Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

Like those before you, stronger than you in might and greater in wealth and children: they enjoyed their lot. And you have enjoyed your lot as they enjoyed their lot who were before you; and you have discoursed vainly like those discoursed vainly; those: their works are vain in the World and the Hereafter; and it is they who are the losers.

كَالَّذ۪ينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ كَانُٓوا اَشَدَّ مِنْكُمْ قُوَّةً وَاَكْثَرَ اَمْوَالاً وَاَوْلَاداًۜ فَاسْتَمْتَعُوا بِخَلَاقِهِمْ فَاسْتَمْتَعْتُمْ بِخَلَاقِكُمْ كَمَا اسْتَمْتَعَ الَّذ۪ينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ بِخَلَاقِهِمْ وَخُضْتُمْ كَالَّذ۪ي خَاضُواۜ اُو۬لٰٓئِكَ حَبِطَتْ اَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْاٰخِرَةِۚ وَاُو۬لٰٓئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ
Kallatheena min qablikum kanooashadda minkum quwwatan waakthara amwalan waawladanfastamtaAAoo bikhalaqihim fastamtaAAtumbikhalaqikum kama istamtaAAa allatheena minqablikum bikhalaqihim wakhudtum kallatheekhadoo ola-ika habitat aAAmaluhumfee addunya wal-akhirati waola-ikahumu alkhasiroon
#wordmeaningroot
1ka-alladhīnaLike those
2minbefore you
3qablikumbefore youقبل
4kānūthey wereكون
5ashaddamightierشدد
6minkumthan you
7quwwatan(in) strengthقوي
8wa-aktharaand more abundantكثر
9amwālan(in) wealthمول
10wa-awlādanand childrenولد
11fa-is'tamtaʿūSo they enjoyedمتع
12bikhalāqihimtheir portionخلق
13fa-is'tamtaʿtumand you have enjoyedمتع
14bikhalāqikumyour portionخلق
15kamālike
16is'tamtaʿaenjoyedمتع
17alladhīnathose
18minbefore you
19qablikumbefore youقبل
20bikhalāqihimtheir portionخلق
21wakhuḍ'tumand you indulgeخوض
22ka-alladhīlike the one who
23khāḍūindulges (in idle talk)خوض
24ulāikaThose
25ḥabiṭatworthlessحبط
26aʿmāluhum(are) their deedsعمل
27in
28l-dun'yāthe worldدنو
29wal-ākhiratiand (in) the Hereafterاخر
30wa-ulāikaAnd those
31humuthey
32l-khāsirūna(are) the losersخسر
  • Aisha Bewley

    Like those before you who had greater strength than you and more wealth and children. They enjoyed their portion; so enjoy your portion as those before you enjoyed theirs. You have plunged into defamation as they plunged into it. The actions of such people come to nothing in this world or the Next World. They are the lost.

  • Progressive Muslims

    Like those before them, they were more powerful than you, and with more wealth and offspring. They enjoyed their lives, and you enjoyed your lives as those before you enjoyed their lives; and you jested as they jested. They had their work crumble in this world and the next, and they were the losers.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    There have been people like you before who were mightier than you in strength, more affluent than you in wealth and children and party. They enjoyed their share of this worldly life. And you have been enjoying your share, just as they did, and you indulge in idle talk as they did. Such are the people whose works have perished in the world and in the life to come. And it is they, yes, they who are the losers.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    Like those before you, stronger than you in might and greater in wealth and children: they enjoyed their lot. And you have enjoyed your lot as they enjoyed their lot who were before you; and you have discoursed vainly like those discoursed vainly; those: their works are vain in the World and the Hereafter; and it is they who are the losers.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    Like those before them, they were more powerful than you, and with more wealth and children. They enjoyed their lives, and you enjoyed your lives as those before you enjoyed their lives; and you jested as they jested. They had their works crumble in this world and the next, and they were the losers.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    Like those before you; they were more powerful than you, and had more wealth and offspring. They enjoyed their lot, and you enjoyed your lot as those before you enjoyed their lives; and you indulged as they indulged. These are those whose works crumbled in this world and the hereafter, and they were the losers.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Some of those before you were stronger than you, and possessed more money and children. They became preoccupied with their material possessions. Similarly, you have become preoccupied with your material possessions, just like those before you have become preoccupied. You have become totally heedless, just as they were heedless. Such are the people who nullify their works, both in this world and in the Hereafter; they are the losers.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Like those before you who were greater in strength, had more wealth and children than you, who enjoyed their lot in this world, as you have enjoyed your share like them. You indulge in idle talk, as they had indulged in vain discourse. Yet nothing of what they did remains in this world or will in the next, and they are the losers.

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

    like those before you; they were stronger than you in power and more abundant in wealth and children. They enjoyed their portion , and you have enjoyed your portion as those before you enjoyed their portion, and you have engaged like that in which they engaged. those whose deeds have become worthless in this world and in the Hereafter, and it is they who are the losers.

  • Muhammad Asad

    like those who lived before your time. Greater than you were they in power, and richer in wealth and in children; and they enjoyed their share . And you have been enjoying your share -just as those who preceded you enjoyed their share; and you have been indulging in scurrilous talk -just as they indulged in it. It is they whose works have come to nought in this world and in the life to come - and it is they, they who are the cost!"

