Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

Oh, that when you heard it, the believing men and the believing women had but thought good of themselves and said: “This is a clear falsehood!”

لَوْلَٓا اِذْ سَمِعْتُمُوهُ ظَنَّ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بِاَنْفُسِهِمْ خَيْراًۙ وَقَالُوا هٰذَٓا اِفْكٌ مُب۪ينٌ
Lawla ith samiAAtumoohu thannaalmu/minoona walmu/minatu bi-anfusihim khayran waqaloohatha ifkun mubeen
#wordmeaningroot
1lawlāWhy not
2idhwhen
3samiʿ'tumūhuyou heard itسمع
4ẓannathinkظنن
5l-mu'minūnathe believing menامن
6wal-mu'minātuand the believing womenامن
7bi-anfusihimgood of themselvesنفس
8khayrangood of themselvesخير
9waqālūand sayقول
10hādhāThis
11if'kun(is) a lieافك
12mubīnunclearبين
  • Aisha Bewley

    Why, when you heard it, did you not, as men and women of the muminun, instinctively think good thoughts and say, ‘This is obviously a lie’?

  • Progressive Muslims

    If only when you heard it the believing men and women should have thought good of their own selves and said: "This is an obvious lie!"

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    Why do not the believing men and believing women, whenever such a rumor is heard, think the best of one another and say, "This is an obvious falsehood?"

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    Oh, that when you heard it, the believing men and the believing women had but thought good of themselves and said: “This is a clear falsehood!”

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    If only when you heard it the believing males and the believing females should have thought good of their own selves and said: "This is an obvious lie!"

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    If only when you heard it the acknowledging men and women should have thought good of themselves and said: "This is an obvious lie!"

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    When you heard it, the believing men and the believing women should have had better thoughts about themselves, and should have said, "This is obviously a big lie."

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Why did the faithful men and women not think well of their people when they heard this, and said: "This is a clear lie?"

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

    Why, when you heard it, did not the believing men and believing women think good of one another and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?

  • Muhammad Asad

    Why do not the believing men and women, whenever such is heard, think the best of one another and say, "This is an obvious falsehood"?

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Why did not the believers, men and women, when ye heard it, think good of their own own folk, and say: It is a manifest untruth?

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    When you heard of it, why did the believing men and women not think well of their own folk and say: "This is a manifest calumny?"

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    If only the Muslims -men and women- as they heard the rumour realized, as they should have, that they are people of mind and reasoned high of Providence and of those who conformed to His will and thought of themselves as the model of chastity, and rejected the charge as falsehood personified!

  • Bijan Moeinian

    When the rumors started to circulate, the believers should have shown their goodness of heart saying: "This is a great slander. "

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander), think good of their own people and say: "This (charge) is an obvious lie?"

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Why did not the believers - men and women - when ye heard of the affair,- put the best construction on it in their own minds and say, "This (charge) is an obvious lie"?

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    If only the believing men and women had thought well of one another, when you heard this ˹rumour˺, and said, "This is clearly ˹an outrageous˺ slander!"

  • Taqi Usmani

    Why - when you (O believers) heard of it - did the believing men and the believing women not think well about their own selves, and (why did they not) say, "This is a manifest lie".

  • Abdul Haleem

    When you heard the lie, why did believing men and women not think well of their own people and declare, ‘This is obviously a lie’?

  • Arthur John Arberry

    Why, when you heard it, did the believing men and women not of their own account think good thoughts, and say, 'This is a manifest calumny'?

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Why did not, when ye heard it, the believing men and believing women think good in themselves, and say, 'This is an obvious lie?'

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    Verily, those who spread the slander are a gang among you. Deem it not as an evil for you. Nay, it is good for you. Every man of them shall have what he has earned of sin; and he among them who had the greater share (took the lead), for him is an awful doom.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    If the men believers and the women believers had thought good (thoughts) of themselves as you heard it and they would have said, "This is an evident falsehood. "

  • George Sale

    Did not the faithful men, and the faithful women, when ye heard this, judge in their own minds for the best; and say, this is a manifest falsehood?

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    Why then, did not the believers —men and women — When you heard of the incident— Put the best reasons after it in their own minds and say, "This (slander) is an open lie?"

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    When you heard of this (accusation) why did not the believing men and believing women have a better opinion in respect of their own people and say, `This (charge) is an obvious lie?'

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    When you heard about it, why did not the faithful, men and women, think well of their folks, and say, ‘This is an obvious calumny’?