Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

But they have no knowledge thereof, they follow only assumption; and assumption avails nothing against the truth.

وَمَا لَهُمْ بِه۪ مِنْ عِلْمٍۜ اِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ اِلَّا الظَّنَّۚ وَاِنَّ الظَّنَّ لَا يُغْن۪ي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْـٔاًۚ
Wama lahum bihi min AAilmin inyattabiAAoona illa aththanna wa-innaaththanna la yughnee mina alhaqqishay-a
#wordmeaningroot
1wamāAnd not
2lahumfor them
3bihiabout it
4minany
5ʿil'minknowledgeعلم
6inNot
7yattabiʿūnathey followتبع
8illābut
9l-ẓanaassumptionظنن
10wa-innaAnd indeed
11l-ẓanathe assumptionظنن
12(does) not
13yugh'nīavailغني
14minaagainst
15l-ḥaqithe truthحقق
16shayananythingشيا
  • Aisha Bewley

    They have no knowledge of this. They are only following conjecture. Conjecture is of no avail whatever against the truth.

  • Progressive Muslims

    While they had no knowledge about this; they only followed conjecture. And conjecture is no substitute for the truth.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    And since they do not learn the Law of Cause and Effect, they can follow nothing but guesswork. And behold, guesswork can never take the place of Truth. (6:149).

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    But they have no knowledge thereof, they follow only assumption; and assumption avails nothing against the truth.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    While they had no knowledge about this; they only followed conjecture. And conjecture is no substitute for the truth.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    While they had no knowledge about this; they only followed conjecture. Conjecture is no substitute for the truth.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    They had no knowledge about this; they only conjectured. Conjecture is no substitute for the truth.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Yet they have no knowledge of this, and follow nothing but conjecture, but conjecture cannot replace the truth.

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

    And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption, and indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all.

  • Muhammad Asad

    and they have no knowledge whatever thereof, they follow nothing but surmise: yet, behold, never can surmise take the place of truth.

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    And they have no knowledge thereof. They follow but a guess, and lo! a guess can never take the place of the truth.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    although they have no knowledge regarding that. They only follow their conjecture* and conjecture can never take the place of the Truth.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    Yet they lack the knowledge giving firm belief of what is true on sufficient grounds, and they follow an emotion, they imagine, will direct them to the attainment and possession of the object from which, in their view, satisfaction is expected. But never does an unverified supposition or an opinion offered on insufficient presumptive evidence replace the truth or conformity with fact.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    They do not have any knowledge about the nature of the Angles or unseen and just follow their guesses and guess is not a substitute for the truth.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    But they have no knowledge thereof. They follow but a guess, and verily, guess is no substitute for the truth.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    But they have no knowledge therein. They follow nothing but conjecture; and conjecture avails nothing against Truth.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    although they have no knowledge ˹in support˺ of this. They follow nothing but ˹inherited˺ assumptions. And surely assumptions can in no way replace the truth.

  • Taqi Usmani

    They do not have knowledge about it. They follow nothing but conjecture, and conjecture is of no avail in (the matter of) Truth.

  • Abdul Haleem

    They have no knowledge to base this on: they merely follow guesswork. Guesswork is of no value against the Truth.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    They have not any knowledge thereof; they follow only surmise, and surmise avails naught against truth.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    but they have no knowledge thereof; they do but follow suspicion, and, verily, suspicion shall not avail against the truth at all!

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    And they have no knowledge of it; they do not follow anything but conjecture, and surely conjecture does not avail against the truth at all.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    And in no way do they have any knowledge thereof. Decidedly they closely follow (nothing) except surmise, and surely surmise does not avail anything against the Truth.

  • George Sale

    But they have no knowledge herein: They follow no other than a bare opinion; and a bare opinion attaineth not any thing of truth.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    But they do not have knowledge about it. They follow nothing except (their) guesswork; And, surely, guesswork is of no use against Truth.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    But they have no knowledge of the matter. They follow nothing but conjecture, yet by no means can a conjecture be a substitute for the established Truth.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    They do not have any knowledge of that. They follow nothing but conjectures, and indeed conjecture is no substitute for the truth.