Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

And morning found those who had desired his place the day before, saying: “Oh, how God expands and straitens the provision for whom He wills of His servants! Had God not been gracious to us, He would have caused it to swallow us. And oh, how the false claimers of guidance do not succeed!”)

وَاَصْبَحَ الَّذ۪ينَ تَمَنَّوْا مَكَانَهُ بِالْاَمْسِ يَقُولُونَ وَيْكَاَنَّ اللّٰهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَنْ يَشَٓاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِه۪ وَيَقْدِرُۚ لَوْلَٓا اَنْ مَنَّ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْنَا لَخَسَفَ بِنَاۜ وَيْكَاَنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْكَافِرُونَ۟
Waasbaha allatheenatamannaw makanahu bil-amsi yaqooloona waykaannaAllaha yabsutu arrizqa liman yashaomin AAibadihi wayaqdiru lawla an manna AllahuAAalayna lakhasafa bina waykaannahu la yuflihualkafiroon
#wordmeaningroot
1wa-aṣbaḥaAnd beganصبح
2alladhīnathose who
3tamannaw(had) wishedمني
4makānahuhis positionكون
5bil-amsithe day before
6yaqūlūna(to) sayقول
7wayka-annaAh! That
8l-lahaAllah
9yabsuṭuextendsبسط
10l-riz'qathe provisionرزق
11limanfor whom
12yashāuHe willsشيا
13minof
14ʿibādihiHis slavesعبد
15wayaqdiruand restricts itقدر
16lawlāIf not
17anthat
18mannaAllah had favoredمنن
19l-lahuAllah had favored
20ʿalaynā[to] us
21lakhasafaHe would have caused it to swallow usخسف
22bināHe would have caused it to swallow us
23wayka-annahuAh! That
24not
25yuf'liḥuwill succeedفلح
26l-kāfirūnathe disbelieversكفر
  • Aisha Bewley

    Those who had longed to take his place the day before woke up saying, ‘Allah expands the provision of any of His slaves He wills or restricts it. If Allah had not shown great kindness to us, we would have been swallowed up as well. Ah! Truly the kafirun are not successful.’

  • Progressive Muslims

    And those who wished they were in his place the day before said: "Indeed it is God Who provides or restricts for whomever He chooses from among His servants. Had it not been for God's grace towards us, He could have caused the Earth to swallow us as well. We now realise that the rejecters never succeed."

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    And those who had envied his position only the day before were saying the next morning, "Ah, it is indeed Allah Who makes the provision plenty or scarce for His servants according to His Laws. Had Allah not been kind to us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us! Ah! The rejecters of the Truth can never attain lasting contentment."

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    And morning found those who had desired his place the day before, saying: “Oh, how God expands and straitens the provision for whom He wills of His servants! Had God not been gracious to us, He would have caused it to swallow us. And oh, how the false claimers of guidance do not succeed!”)

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    And those who wished they were in his place the day before said: "Indeed it is God Who provides or restricts for whoever He chooses from among His servants. Had it not been for the grace of God towards us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us as well. We now realize that the rejecters never succeed."

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    Those who wished they were in his place the day before said, "Indeed it is God Who provides or restricts for whomever He chooses from among His servants. Had it not been for God's grace towards us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us as well. We now realize that the ingrates never succeed."

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Those who were envious of him the day before said, "Now we realize that GOD is the One who provides for whomever He chooses from among His servants, and withholds. If it were not for GOD's grace towards us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us too. We now realize that the disbelievers never succeed."

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Those who were envious of his position only yesterday said on the morrow: "Indeed God increases the fortunes of those of His creatures as He will, and decreases. Had God not been gracious to us He could have (opened up) the earth and made it swallow us. Surely the infidels will not succeed."

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

    And those who had wished for his position the previous day began to say, "Oh, how Allah extends provision to whom He wills of His servants and restricts it! If not that Allah had conferred favor on us, He would have caused it to swallow us. Oh, how the disbelievers do not succeed!"

  • Muhammad Asad

    And on the morrow, those who but yesterday had longed to be in his place exclaimed: "Alas that it is indeed God who grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto whichever He wills of His crea­tures! Had not God been gracious to us, He might have caused to swallow us, too! Alas that those who deny the truth can never attain to a happy state!"

