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Word Analysis & Comparison
20. Surah • 86. Verse
Word Analysis
مُوسَىٰٓ
mūsā
Then Musa returned
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
أَلَمْ
alam
Did not
عَلَيْكُمُ
ʿalaykumu
to you
أَمْ
am
or
أَن
an
that
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
upon you
مِّن
min
of
Rashad Khalifa
The Final Testament
Moses returned to his people, angry and disappointed, saying, "O my people, did your Lord not promise you a good promise? Could you not wait? Did you want to incur wrath from your Lord? Is this why you broke your agreement with me?"
The Monotheist Group
The Quran: A Monotheist Translation
So Moses returned to his people angry and disappointed. He said: "My people, did not your Lord promise you a good promise? Has the waiting for the pledge been too long, or did you want that the wrath of your Lord be upon you? Thus you broke the promise with me."
Edip-Layth
Quran: A Reformist Translation
So Moses returned to his people angry and disappointed. He said, "My people, did not your Lord promise you a good promise? Has the waiting been too long, or did you want that the wrath of your Lord to be upon you? Thus you broke the promise with me."
Taqi Usmani
Holy Quran Translation
So, Mūsā went back to his people, angry and sad. He said, "O my people, did your Lord not promise you a good promise? Did then the time become too long for you, or did you wish that wrath from your Lord befalls you, and hence you broke your promise to me?"
Al-Hilali & Khan
Holy Quran Translation
Then Mûsâ (Moses) returned to his people in a state of anger and sorrow. He said: "O my people! Did not your Lord promise you a fair promise? Did then the promise seem to you long in coming? Or did you desire that wrath should descend from your Lord on you, that you broke your promise to me (i.e disbelieving in Allâh and worshipping the calf)?"
Abul A'la Maududi
Tafhim commentary
Moses returned to his people full of wrath and grief, and said: "My people! Has your Lord not made good an excellent promise He made to you?[1] And has a long time passed since those promises were fulfilled?[2] Or was it to incur the wrath of your Lord that you broke your promise with me?"[3]
1
That is, did not Allah fulfill the promises He made with you of showing His favors to you? For instance, He safely brought you out of Egypt and not only freed you from the slavery of your enemy but also destroyed him totally. He provided you with provisions in the desert and in the mountainous regions. It may also be translated like this: Did not Allah make a good promise with you? In that case, it will mean: He made a promise that he will give you the law and guidance. Was this not a good promise for your well being and betterment?
2
That is, had a long time passed since those great favors were done to you that you forgot them? Had long ages passed since you were afflicted with persecution by your enemy that you committed such a blasphemy? It may also be translated like this: Had you to wait for a long time for the fulfillment of God’s promise that you became so impatient? In that case, the meaning is obvious: You had not to wait for a long time to see the fulfillment of the promise of guidance. Therefore there was no excuse for what you did.
3
This covenant was the one which every community makes with its Prophet and promises that it will steadfastly follow the guidance brought by him and will not worship anyone except Allah.
Abdul Haleem
Holy Quran Translation
Moses returned to his people, angry and aggrieved. He said, ‘My people, did your Lord not make you a gracious promise? Was my absence too long for you? Did you want anger to fall on you from your Lord and so broke your word to me?’
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Holy Quran Translation
So Moses returned to his people in a state of indignation and sorrow. He said: "O my people! did not your Lord make a handsome promise to you? Did then the promise seem to you long (in coming)? Or did ye desire that Wrath should descend from your Lord on you, and so ye broke your promise to me?"
Mustafa Khattab
The Clear Quran
So Moses returned to his people, furious and sorrowful. He said, "O my people! Had your Lord not made you a good promise?[1] Has my absence been too long for you? Or have you wished for wrath from your Lord to befall you, so you broke your promise to me?"[2]
Marmaduke Pickthall
Holy Quran Translation
Then Moses went back unto his folk, angry and sad. He said: O my people! Hath not your Lord promised you a fair promise? Did the time appointed then appear too long for you, or did ye wish that wrath from your Lord should come upon you, that ye broke tryst with me?
Aisha Bewley
Holy Quran Translation
Musa returned to his people in anger and great sorrow. He said, ‘My people, did not your Lord make you a handsome promise? Did the fulfilment of the contract seem too long to you or did you want to unleash your Lord’s anger upon yourselves, so you broke your promise to me?’
Ali Quli Qarai
Holy Quran Translation
Thereupon Moses returned to his people, indignant and grieved. He said, ‘O my people! Did not your Lord give you a true promise? Did the period [of my absence]seem too long to you? Or did you desire that your Lord’s wrath should descend on you and so you failed your tryst with me?’
