Back to Surah
Word Analysis & Comparison
17. Surah • 29. Verse
Word Analysis
وَلَا
walā
And (do) not
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
وَلَا
walā
and not
Rashad Khalifa
The Final Testament
You shall not keep your hand stingily tied to your neck, nor shall you foolishly open it up, lest you end up blamed and sorry.
The Monotheist Group
The Quran: A Monotheist Translation
And do not make your hand stingy by holding it to your neck, nor shall you lay it fully open so you become in despair and regret.
Edip-Layth
Quran: A Reformist Translation
Do not make your hand stingy by holding it to your neck, nor shall you make it fully open so you become in despair and regret.
Abdul Haleem
Holy Quran Translation
Do not be tight-fisted, nor so open-handed that you end up blamed and overwhelmed with regret.
Abul A'la Maududi
Tafhim commentary
(vi) Do not keep your hand fastened to your neck nor outspread it, altogether outspread, for you will be left sitting rebuked, destitute.[1]
1
"And do not keep your hand fastened to your neck", means: Do not be parsimonious. “Nor outspread it altogether widespread” means: Do not be extravagant. The Quran desires the people to follow the golden mean, i.e. they should neither be so parsimonious as to prevent the circulation of wealth nor so extravagant as to destroy their own economy. On the contrary, they should learn to behave in a balanced manner so that they should spend money wherever it should be spent and refrain from becoming spendthrifts so as to involve themselves into trouble. As a matter of fact, it is ingratitude towards Allah’s favor to spend money for the sake of show, luxury and sinful acts and similar things which are neither man’s real necessities nor useful. Therefore, those people who spend money lavishly on such things as these are the brethren of Satan.
Taqi Usmani
Holy Quran Translation
And do not keep your hand tied to your neck, nor extend it to the full extent, lest you should be sitting reproached, empty-handed.
Al-Hilali & Khan
Holy Quran Translation
And let not your hand be tied (like a miser) to your neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach (like a spendthrift), so that you become blameworthy and in severe poverty.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Holy Quran Translation
Make not thy hand tied (like a niggard's) to thy neck, nor stretch it forth to its utmost reach, so that thou become blameworthy and destitute.
Marmaduke Pickthall
Holy Quran Translation
And let not thy hand be chained to thy neck nor open it with a complete opening, lest thou sit down rebuked, denuded.
Mustafa Khattab
The Clear Quran
Do not be so tight-fisted, for you will be blameworthy; nor so open-handed, for you will end up in poverty.
Amatul Rahman Omar
Holy Quran Translation
And do not keep your hand shackled to your neck (out of miserliness), nor stretch it out to an entire stretching (extravagantly), lest you sit down reproached (incurring blame) and exhausted (on becoming penniless).
Mahmoud Ghali
Holy Quran Translation
And do not set up your hand shackled to your neck, (i. e., Do not be niggardly) nor outspread it widespread altogether, (Literally: outspread it all outspreading, i.e., do not be a spendthrift) for then you will sit blamed and regretfully rejected.
Ali Quli Qarai
Holy Quran Translation
Do not keep your hand chained to your neck, nor open it altogether, or you will sit blameworthy, regretful.
Arthur John Arberry
Holy Quran Translation
And keep not thy hand chained to thy neck, nor outspread it widespread altogether, or thou wilt sit reproached and denuded.
Bijan Moeinian
Holy Quran Translation
You shall not be stingy. You shall not be extravagant either as you will be blamed once you end up in poverty.
E. Henry Palmer
Holy Quran Translation
Make not thy hand fettered to thy neck, nor yet spread it out quite open, lest thou shouldst have to sit down blamed and straitened in means.
George Sale
Holy Quran Translation
And let not thy hand be tied up to thy neck; neither open it with an unbounded expansion, lest thou become worthy of reprehension, and be reduced to poverty.
Hamid S. Aziz
Holy Quran Translation
Let not your hand be fettered to your neck (i. e. selfish and tight fisted), nor yet spread it out quite open, lest you should have to sit down blamed and destitute.
Aisha Bewley
Holy Quran Translation
Do not keep your hand chained to your neck but do not extend it either to its full extent so that you sit there blamed and destitute.
Mohamed Ahmed - Samira
Holy Quran Translation
Do not be niggardly, nor extravagant that you may later feel reprehensive and constrained.
Muhammad Asad
Holy Quran Translation
And neither allow thy hand to remain shackled to thy neck, nor stretch it forth to the utmost limit [of thy capacity], lest thou find thyself blamed [by thy dependants], or even destitute.
Abdel Khalek Himmat
Al- Muntakhab
And do not bind your hand to your neck, as it were, unwilling to give or spend anything, nor should you spread it in the "spread-eagle style", lest you sit brooding on the vast abyss of reprimand and woeful want.
Progressive Muslims
Holy Quran Translation
And do not make your hand stingy by holding it to your neck, nor shall you lay it fully open so you become in despair and regret.
Shabbir Ahmed
Holy Quran Translation
You should not keep your hand chained to your neck in stinginess, nor open it foolishly lest you sit down destitute and denuded.
Syed Vickar Ahamed
Holy Quran Translation
And do not make your hand tied to your neck, (like a miser), nor push it out to its longest reach, so that you become worthy of blame and being penniless.
Sahih International
(Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)
And do not make your hand [as] chained to your neck or extend it completely and [thereby] become blamed and insolvent.
Sam Gerrans
The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation
And make thou not thy hand chained to thy neck; nor extend thou it to its full extent, then sit down blameworthy and denuded.