Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

They said: “O Ṣāliḥ: thou hadst been among us one in whom hope was placed before this! Dost thou forbid us to serve what our fathers served? We are, about that to which thou invitest us, in sceptical doubt.”

قَالُوا يَا صَالِحُ قَدْ كُنْتَ ف۪ينَا مَرْجُواًّ قَبْلَ هٰذَٓا اَتَنْهٰينَٓا اَنْ نَعْبُدَ مَا يَعْبُدُ اٰبَٓاؤُ۬نَا وَاِنَّنَا لَف۪ي شَكٍّ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَٓا اِلَيْهِ مُر۪يبٍ
Qaloo ya salihuqad kunta feena marjuwwan qabla hatha atanhanaan naAAbuda ma yaAAbudu abaonawa-innana lafee shakkin mimma tadAAoonailayhi mureeb
#wordmeaningroot
1qālūThey saidقول
2yāṣāliḥuO Salihصلح
3qadVerily
4kuntayou wereكون
5fīnāamong us
6marjuwwanthe one in whom hope was placedرجو
7qablabeforeقبل
8hādhāthis
9atanhānāDo you forbid usنهي
10anthat
11naʿbudawe worshipعبد
12what
13yaʿbuduour forefathers worshippedعبد
14ābāunāour forefathers worshippedابو
15wa-innanāAnd indeed we
16lafīsurely (are) in
17shakkindoubtشكك
18mimmāabout what
19tadʿūnāyou call usدعو
20ilayhito it
21murībinsuspiciousريب
  • Aisha Bewley

    They said, ‘Salih, we had great hopes in you before this happened. Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? We have grave doubts about what you are calling us to.’

  • Progressive Muslims

    They said: "O Saleh, you were well liked amongst us before this. Do you deter us from serving what our fathers served We are in serious doubt as to what you are inviting us."

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    They said, "O Saleh! Great hopes We had placed in you before this! But now you are telling us to move away from worshiping what our forefathers worshiped. Verily, now we are in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion about the meaning of your call to us."

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    They said: “O Ṣāliḥ: thou hadst been among us one in whom hope was placed before this! Dost thou forbid us to serve what our fathers served? We are, about that to which thou invitest us, in sceptical doubt.”

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    They said: "O Saleh, you were well liked among us before this. Do you prohibit us from serving what our fathers served? We are in serious doubt as to what you are inviting us."

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    They said, "O Saleh, you were well liked amongst us before this. Do you deter us from serving what our fathers served? We are in serious doubt as to what you are inviting us."

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    They said, "O Saaleh, you used to be popular among us before this. Are you enjoining us from worshipping what our parents are worshipping? We are full of doubt concerning everything you have told us."

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    They said: "O Saleh, we had placed our hopes in you, but you forbid us from worshipping that which our fathers worshipped, and we are suspicious of what you are calling us to. "

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

    They said, "O êaliú, you were among us a man of promise before this. Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? And indeed we are, about that to which you invite us, in disquieting doubt."

  • Muhammad Asad

    They answered: "O Salih! Great hopes did we place in thee ere this! Wouldst thou forbid us to worship what our forefathers were wont to worship? Because , behold, we are in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion, about thy call to us!"

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    They said: O Salih! Thou hast been among us hitherto as that wherein our hope was placed. Dost thou ask us not to worship what our fathers worshipped? Lo! we verily are in grave doubt concerning that to which thou callest us.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    They said: 'O Salih! Until now you were one of those among us on whom we placed great hopes.* Now, would you forbid us to worship what our forefathers were wont to worship?* Indeed we are in disquieting doubt about what you are calling us to.*

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    But they said to him: "O Saleh, you have been thus far the hope that sprang eternal in our breasts, but we seem to be staking our very future on some dark hope. Do you want us to renounce the system of faith and worship adopted by our fathers! Indeed we question the validity of what you induce us to do and we think it excites suspicion."

  • Bijan Moeinian

    They replied: "O Saleh, you used to be such a nice person. Now you are asking us not to worship what our fathers have worshipped for generations? We are having second thought about you; you make us feel uncomfortable.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    They said: "O Sâlih! You have been among us as a figure of good hope (and we wished for you to be our chief) till this ! Do you (now) forbid us the worship of what our fathers have worshipped? But we are really in grave doubt as to that to which you invite us (monotheism)."

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    They said: "O Salih! thou hast been of us! a centre of our hopes hitherto! dost thou (now) forbid us the worship of what our fathers worshipped? But we are really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which thou invitest us."

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    They argued, "O Ṣâliḥ! We truly had high hopes in you before this. How dare you forbid us to worship what our forefathers had worshipped? We are certainly in alarming doubt about what you are inviting us to."

  • Taqi Usmani

    They said, "O SāliH, we had hopes in you before this. Do you ask us not to worship what our fathers used to worship? We have serious doubts that have disturbed us about the faith to which you are calling us."

  • Abdul Haleem

    They said, ‘Salih, We used to have such great hope in you. Will you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? We are in grave doubt about what you are asking us to do.’

  • Arthur John Arberry

    They said, 'Salih, thou hast hitherto been a source of hope among us. What, dost thou forbid us to serve that our fathers served? Truly we are in doubt, concerning what thou callest us to, disquieting.'

  • E. Henry Palmer

    They said, 'O Zalih! thou wert amongst us one we hoped in before this: dost thou forbid us to worship what our fathers worshipped? verily, we are in hesitating doubt as to that to which thou callest us. '

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    And unto Thamud (We sent) their brother Salih. Said he, "O my people! Serve Allah; you have no God but Him. He it is that produced you from the earth, and made you live therein! So ask pardon of Him; then turn to Him in repentance. Verily, my Lord is Nigh, Responsive!"

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    They said, "O Salih, you have readily been a (source of) hope among us before that (i. e., He did not delay) Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers worshiped? And surely we (all) are indeed in doubt concerning what you call us to, causing suspicion."

  • George Sale

    They answered, oh, thou wast a person on whom we placed our hopes before this. Dost thou forbid us to worship that which our fathers worshipped? But we are certainly in doubt concerning the religion to which thou dost invite us, as justly to be suspected.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    They said: "O Sálih! You have been among us, as a figure and focus of our hopes, so far do you (now) stop us from the worship of what our fathers worshipped? But we are really in suspicious doubt about that to which you invite us (to worship). "

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    They said, `Sâlih! you have hitherto been among us as one in whom we placed our hopes. Do you forbid us to worship what our fore fathers have been worshipping? And as a matter of fact we are in disquieting doubt about that (faith) you call us to.'

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    They said, ‘O Ṣāliḥ! You were a source of hope to us before this. Do you forbid us to worship what our fathers have been worshiping? Indeed we have grave doubts concerning that to which you invite us.’