# 16. Surah An-Nahl, Verse 24 - **Surah:** 16. Surah An-Nahl (The Bee) — سورة النحل - **Verse:** 24 / 128 · **Juz:** 14 · **Mushaf page:** 268 - **Source:** https://quran.so/surah-an-nahl/verse-24 ## Arabic وَاِذَا ق۪يلَ لَهُمْ مَاذَٓا اَنْزَلَ رَبُّكُمْۙ قَالُٓوا اَسَاط۪يرُ الْاَوَّل۪ينَۙ ## Transcription Wa-itha qeela lahum mathaanzala rabbukum qaloo asateeru al-awwaleen ## Translations ### Aisha Bewley When they are asked, ‘What has your Lord sent down?’ they say, ‘Myths and legends of previous peoples. ’ ### Progressive Muslims And if they are told: "What has your Lord sent down" They Say: "Fairytales of old. " ### Shabbir Ahmed And when it is said to them, "What has your Lord revealed?" They say, "Fables of ancient times!" (When the Qur'an is presented to them, their clergy claim that its Verses apply not to them, but only to Jews and Christians and the idolaters of Arabia). ### Sam Gerrans — The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation And when it is said to them: “What is it your Lord sent down?” they say: “Legends of the former peoples,” ### The Monotheist Group — The Quran: A Monotheist Translation And if they are told: "What has your Lord sent down?" They say: "Fictional tales of old!" ### Rashad Khalifa — The Final Testament When they are asked, "What do you think of these revelations from your Lord," they say, "Tales from the past." ### Mohamed Ahmed - Samira For when they are asked: "What has your Lord sent down?" they say: "Tales of long ago. " ### Sahih International — (Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley) And when it is said to them, "What has your Lord sent down?" They say, "Legends of the former peoples," ### Muhammad Asad and [who], whenever they are asked, "What is it that your Sustainer has bestowed from on high?"-are wont to answer, "Fables of ancient times!" ### Marmaduke Pickthall And when it is said unto them: What hath your Lord revealed? they say: (Mere) fables of the men of old, ### Abul A'la Maududi — Tafhim commentary When[1] they are asked: "What is it that your Lord has revealed?" They answer: "They are merely tales of olden times!"[2] _Footnotes_ - [1] In the preceding (Ayat 23) those arrogant people who were rejecting the message were warned that Allah has full knowledge of all their deeds. Now from (Ayat 24) the Quran takes up those deeds one by one and deals with the arguments they presented against the Messenger (peace be upon him), the objections they raised and the lame excuses they invented for their rejection, and reproaches and admonishes them. - [2] One of their cunning devices was to create doubts about the Quran. Whenever outsiders came to visit Makkah, they would naturally make inquiries about the Quran, which the Prophet (peace be upon him) declared, was being sent down to him by Allah. The disbelievers would answer that it contained merely fairy tales of the ancients. They would say such things in order to create doubts in the minds of the inquirers so that they should not take any interest in the message of the Prophet (peace be upon him). ### Abdel Khalek Himmat — Al- Muntakhab And when they are asked if they knew what Allah has revealed, or if they were referred to some illustration from the Quran, they dismiss it contemptuously with the remark: "Fables of old". ### Bijan Moeinian when the disbelievers are asked what they are thinking about the Lord’s Revelations, they simply say: "These are nothing but good old mythologies!" ### Al-Hilali & Khan And when it is said to them: "What is it that your Lord has sent down (unto Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم)?" They say: "Tales of the men of old!" ### Abdullah Yusuf Ali When it is said to them, "What is it that your Lord has revealed?" they say, "Tales of the ancients!" ### Mustafa Khattab — The Clear Quran And when it is said to them, "What has your Lord revealed?" They say, “Ancient fables!” ### Taqi Usmani When it is said to them, "What has your Lord sent down?" They say, “It is nothing but the tales of the ancient people.” ### Abdul Haleem When they are asked, ‘What has your Lord sent down?’ they say, ‘Ancient fables.’ ### Arthur John Arberry And when it is said to them, 'What has your Lord sent down?' they say, 'Fairy-tales of the ancients. ' ### E. Henry Palmer And when it is said to them, 'What is it that your Lord has sent down?' they say, 'Old folks' tales!' ### Hamid S. Aziz And when it is said to them, "What is it that your Lord has revealed (sent down)?" they say, "Old folks' tales!" ### Mahmoud Ghali And when it is said to them, "What has your Lord sent down?" they say, "Myths of the earliest (people). " ### George Sale And when it is said unto them, what hath your Lord sent down unto Mohammed? They answer, fables of ancient times. ### Syed Vickar Ahamed And when it is said to them, "What is it that your Lord has revealed?" They say: "Stories of the old!" ### Amatul Rahman Omar And when these (disbelievers) are asked, `What is (in your opinion) that which your Lord has sent down?' They say,` They are (mere) stories of the ancients. ' ### Ali Quli Qarai When they are told, ‘What is it that your Lord has sent down?’ They say, ‘Myths of the ancients,’ ### Ahmed Hulusi — Türkçe Kur'an Çözümü Onlara: "Rabbiniz ne inzal etti?" denildiğinde, "Öncekilerin efsanelerini" dediler. ### Ali Bulaç — Kur'an-ı Kerim ve Türkçe Anlamı Onlara "Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" dendiğinde, "Eskilerin masalları" dediler. ### Bayraktar Bayraklı — Yeni Bir Anlayışın Işığında Kur'an Meali Onlara,"Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" denildiği zaman; "Öncekilerin masallarını" derler. ### Diyanet İşleri — Kur'an-ı Kerim Türkçe Meali Onlara "Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" denildiği zaman, "Öncekilerin masalları" dediler. ### Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır — Kur'an-ı Kerim ve Yüce Meali Onlara rabbınız ne indirdi? denildiği vakıt da "eskilerin masalları" dediler ### Elmalılı (sadeleştirilmiş) Onlara: "Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" denildiğinde "Eskilerin masalları." dediler. ### Gültekin Onan Onlara "Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" dendiğinde, "Eskilerin masalları" dediler. ### Hasan Basri Çantay — Kur'an-ı Hakim ve Meal-i Kerim Onlara: "Size Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" denildiği zaman "evvelkilerin masallarını" dediler. ### İbni Kesir Onlara: Size Rabbınız ne indirdi? denildiği zaman; geçmişlerin masallarını, derler. ### Muhammed Esed — Kur'an Mesajı Böylelerine: "Rabbiniz ne indirdi!" diye sorulsa, "Eskilerin masallarını/efsanelerini!" derler. ### Şaban Piriş — Kur'an-ı Kerim Türkçe Anlamı Onlara, "Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" diye sorulduğunda "öncekilerin masallarını" derler. ### Süleyman Ateş — Kur'an-ı Kerim ve Yüce Meali Onlara: "Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" dendiği zaman, "Evvelkilerin masalları!" derler. ### Yaşar Nuri Öztürk — Kur'an-ı Kerim Meali Onlara, "Rabbiniz ne indirdi" dendiğinde şöyle dediler: "Öncekilerin masallarını." ### Mustafa İslamoğlu — Hayat Kitabı Kur’an Ve kendilerine "Rabbiniz size ne indirdi?" diye sorulduğunda, "Eskilerin masallarını..." derler; ### Erhan Aktaş (Eski Baskı) — Kerim Kur'an Onlara, "Rabb'inizin indirdiği şey nedir?" diye sorulduğu zaman, "Öncekilerin masallarını." derler. ### Ali Rıza Safa — Kur'an-ı Kerim Gerçek "Efendiniz, ne indirmiştir?" denildiğinde, şöyle dediler: "Öncekilerin söylenceleri!" ### Süleymaniye Vakfı (Eski Baskı) — Süleymaniye Vakfı Meali Onlara: "Rabbinizin indirdiği nedir?" diye sorulsa, "Eskilerin masalları" derler. ### Mehmet Okuyan — Kur’an Meal-Tefsir Onlara "Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" dendiği zaman, "Öncekilerin masalları!" derler. ### Erhan Aktaş (10. Baskı) — Kerim Kur'an Onlara, "Rabb'inizin indirdiği şey nedir?" diye sorulduğu zaman, "Öncekilerin masalları!" derler. ### Erhan Aktaş — Kerim Kur'an Onlara, "Rabb'inizin indirdiği şey nedir?" diye sorulduğu zaman, "Öncekilerin masalları!" derler. ### Süleymaniye Vakfı — Süleymaniye Vakfı Meali Onlara "Rabbiniz ne indirdi?" diye sorulduğu zaman "(Bunlar) öncekilerin yazıları![1]" derler. _Footnotes_ - [1] Ayette geçen esatir (أَسَاطِيرُ) kelimesi, "bir şeye hiza vermek, saf tutturmak" anlamına gelen satr (سطر) kökünden türemiş olan usture (اسطورة) kelimesinin çoğuludur (Müfredat). Satara (سَطَرَ) fiilinin "yazı yazmak" anlamına gelmesi, harflerin hizaya sokulması, anlamlı bir şekilde sıralanması sebebiyledir. Dokuz yerde geçen esatiru'l-evvelin (أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ) ifadesi, Kur'an'da anlatılanların yeni olmadığını, önceki ilahi kitaplarda, diğer kitaplarda, yazıtlarda ya da anlatılarda zaten var olduğunu belirtmek için ayetleri görmezden gelenler tarafından kullanılan alaycı bir ifadedir. Bunu söyleyerek Kur'an'ın önceki ilahi kitapları tasdik etmesini de istismar etmişlerdir [En'am 6/25,](https://quran.so/6/25) [Enfal 8/31,](https://quran.so/8/31) [Müminun 23/83,](https://quran.so/23/83) [Furkan 25/5,](https://quran.so/25/5) [Neml 27/68,](https://quran.so/27/68) [Ahkaf 46/17,](https://quran.so/46/17) [Kalem 68/15,](https://quran.so/68/15) [Mutaffifin 83/13.](https://quran.so/83/13) ## Words | # | word | meaning | root | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | وَإِذَا — wa-idhā | And when | — | | 2 | قِيلَ — qīla | it is said | قول — Kaf-Vav-Lam | | 3 | لَهُم — lahum | to them | — | | 4 | مَّاذَآ — mādhā | What | — | | 5 | أَنزَلَ — anzala | has your Lord sent down | نزل — Nun-Za-Lam | | 6 | رَبُّكُمْ ۙ — rabbukum | has your Lord sent down | ربب — Ra-Ba-Ba | | 7 | قَالُوٓا۟ — qālū | They say | قول — Kaf-Vav-Lam | | 8 | أَسَـٰطِيرُ — asāṭīru | Tales | سطر — Sin-Ta-Ra | | 9 | ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ — l-awalīna | (of) the ancient | اول — Elif-Vav-Lam | --- Previous: https://quran.so/surah-an-nahl/verse-23.md · Next: https://quran.so/surah-an-nahl/verse-25.md Retrieved: 2026-08-13 Quran.so — https://quran.so — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — When quoting, name the translator.