Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

They said: “Swear one to another, by God, that we will attack him and his household by night. Then we will say to his ally: ‘We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and we are the truthful.’”

قَالُوا تَقَاسَمُوا بِاللّٰهِ لَنُبَيِّتَنَّهُ وَاَهْلَهُ ثُمَّ لَنَقُولَنَّ لِوَلِيِّه۪ مَا شَهِدْنَا مَهْلِكَ اَهْلِه۪ وَاِنَّا لَصَادِقُونَ
Qaloo taqasamoo billahilanubayyitannahu waahlahu thumma lanaqoolanna liwaliyyihi mashahidna mahlika ahlihi wa-inna lasadiqoon
#wordmeaningroot
1qālūThey saidقول
2taqāsamūSwear to each otherقسم
3bil-lahiby Allah
4lanubayyitannahusurely, we will attack him by nightبيت
5wa-ahlahuand his familyاهل
6thummaThen
7lanaqūlannawe will surely sayقول
8liwaliyyihito his heirولي
9Not
10shahid'nāwe witnessedشهد
11mahlika(the) destructionهلك
12ahlihi(of) his familyاهل
13wa-innāand indeed, we
14laṣādiqūna(are) surely truthfulصدق
  • Aisha Bewley

    They said, ‘Let us make an oath to one another by Allah that we will fall on him and his family in the night and then say to his protector, "We did not witness the destruction of his family and we are telling the truth. "’

  • Progressive Muslims

    They said: "Swear by God to one another that we will attack him and his family at night, and we will then say to his supporters: "We did not witness who murdered his family, and we are being truthful""

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    They called a meeting and after swearing to one another in the name of Allah, said, "Indeed, we shall ambush him and his family by night, and afterward we shall boldly say to his tribe, We know nothing about their death. And, behold, we are men of truth.' "

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    They said: “Swear one to another, by God, that we will attack him and his household by night. Then we will say to his ally: ‘We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and we are the truthful.’”

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    They said: "Swear by God to one another that we will attack him and his family at night, and we will then say to his supporters: 'We did not witness who murdered his family, and we are being truthful'"

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    They said, "Swear by God to one another that we will attack him and his family at night, and we will then say to his supporters: 'We did not witness who murdered his family, and we are being truthful.'"

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    They said, "Let us swear by GOD that we kill him and his people, then tell his tribe, 'We know nothing about their death. We are truthful.' "

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    They said: "Let us swear by God that we will attack Saleh and his family at night, and later tell his heirs: 'We did not see his family destroyed, and we speak the truth. '"

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

    They said, "Take a mutual oath by Allah that we will kill him by night, he and his family. Then we will say to his executor, 'We did not witness the destruction of his family, and indeed, we are truthful.' "

  • Muhammad Asad

    after having bound one another by an oath in God’s name, they said: "Indeed, we shall suddenly fall upon him and his household by night ; and then we shall boldly say to his next of kin, ‘We did not witness the destruction of his household - and, behold, we are indeed men of truth!’"

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    They said: Swear one to another by Allah that we verily will attack him and his household by night, and afterward we will surely say unto his friend: We witnessed not the destruction of his household. And lo! we are truthtellers.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    They said: "Swear to one another in the name of Allah that we shall make a sudden night swoop on Salih and his family and will then tell their heirs that we did not witness the destruction of his family. We are indeed truthful."

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    They mutually agreed and resolved under oath (their kind of oath) to launch an attack upon him -Saleh- and his people by night to finish them off and rid the town of them and then declare their innocence to his next of kin and insist on their statement, thus: "We", they would say, "were never present at the scene of the massacre of his people and this is the truth".

  • Bijan Moeinian

    They got together and said: "Let us kill Saleh and his followers and then deny the whole thing. However, we have to swear to God that this will remain a secret of ours."

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    They said: "Swear one to another by Allâh that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his household, and thereafter we will surely say to his near relatives: ‘We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and verily we are telling the truth.’"

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    They said: "Swear a mutual oath by Allah that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his people, and that we shall then say to his heir (when he seeks vengeance): 'We were not present at the slaughter of his people, and we are positively telling the truth.'"

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    They vowed, "Let us swear by Allah that we will take him and his family down by night. Then we will certainly say to his ˹closest˺ heirs, ‘We did not witness the murder of his family. We are definitely telling the truth.’"

  • Taqi Usmani

    They said, "Let us swear a mutual oath by Allah that we shall attack him (SāliH) and his family at night, then will say to his heir, ‘We did not witness the destruction of his family, and we are really truthful.’"

  • Abdul Haleem

    They said, ‘Swear by God: we shall attack this man and his household in the night, then say to his next of kin, "We did not witness the destruction of his household. We are telling the truth."’

  • Arthur John Arberry

    they said, 'Swear you, one to another, by God, "We will attack him and his family by night, then we will tell his protector, We were not witnesses of the destruction of his family; and assuredly we are truthful men. "'

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Said they, 'Swear to each other by God, we will surely fall on him by night and on his people; then we will surely say unto his next of kin, " We witnessed not the destruction of his people, and we do surely tell the truth!"'

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    And there were in the city nine persons who despoiled the land and reformed not.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    They said, "Swear, one to another, by Allah that indeed we will definitely attack him and his family by night. Thereafter indeed we will definitely say to his patron, "In no way did we testify to the perishing of his family; and surely we are indeed sincere (men)."

  • George Sale

    And they said unto one another, swear ye reciprocally by God, that we will fall upon Saleh and his family by night: And afterwards we will say unto him who hath right to avenge his blood, we were not so much as present at the destruction of his family; and we certainly speak the truth.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    (Among themselves) they said: "Make a common oath by Allah that we shall make a secret night-attack on him (Sálih) and his household, and that we shall then tell his heirs (when they want to punish us): 'We were not there at the killing of his household, and verily, we are surely telling the truth'. "

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    They said one to another, `Let us swear by Allâh that we will surely make a raid on him (-Sâlih) and his family by night and then we will say to his claimant (- the next of kin, if he seeks vengeance) that we were not present at the time and place of the destruction of his family and most surely we speak the truth. '

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    They said, ‘ swear together by Allah that we will attack him and his family by night. Then we will surely tell his heir that we were not present at the murder of his family and we indeed speak the truth.’