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Even as those before you who were mightier than you in strength, and more affluent than you in wealth and children. They enjoyed their lot awhile, so ye enjoy your lot awhile even as those before you did enjoy their lot awhile. And ye prate even as they prated. Such are they whose works have perished in the world and the Hereafter. Such are they who are the losers.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Your ways are like the ways of those who have gone before you. They were mightier than you in power, and more abundant in riches and children. They enjoyed their lot for a while as you have enjoyed your lot, and you also engaged in idle talk as they did. Their works have come to naught in this world, and in the Hereafter they are surely the losers.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    You hypocrites stand similitude exact of those who preceded you. They were mightier than you are and they lived in greater affluence of wealth and progeny. They enjoyed all that afforded pleasure and was of sensuous character and they neglected all that was dutiful to Allah. Similarly you enjoy all that affords pleasure and is of sensuous character in the same way as those who preceded you; you plunged into worldly ambition the same as they plunged themselves into defaming religion and disobeying Allah. You and such persons are those whose hopes shall be doomed to disappointment and their deeds to worthlessness here and Hereafter, and all of you were born to be losers.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    You (the hypocrites) are behaving like your predecessors. they were mightier than you and had more wealth and more children. They enjoyed their worldly life for a while. Like them, you also will enjoy your life for a while. Like them, you too are engaged in vain discussions. At the end all their deeds in this world, as well as in Hereafter, was nullified. They were true losers.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    Like those before you: they were mightier than you in power, and more abundant in wealth and children. They had enjoyed their portion (awhile), so enjoy your portion (awhile) as those before you enjoyed their portion (awhile); and you indulged in play and pastime (and in telling lies against Allâh and His Messenger Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) as they indulged in play and pastime. Such are they whose deeds are in vain in this world and in the Hereafter. Such are they who are the losers.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    As in the case of those before you: they were mightier than you in power, and more flourishing in wealth and children. They had their enjoyment of their portion: and ye have of yours, as did those before you; and ye indulge in idle talk as they did. They!- their work are fruitless in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will lose (all spiritual good).

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    ˹You hypocrites are˺ like those ˹disbelievers˺ before you. They were far superior to you in might and more abundant in wealth and children. They enjoyed their share in this life. You have enjoyed your share, just as they did. And you have engaged in idle talk, just as they did. Their deeds have become void in this world and the Hereafter. And it is they who are the ˹true˺ losers.

  • Taqi Usmani

    (You are) like those who were before you. They were stronger than you in power, and richer in wealth and children. So, they enjoyed their share (from the pleasures of this world), then you enjoyed your share as those before you enjoyed their share, and you indulged (in evils) as they indulged. They are the ones whose deeds have gone to waste in this world and in the Hereafter, and they are the losers.

  • Abdul Haleem

    ‘You are like those who lived before you: they were even stronger than you, with more wealth and children; they enjoyed their share in this life as you have enjoyed yours; like them, you have indulged in idle talk.’ Their deeds go to waste in this world and the next; it is they who will lose all in the life to come.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    those before you, who were stronger than you in might, and more abundant in wealth and children; they took enjoyment in their share; so do you take enjoyment in your share, as those before you took enjoyment in their share. You have plunged as they plunged. Those -- their works have failed in this world and in the world to come; those -- they are the losers.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Ye are like those who were before you. They were stronger than you and more abundant in wealth and children; they enjoyed their portion then, and ye enjoy your portion, as they enjoyed their portion before you; and ye discuss as they discussed. Their works are vain in this world and the next, and they it is who lose.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    You are like those who were before you. They were stronger than you and more abundant in wealth and children. They enjoyed their portion awhile, and you will enjoy your portion awhile just as they enjoyed their portion before you. And you indulge in idle chatter as they indulged in idle chatter. Such are they whose works are vain in this world and the Hereafter. Such are the losers.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    Like the ones even before you, (who) were stronger (Literally: more severe; more strict. ) than you in power and had more riches and children; so did they enjoy their apportioning; so have you enjoyed your apportioning as the ones even before you enjoyed their apportioning. And you have waded (Or: plunged into, became absorbed in (a subject or deeds) in the way they waded. (i.e. in the things in which they waded) Those are (the people) whose deeds have been frustrated in the present (life) (Literally: the lowly (life), i.e., the life of this world) and the Hereafter; and those are they who are the losers..

  • George Sale

    As they who have been before you, so are ye. They were superior to you in strength, and had more abundance of wealth and of children; and they enjoyed their portion in this world; and ye also enjoy your portion here, as they who have preceded you, enjoyed their portion. And ye engage your selves in vain discourses, like unto those wherein they engaged themselves. The works of these are vain both in this world, and in that which is to come; and these are they who perish.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    Like the case of those before you, they were stronger than you (the hypocrites and disbelievers) in power, and richer in wealth and children. They had their enjoyment of their portion: And you have of yours, like those before you; And you get into idle talk as they did. They, their works are useless (both) in this world and in the Hereafter, and they will lose (everything good).

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    (Say to hypocrites, ) `You are like your predecessors. (But) they were mightier than you in strength and richer in possessions and children. Then they enjoyed their lot for a short time; so you too have enjoyed your lot as your predecessors enjoyed theirs. And you indulged in idle talk as they did (but remember), it is these whose deeds have gone in vain in this world and the Hereafter, and it is these who are completely lost.'

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    similar to those who were before you, who were more powerful than you and more abounding in wealth and children: they enjoyed their share ; you too enjoy your share, just like those who were before you enjoyed their share, and you have gossiped as they gossiped. They are the ones whose works have failed in this world and the Hereafter; and it is they who are the losers.