Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

It behoves not the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day; and each is in a circuit swimming.

لَا الشَّمْسُ يَنْبَغ۪ي لَـهَٓا اَنْ تُدْرِكَ الْقَمَرَ وَلَا الَّيْلُ سَابِقُ النَّهَارِۜ وَكُلٌّ ف۪ي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ
La ashshamsu yanbaghee lahaan tudrika alqamara wala allaylu sabiqu annahariwakullun fee falakin yasbahoon
#wordmeaningroot
1Not
2l-shamsuthe sunشمس
3yanbaghīis permittedبغي
4lahāfor it
5anthat
6tud'rikait overtakesدرك
7l-qamarathe moonقمر
8walāand not
9al-layluthe nightليل
10sābiqu(can) outstripسبق
11l-nahārithe dayنهر
12wakullunbut allكلل
13in
14falakinan orbitفلك
15yasbaḥūnathey are floatingسبح
  • Aisha Bewley

    It is not for the sun to overtake the moon nor for the night to outstrip the day; each one is swimming in a sphere.

  • Progressive Muslims

    The sun is not required to overtake the moon, nor will the night precede the day; each of them is swimming in its own orbit.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day. All of them swim along in their orbits. (The sun cannot cause the moon to gravitate towards itself and the night and the day cannot lengthen or shorten other than the appointed measure (21:33), (22:61), (25:62), (31:29), (41:37), (57:6)).

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    It behoves not the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day; and each is in a circuit swimming.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    The sun is not required to overtake the moon, nor will the night precede the day; each of them is swimming in its own orbit.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    The sun is not required to overtake the moon, nor will the night precede the day; each of them is swimming in its own orbit.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    The sun is never to catch up with the moon - the night and the day never deviate - each of them is floating in its own orbit.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Neither can the sun overtake the moon, nor the night outpace the day: Each of them keeps coursing in its orbit.

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

    It is not allowable for the sun to reach the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each, in an orbit, is swimming.

  • Muhammad Asad

    neither may the sun overtake the moon, nor can the night usurp the time of day, since all of them float through space .

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor doth the night outstrip the day. They float each in an orbit.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Neither does it lie in the sun's power to overtake the moon* nor can the night outstrip the day.* All glide along, each in its own orbit.*

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    The sun ought not gain impetus more than the limit designated so that it does not catch up the moon or overtake it in motion nor does the night outrun the day and each describes its own orbit.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    God has put such an impeccable order in the nature that neither sun can overtake the moon nor the night to outstrip the day. Everything is gliding in its predetermined order in the universe.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    It is not for the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the day. They all float, each in an orbit.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    It is not permitted to the Sun to catch up the Moon, nor can the Night outstrip the Day: Each (just) swims along in (its own) orbit (according to Law).

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    It is not for the sun to catch up with the moon, nor does the night outrun the day. Each is travelling in an orbit of their own.

  • Taqi Usmani

    Neither it is for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night outpace the day. Each one is floating in an orbit.

  • Abdul Haleem

    The sun cannot overtake the moon, nor can the night outrun the day: each floats in orbit.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    It behoves not the sun to overtake the moon, neither does the night outstrip the day, each swimming in a sky.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Neither is it proper for it to catch up the moon, nor for the night to outstrip the day, but each one floats on in its sky.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    Neither is it allowable to the sun that it should overtake the moon, nor can the night outstrip the day; and all float on in their own orbits.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    It does not behoove the sun to overtake the moon, nor does the night outstrip the daytime, and each is swimming in an orbit.

  • George Sale

    It is not expedient that the sun should overtake the moon in her course; neither doth the night outstrip the day: But each of these luminaries moveth in a peculiar orbit.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    It is not allowed for the sun to overtake the moon, nor can the night overtake the day: Each (can only) stay on in (its own) path (according to the Order of Allah).

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    It is not given to the sun to attain to (the purpose ordained for) the moon, nor is it given to the night to outstrip the day. All of these (luminaries) go on floating smoothly in an orbit (of their own).

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    Neither it behooves the sun to overtake the moon, nor may the night outrun the day, and each swims in an orbit.