Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

When he said to his father: “O my father: why servest thou what neither hears nor sees, nor can avail thee anything?”

اِذْ قَالَ لِاَب۪يهِ يَٓا اَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْن۪ي عَنْكَ شَيْـٔاً
Ith qala li-abeehi yaabati lima taAAbudu ma la yasmaAAu wala yubsiruwala yughnee AAanka shay-a
#wordmeaningroot
1idhWhen
2qālahe saidقول
3li-abīhito his fatherابو
4yāabatiO my fatherابو
5limaWhy
6taʿbudu(do) you worshipعبد
7that which
8not
9yasmaʿuhearsسمع
10walāand not
11yub'ṣiruseesبصر
12walāand not
13yugh'nībenefitsغني
14ʿanka[to] you
15shayan(in) anythingشيا
  • Aisha Bewley

    Remember when he said to his father, ‘Father, why do you worship what can neither hear nor see and is not of any use to you at all?

  • Progressive Muslims

    When he said to his father: "O father, why do you serve what does not hear or see, nor help you in anything"

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    He even confronted his father (Azar), "O My father! Why worship that which hear not and see not and can be of no avail to you?" (Azar, Terah, was the Chief Priest of King Nimrod Shaddad of Babylon and Ninevah, and was a master sculptor).

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    When he said to his father: “O my father: why servest thou what neither hears nor sees, nor can avail thee anything?”

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    When he said to his father: "O father, why do you serve what does not hear or see, nor help you in anything?"

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    When he said to his father: "O father, why do you serve what does not hear or see, nor help you in anything?"

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    He said to his father, "O my father, why do you worship what can neither hear, nor see, nor help you in any way?

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Remember, when he said to his father: "O my father, why do you worship that which can neither hear nor see nor even profit you the least?

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

    when he said to his father, "O my father, why do you worship that which does not hear and does not see and will not benefit you at all?

  • Muhammad Asad

    when he spoke unto his father: "O my father! Why dost thou worship something that neither hears nor sees and can be of no avail whatever to thee?

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    When he said unto his father: O my father! Why worshippest thou that which heareth not nor seeth, nor can in aught avail thee?

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    (And remind people) when he said to his father: "Father! Why do you worship that which neither sees nor hears, and which can be of no avail to you?

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    For once he asked his father: "O father, why do you revere and adore with appropriate acts and rites objects that are deaf and blind and can avail you absolutely nothing!"

  • Bijan Moeinian

    He said: "Father, why do you worship these things which neither hear, nor see, nor can be of any help to you?"

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    When he said to his father: "O my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything?

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Behold, he said to his father: "O my father! why worship that which heareth not and seeth not, and can profit thee nothing?

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    ˹Remember˺ when he said to his father, "O dear father! Why do you worship what can neither hear nor see, nor benefit you at all?

  • Taqi Usmani

    when he said to his father, "My dear father, why do you worship something that does neither hear nor see, nor help you in any way?

  • Abdul Haleem

    He said to his father, ‘Father, why do you worship something that can neither hear nor see nor benefit you in any way?

  • Arthur John Arberry

    When he said to his father, 'Father, why worshippest thou that which neither hears nor sees, nor avails thee anything?

  • E. Henry Palmer

    When he said to his father, 'O my sire! why dost thou worship what can neither hear nor see nor avail thee aught?

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    And mention Abraham in the Book; verily, he was a saint (a man of truth, a true witness), a prophet.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    As he said to his father, "O my father, why do you worship that which neither hears nor beholds, nor avails you anything?

  • George Sale

    When he said unto his father, O my father, why dost thou worship that which heareth not, neither seeth, nor profiteth thee at all?

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    When he said to his father: "O my father! Why worship (something) that does not hear and does not see, and (something that) can be of no profit to you?

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Behold! he said to his sire, `My dear sire, why do you worship that which can neither hear, nor see, nor can be of any avail to you?

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    When he said to his father, ‘Father! Why do you worship that which neither hears nor sees, and is of no avail to you in any way?