿalato makeجعل
51ʿalaykumfor you
52minany
53ḥarajindifficultyحرج
54walākinbut
55yurīduHe intendsرود
56liyuṭahhirakumto purify youطهر
57waliyutimmaand to completeتمم
58niʿ'matahuHis Favorنعم
59ʿalaykumupon you
60laʿallakumso that you may
61tashkurūna(be) gratefulشكر
  • Aisha Bewley

    You who have iman! when you get up to do salat, wash your faces and your hands and your arms to the elbows, and wipe over your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. If you are in a state of major impurity, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey, or have come from the lavatory, or have touched women, and cannot find any water, then do tayammum with pure earth, and wipe your faces and your hands. Allah does not want to make things difficult for you, but He does want to purify you and to perfect His blessing upon you so that hopefully you will be thankful.

  • Progressive Muslims

    O you who believe, if you rise to attend the contact-method, then wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles; and if you have had intercourse, then you shall bathe. And if you are ill, or traveling, or you have excreted feces, or you have had sexual contact with the women, and you could not find water, then you shall do ablution from clean soil; you shall wipe your faces and your hands. God does not want to make any hardship over you, but He wants to cleanse you and to complete His blessings upon you that you may be appreciative.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! When you congregate for Salat, wash your faces and your forearms, hands to the elbows. Lightly rub you heads and your feet to the ankles. If you are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But, if you are ill or traveling, or coming from the privy, or are in a state of ceremonial impurity and find no water, then take clean sand or earth and lightly rub your faces and hands. (This will help you prepare mentally for congregational prayer (4:43)). Allah does not wish to place upon you any difficulty, but to make you clean and to perfect His blessings upon you, that you be grateful.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    O you who heed warning: when you rise up for the duty: wash your faces, and your hands to the elbows, and wipe your heads, and your feet to the ankles. And if you are unclean, purify yourselves. And if you were ill, or on a journey, or one of you came from the privy, or you have lain with women, then find not water: resort to clean soil, and wipe your faces and your hands with it. God wishes not to place any distress upon you; but He wishes to purify you and to complete His favour upon you, that you might be grateful.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    O you who believe, if you rise to hold the contact prayer, then wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles; and if you have had intercourse, then you shall purify. And if you are ill, or traveling, or you have excreted feces, or you have had sexual contact with the women, and you cannot not find water, then you shall select from the clean soil; you shall wipe your faces and your hands with it. God does not want to place any hardship on you, but He wants to cleanse you and to complete His blessings upon you that you may be thankful.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    O you who acknowledge, when you rise to attend the contact prayer, then wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankles; and if you have had intercourse, then you shall bathe. If you are ill, or traveling, or you have excreted feces, or you have had sexual contact with the women, and you could not find water, then you shall do ablution from clean soil; you shall wipe your faces and your hands. God does not want to make any hardship over you, but He wants to cleanse you and to complete His blessings upon you that you may be appreciative.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    O you who believe, when you observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), you shall: (1) wash your faces, (2) wash your arms to the elbows, (3) wipe your heads, and (4) wash your feet to the ankles. If you were unclean due to sexual orgasm, you shall bathe. If you are ill, or traveling, or had any digestive excretion (urinary, fecal, or gas), or had (sexual) contact with the women, and you cannot find water, you shall observe the dry ablution (Tayammum) by touching clean dry soil, then rubbing your faces and hands. GOD does not wish to make the religion difficult for you; He wishes to cleanse you and to perfect His blessing upon you, that you may be appreciative.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    O believers, when you stand up for the service of prayer wash your faces and hands up to elbows, and also wipe your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of seminal pollution, then bathe and purify yourself well. But in case you are ill or are travelling, or you have satisfied the call of nature, or have slept with a woman, and you cannot find water, then take wholesome dust and pass it over your face and your hands, for God does not wish to impose any hardship on you. He wishes to purify you, and grace you with His favours in full so that you may be grateful.

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

    O you who have believed, when you rise to prayer, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful.