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    And morning found those who had coveted his place but yesterday crying: Ah, welladay! Allah enlargeth the provision for whom He will of His slaves and straiteneth it (for whom He will). If Allah had not been gracious unto us He would have caused it to swallow us (also). Ah, welladay! the disbelievers never prosper.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    And those who had envied his position the day before began to say on the morrow: "Alas, we had forgotten that it is Allah Who increases the provision of those of His servants whom He will and grants in sparing measure to those whom He will. But for Allah's favour upon us, He could have made us to be swallowed too. Alas, we had forgotten that the unbelievers do not prosper."

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    And those who had desiderated his status the day before exclaimed then: "Goodness, it is evident that Allah gives livelihood generously and confers support gratuitously to whom He will of His servants and He gives with restraint and by measure to whom He will. Has He not been gracious and merciful to us". they added, "He would have made the earth take us into itself. Goodness, if is evident that those who challenge Allah do not really prosper".

  • Bijan Moeinian

    The same people who were envious of him the day before, were shameful of their thoughts and said: "What a shame that we had forgotten that it is God who gives so much to some people and so little to the others How graceful of God not have sunk us with him. Shame on us that we forgot that the disbelievers never succeed."

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    And those who had desired (for a position like) his position the day before, began to say: "Know you not that it is Allâh Who enlarges the provision or restricts it to whomsoever He pleases of His slaves. Had it not been that Allâh was Gracious to us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us up (also)! Know you not that the disbelievers will never be successful.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    And those who had envied his position the day before began to say on the morrow: "Ah! it is indeed Allah Who enlarges the provision or restricts it, to any of His servants He pleases! had it not been that Allah was gracious to us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us up! Ah! those who reject Allah will assuredly never prosper."

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    And those who had craved his position the previous day began to say, "Ah! It is certainly Allah Who gives abundant or limited provisions to whoever He wills of His servants. Had it not been for the grace of Allah, He could have surely caused the earth to swallow us up! Oh, indeed! The disbelievers will never succeed."

  • Taqi Usmani

    And those who wished to be in his position the day before, started saying, "Oh, it seems that Allah extends provision to whom He wills and straitens (for whom He wills). Had Allah not favored us, He would have made us sink (too). Oh, it seems that the infidels do not succeed."

  • Abdul Haleem

    The next day, those who had, the day before, wished to be in his place exclaimed, ‘Alas ! It is God alone who gives what He will, abundantly or sparingly, to whichever He will of His creatures: if God had not been gracious to us, He would have caused the earth to swallow us too.’ Alas indeed! Those who deny the truth will never prosper.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    and in the morning those who had longed to be in his place the day before were saying, 'Ah, God outspreads and straitens His provision to whomsoever He will of His servants. Had God not been gracious to us, He would have made us to be swallowed too. Ah, the unbelievers do not prosper,

  • E. Henry Palmer

    And on the morrow those who had yearned for his place the day before said, 'Ah, ah! God extends provision to whom He pleases of His servants, or He doles it out; had not God been gracious to us, the earth would have cleft open with us! Ah, ah! the unbelievers shall not prosper!'

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    So We caused the earth to open up and swallow him with his house; and he had no troop to help him against Allah, nor was he of those who could save themselves. "

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    And (in the morning) the ones who had coveted his place the day before became (secure) and said, "Ah, actually (Or: Now, it seems true that) Allah outspreads the provision to whomever He decides of His bondmen, and He estimates it. Had Allah not been Bounteous to us, He would indeed have caved us in. Ah, actually the disbelievers do not prosper."

  • George Sale

    And the next morning, those who had coveted his condition the day before, said, aha! Verily God bestoweth abundant provision on such of his servants as He pleaseth; and He is sparing unto whom He pleaseth. Unless God had been gracious unto us, certainly the earth had swallowed us up also. Aha! The unbelievers shall not prosper.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    And those who wished his position the day before began to say the next day: "Ah! It is truly Allah, Who grows the provision or shrinks it, to any of His servants He pleases! If it was not that Allah was kind to us, he could have caused the earth to swallow us up! Those who disbelieve will never be successful. "

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Now the very people who had coveted his (lot and) position the day before began to say, `Ruin seize you! it is indeed Allâh Who multiplies the means of livelihood for such of His servants as He will and makes them scant (for such of His people as He will). Had not Allâh been gracious to us He would have sunk us (also into the bowels of the earth). Ruin seize you! (the fact is that) those who are ungrateful never prosper.'

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    By dawn those who longed to be in his place the day before were saying, ‘Don’t you see that Allah expands the provision for whomever He wishes of His servants, and tightens it? Had Allah not shown us favour, He might have made the earth swallow us too. Don’t you see that the faithless do not prosper.’