Back to Surah
Word Analysis & Comparison
20. Surah • 103. Verse
Word Analysis
إِن
in
Not
إِلَّا
illā
except (for)
Rashad Khalifa
The Final Testament
Whispering among themselves, they will say, "You have stayed (in the first life) no more than ten days!"
The Monotheist Group
The Quran: A Monotheist Translation
They whisper among themselves: "You have only been away for a period of ten."
Edip-Layth
Quran: A Reformist Translation
They whisper amongst themselves: "You have only been away for a period of ten."
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Holy Quran Translation
In whispers will they consult each other: "Yet tarried not longer than ten (Days);
Marmaduke Pickthall
Holy Quran Translation
Murmuring among themselves: Ye have tarried but ten (days).
Al-Hilali & Khan
Holy Quran Translation
They will speak in a very low voice to each other (saying): "You stayed not longer than ten (days)."
Abul A'la Maududi
Tafhim commentary
They shall whisper among themselves: "You stayed on the earth barely ten days."[1]
1
The original text may also be interpreted to mean: After your death, you may have passed hardly ten days till now. As regards to the interpretation adopted in the translation, it is supported by (Surah Ash-Shuara, Ayats 112-113): When Allah will ask them, for how many years did you stay on the earth? They will say: We stayed there for a day or part of a day. You may ask those who have kept the record. The second interpretation is supported by (Surah Ar-Room, Ayats 55-56): And on the day when Resurrection will take place, the criminals will declare under oaths: We have not remained in the state of death for more than an hour. And likewise they were deluded on the earth. On the other hand, those who have been given knowledge and faith will say: According to the Book of Allah, you have remained in this state up to the Day of Resurrection, and this is the very Day of Resurrection, but you did not know of it. Both the interpretations are supported by other verses of the Quran. It is clear from these that they will consider both the life on the earth and the life in the interval between death and Resurrection to be very short. They will consider the earthly life to be very short because, against all their expectations, they will have to face the eternal life in the Hereafter which they denied in their earthly life. As they had made no preparation for this life, they will regret that they had ruined their eternal life for the sake of a few transitory pleasures of the short life they had been given on the earth. As regards to the duration of the interval between death and Resurrection, they will consider it to be very short, for they will imagine that they had been suddenly awakened by the Trumpet from their last sleep or unconsciousness in their earthly life. Thus, they will not at first realize that the Trumpet was the signal for the Day of Resurrection because they had no expectation whatever that the Day of Resurrection would ever come. As a matter of fact, they used to make fun of this Day as a nonsensical thing.
Abdul Haleem
Holy Quran Translation
they will murmur to one another, ‘You stayed only ten days [on earth]’-
Taqi Usmani
Holy Quran Translation
and will be whispering among themselves, "You did not remain (in graves) more than ten (days)".
Mustafa Khattab
The Clear Quran
They will whisper among themselves, "You stayed no more than ten days ˹on the earth˺."
George Sale
Holy Quran Translation
They shall speak with a low voice to one another, saying, ye have not tarried above ten days.
Hamid S. Aziz
Holy Quran Translation
On the day when the Trumpet shall be blown, and We will gather the guilty on that day white-eyed (with terror).
Mahmoud Ghali
Holy Quran Translation
(Speaking) among themselves in a hushed voice, "Decidedly you lingered (nothing) except ten (days). "
Arthur John Arberry
Holy Quran Translation
whispering one to another, 'You have tarried only ten nights. '
Amatul Rahman Omar
Holy Quran Translation
They will talk one to another in a hushed voice (consulting together and planning in secret and saying, ) `You have lived only for ten (centuries). '
Ali Quli Qarai
Holy Quran Translation
They will whisper to one another: ‘You have stayed only for ten [days]. ’
Bijan Moeinian
Holy Quran Translation
They will whisper among themselves asking: "How long ago was it? Ten (days?)
E. Henry Palmer
Holy Quran Translation
They shall whisper to each other, 'Ye have only tarried ten days. '
Mohamed Ahmed - Samira
Holy Quran Translation
Whispering to one another: "You have tarried but ten days. "
Aisha Bewley
Holy Quran Translation
they will whisper secretly to one other, ‘You only stayed for ten. ’
Abdel Khalek Himmat
Al- Muntakhab
They whisper to each other guessing their duration in life below and some think it was so short that it could not have been more than ten days.
Muhammad Asad
Holy Quran Translation
whispering unto one another, "You have spent but ten [days on earth]
Progressive Muslims
Holy Quran Translation
They whisper amongst themselves: "You have only been away for a period of ten. "
Syed Vickar Ahamed
Holy Quran Translation
In whispers will they talk with each other: "You have waited no longer than ten (days);"
Sahih International
(Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)
They will murmur among themselves, "You remained not but ten [days in the world]. "
Shabbir Ahmed
Holy Quran Translation
Whispering among themselves, "You have lived but ten days. "
Sam Gerrans
The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation
Whispering among themselves: “You tarried only ten.”