  • Muhammad Asad

    O YOU who have attained to faith! When you are about to pray, wash your face, and your hands and arms up to the elbows, and pass your hands lightly over your head, and your feet up to the ankles. And if you are in a state. requiring total ablution, purify yourselves. But if you are ill, or are travelling, or have just satisfied a want of nature, or have cohabited with a woman, and can find no water-then take resort to pure dust, passing therewith lightly over your face and your hands. God does not want to impose any hardship on you, but wants to make you pure, and to bestow upon you the full measure of His blessings, so that you might have cause to be grateful.

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    O ye who believe! When ye rise up for prayer, wash you faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and lightly rub your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. And if ye are unclean, purify yourselves. And if ye are sick or on a journey, or one of you cometh from the closet, or ye have had contact with women, and ye find not water, then go to clean, high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it. Allah would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that ye may give thanks.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Believers! When you stand up for Prayer wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles.* And if you are in the state of ritual impurity, purify yourselves (by taking a bath).* But if you are either ill, travelling, have satisfied a want of nature or have had contact with women and find no water then have recourse to clean earth and wipe your faces and your hands therewith.* Allah does not want to lay any hardship upon you; rather He wants to purify you and complete His favours upon you* so that you may give thanks.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    O you whose hearts have been touched with the divine hand: When you intend to perform your act of worship, ablution becomes a duty. Wash your faces, your hands and the forearms up to the elbows, and with your wet hands wipe your heads, then wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are spiritually unconditioned following sexual congress or seminal emissions then purify yourselves to render the obligation "pure": you bathe before you pray. But if you are sick or on a journey or have defecated or touched women and the sensation of contact stirred you to passion, and you found no water, metaphoric ablution becomes a religious rite: apply clean sand, dust or dry earth lightly to your faces and hands. Allah does not intend to put you in difficulty but to set you upon the course of purity of thought and action, for the actions of men are the best interpreters of their thoughts. He means to make all grace abound in you that you may hopefully impel yourselves to the feeling of gratitude and gratefulness and lift to Him your inward sight.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    When a believer wants to worship his Lord, he must clean himself up in the following manner : Wash the face. Wash the hands. Wash the arms up to the elbows. Wipe the head. Wash the feet up to the ankles. If, due to sexual orgasm, you were unclean, you must take a full bath If you had any digestive excersion (urinated, defecated or passed gas), or had sexual contact with a woman and cannot find water (while stranded as a traveler or to weak in account of illness), then cleanse yourself with pure dust in the following manner : strike you palm on dust and wipe your hands and face with it. This is because God does not want to make life difficult for you . God wants to make you clean and, thus, complete His blessing upon you; may you show gratitude.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    O you who believe! When you intend to offer As-Salât (the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to ankles. If you are in a state of Janâba (i.e. after a sexual discharge), purify yourselves (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on a journey, or any of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse), and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allâh does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favour to you that you may be thankful.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    O ye who believe! when ye prepare for prayer, wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows; Rub your heads (with water); and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity, bathe your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water, then take for yourselves clean sand or earth, and rub therewith your faces and hands, Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete his favour to you, that ye may be grateful.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    O believers! When you rise up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of ˹full˺ impurity, then take a full bath. But if you are ill, on a journey, or have relieved yourselves, or have been intimate with your wives and cannot find water, then purify yourselves with clean earth by wiping your faces and hands. It is not Allah’s Will to burden you, but to purify you and complete His favour upon you, so perhaps you will be grateful.

  • Taqi Usmani

    O you who believe, when you rise for Salāh, (prayer) wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and make MasH (wiping by hands) of your heads and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of major impurity, cleanse yourselves well (by taking bath). If you are sick, or on a journey, or if one of you has come after relieving himself, or you have had sexual contact with women, and you find no water, then, go for some clean dust and wipe your faces and hands with it. Allah does not like to impose a problem on you; He, rather likes to cleanse you and to complete His favour upon you, so that you may be grateful.