Mahmoud Ghali
Holy Quran Translation
So Mûsa returned to his people, angry (and) sorrowful. He said, "O my people, did your Lord not promise you a fair promise? Then did (the time of) the covenant seem long to you, or were you willing to have anger alight on you from your Lord so that you failed in (your) promise to me?"
E. Henry Palmer
Holy Quran Translation
And Moses returned to his people, wrathful, grieving! Said he, 'O my, people! did not your Lord promise you a good promise? Has the time seemed too long for you, or do you desire that wrath should light on you from your Lord, that ye have broken your promise to me?'
Mohamed Ahmed - Samira
Holy Quran Translation
So Moses returned to his people full of anger and regret. "O my people, " he said, "did not your Lord make you a better promise? Did the time of covenant seem too long to you? Or did you wish the wrath of your Lord to fall upon you that you broke the promise you had made to me?"
Bijan Moeinian
Holy Quran Translation
Moses returned to his people in rage and disappointment. He said: "Was your Lord not fair with you in keeping His Promise? Could you not wait? Perhaps you wish to be subjected to the anger of the Lord that you broke your promise to me (to worship none but God)?
George Sale
Holy Quran Translation
Wherefore Moses returned unto his people in great wrath, and exceedingly afflicted. And he said, O my people, had not your Lord promised you a most excellent promise? Did the time of my absence seem long unto you? Or did ye desire that indignation from your Lord should fall on you, and therefore failed to keep the promise which ye made me?
Arthur John Arberry
Holy Quran Translation
Then Moses returned very angry and sorrowful to his people, saying, 'My people, did your Lord not promise a fair promise to you? Did the time of the covenant seem so long to you, or did you desire that anger should alight on you from your Lord, so that you failed in your tryst with me?'
Amatul Rahman Omar
Holy Quran Translation
So Moses returned to his people indignant and sorrowful. (Reaching there) he said, `My people! did your Lord not make you a gracious promise? Did then the promised time (of forty nights and days) seem too long to you. Rather you desired that displeasure from your Lord should descend upon you that is why you failed in (your) promise with me.'
Hamid S. Aziz
Holy Quran Translation
Said He, "Verily, We have tested your people in your absence, and As-Samiri has led them astray. "
Muhammad Asad
Holy Quran Translation
Thereupon Moses returned to his people full of wrath and sorrow, [and] exclaimed: "O my people! Did not your Sustainer hold out [many] a goodly promise to you? bid, then, [the fulfilment of] this promise seem to you too long in coming? Or are you, perchance, determined to see your Sustainer's condemnation fall upon you, and so you broke your promise to me?"
Abdel Khalek Himmat
Al- Muntakhab
And there, Mussa returned to his people provoked to wrath and grieved indeed. He said to them: "My people, did Allah, your Creator, not afford you ground of expectation and led you to expect a handsome promise!" "Did you believe it took too long or did you intend to come within the measure of His wrath and by consequence you failed to keep your promise to me -to remain faithful-!"
Sahih International
(Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)
So Moses returned to his people, angry and grieved. He said, "O my people, did your Lord not make you a good promise? Then, was the time [of its fulfillment] too long for you, or did you wish that wrath from your Lord descend upon you, so you broke your promise [of obedience] to me?"
Syed Vickar Ahamed
Holy Quran Translation
Then Musa (Moses) returned to his people in a state of (slight) anger and sorrow. He said: "O my people! Did your Lord not make a fair (and valuable) Promise to you? Then did the Promise seem long (in coming) to you? Or did you want that Anger to come down from your Lord upon you, and so you broke your (own) promise to me?"
Shabbir Ahmed
Holy Quran Translation
Moses went back to his people angry and sad, "O My people! Has not your Lord promised you many a goodly promise? Did, then, the fulfillment of this promise seem to you too long in coming? Or did you wish that your Lord's requital come upon you, and so you broke your promise to me?"
Progressive Muslims
Holy Quran Translation
So Moses returned to his people angry and disappointed. He said: "My people, did not your Lord promise you a good promise Has the waiting been too long, or did you want that the wrath of your Lord be upon you Thus you broke the promise with me."
Sam Gerrans
The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation
So Moses returned to his people, wrathful and grieved. He said: “O my people: did not your Lord promise you a fair promise? Was the covenant long in coming for you, or did you wish that wrath from your Lord should descend upon you, so failed in your promise to me?”