  • Abdul Haleem

    You who believe, when you are about to pray, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe your heads, wash your feet up to the ankles and, if required, wash your whole body. If any of you is sick or on a journey, or has just relieved himself, or had intimate contact with a woman, and can find no water, then take some clean sand and wipe your face and hands with it. God does not wish to place any burden on you: He only wishes to cleanse you and perfect His blessing on you, so that you may be thankful.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    O believers, when you stand up to pray wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads, and your feet up to the ankles. If you are defiled, purify yourselves; but if you are sick or on a journey, or if any of you comes from the privy, or you have touched women, and you can find no water, then have recourse to wholesome dust and wipe your faces and your hands with it. God does not desire to make any impediment for you; but He desires to purify you, and that He may complete His blessing upon you; haply you will be thankful.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    O ye who believe! when ye rise up to prayer wash your faces, and your hands as far as the elbows, and wipe - your heads, and your feet down to the ankles. And if ye are polluted, then purify yourselves. But if ye are sick, or on a journey, or if one of you comes from the privy, or if ye have touched women and cannot find water, then take fine surface sand and wipe your faces and your hands therewith. God does not wish to make any hindrance for you; but he wishes to purify you and to fulfill his favour upon you; haply ye may give thanks.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    O you who believe! When you rise up to prayer wash your faces, and your hands as far as the elbows, and wipe your heads, and your feet down to the ankles. And if you are polluted, then purify yourselves (bathe). But if you are sick, or on a journey, or if you come from the toilet, or if you have touched women and cannot find water, then take from high ground (clean) sand or earth and wipe your faces and your hands therewith. Allah does not wish to make a burden for you; but He wishes to purify you and to fulfil his favour upon you; that you may give thanks.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    O you who have believed, when you rise up for prayer, then wash your faces, and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe your heads, (Or: "part of" the head) and (wash) your legs to the ankles. And in case you are ritually unclean, (i.e., from the emission of semea or "for women" sexual discharge) then totally purify yourselves; and in case you are sick or on a journey, or (in case) any of you has come up from the privy, or you have had contact with women, yet you cannot find water, then have recourse to good (i.e. a mounting place, high and dry) soil (and) so wipe (most of) your faces and hands with (some) of it. In no way does Allah indeed will to make any restriction for you, but indeed He wills to purify you and perfect His favor on you, indeed, that possibly you would thank (Him).

  • George Sale

    O true believers, when ye prepare your selves to pray, wash your faces, and your hands unto the elbows; and rub your heads, and your feet unto the ancles; and if ye be polluted by having lain with a woman, wash your selves all over. But if ye be sick, or on a journey, or any of you cometh from the privy, or if ye have touched women, and ye find no water, take fine clean sand, and rub your faces and your hands therewith; God would not put a difficulty upon you; but he desireth to purify you, and to complete his favour upon you, that ye may give thanks.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    O you who believe! When you get ready for prayer, then wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) up to the elbows; Rub your head (with water); And wash your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of bodily impurity, (resulting from sexual contact,) bathe your whole body. But if you are ill, or on a journey, or one of you have come from the offices of nature (i.e., toilet), or you have been in contact with women and you do not find water— Then take for yourself clean sand or earth, and rub your faces and hands with it. Allah does not wish to place you in difficulty, but to make you clean, and to complete His favor on you, that you may be thankful.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    O you who believe! when you get up for Prayer (perform the ablution, so as to) wash your faces and your hands upto the elbows, and pass your (wet) hands over your heads (for mashah), and (wash) your feet upto the ankles. And if you are under an obligation to perform a bath, then wash yourselves thoroughly clean by a bath. But if you have been taken ill or on a journey (while under obligation to take a bath) or one of you comes from the privy, or you have had (sexual) contact with women and you do not find water, then have recourse to clean pure dust and wipe your faces and your hands with it (as Tayammum). Allâh does not intend to impose any impediments on you, but He intends to purify you (internally and externally) and complete His blessings upon you so that you may give (Him) thanks.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    O you who have faith! When you stand up for prayer, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, and wipe a part of your heads and your feet, up to the ankles. If you are junub, purify yourselves. But if you are sick, or on a journey, or any of you has come from the toilet, or you have touched women, and you cannot find water, then make tayammum with clean ground and wipe a part of your faces and your hands with it. Allah does not desire to put you to hardship, but He desires to purify you, and to complete His blessing upon you so that you may give thanks.