Back to Surah
Word Analysis & Comparison
27. Surah • 49. Verse
Word Analysis
بِٱللَّهِ
bil-lahi
by Allah
ثُمَّ
thumma
Then
مَا
mā
Not
وَإِنَّا
wa-innā
and indeed, we
Rashad Khalifa
The Final Testament
They said, "Let us swear by GOD that we kill him and his people, then tell his tribe, 'We know nothing about their death. We are truthful.' "
The Monotheist Group
The Quran: A Monotheist Translation
They said: "Swear by God to one another that we will attack him and his family at night, and we will then say to his supporters: 'We did not witness who murdered his family, and we are being truthful'"
Edip-Layth
Quran: A Reformist Translation
They said, "Swear by God to one another that we will attack him and his family at night, and we will then say to his supporters: 'We did not witness who murdered his family, and we are being truthful.'"
Abdul Haleem
Holy Quran Translation
They said, ‘Swear by God: we shall attack this man and his household in the night, then say to his next of kin, "We did not witness the destruction of his household. We are telling the truth."’
Al-Hilali & Khan
Holy Quran Translation
They said: "Swear one to another by Allâh that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his household, and thereafter we will surely say to his near relatives: ‘We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and verily we are telling the truth.’"
Taqi Usmani
Holy Quran Translation
They said, "Let us swear a mutual oath by Allah that we shall attack him (SāliH) and his family at night, then will say to his heir, ‘We did not witness the destruction of his family, and we are really truthful.’"
Marmaduke Pickthall
Holy Quran Translation
They said: Swear one to another by Allah that we verily will attack him and his household by night, and afterward we will surely say unto his friend: We witnessed not the destruction of his household. And lo! we are truthtellers.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Holy Quran Translation
They said: "Swear a mutual oath by Allah that we shall make a secret night attack on him and his people, and that we shall then say to his heir (when he seeks vengeance): 'We were not present at the slaughter of his people, and we are positively telling the truth.'"
Abul A'la Maududi
Tafhim commentary
They said: "Swear to one another in the name of Allah that we shall make a sudden night swoop on Salih and his family and will then tell their heirs[1] that we did not witness the destruction of his family. We are indeed truthful."[2]
2
This precisely was the kind of plot which the Makkan chiefs of the clans were devising against the Prophet (peace be upon him), and they devised the same ultimately on the occasion of migration (Hijrah) to kill him. They decided that men from all the clans would attack him in a body so that the Bani Hashim could not hold any one of the clans as responsible for the murder, and, therefore, would find it impossible to fight all of them at one and the same time.
1
"The guardian": the chief of the Prophet Salih’s (peace be upon him) tribe, who, according to the ancient tribal tradition and custom, could make a claim to blood vengeance. The same was the position in Makkah of the Prophet’s uncle (peace be upon him), Abu Talib. The Quraish were hesitant that if they attacked and killed the Prophet (peace be upon him), Abu Talib, the chief of Bani Hashim, would come out with a claim to blood vengeance on behalf of his clan.
Mustafa Khattab
The Clear Quran
They vowed, "Let us swear by Allah that we will take him and his family down by night. Then we will certainly say to his ˹closest˺ heirs, ‘We did not witness the murder of his family. We are definitely telling the truth.’"
Mohamed Ahmed - Samira
Holy Quran Translation
They said: "Let us swear by God that we will attack Saleh and his family at night, and later tell his heirs: 'We did not see his family destroyed, and we speak the truth. '"
Bijan Moeinian
Holy Quran Translation
They got together and said: "Let us kill Saleh and his followers and then deny the whole thing. However, we have to swear to God that this will remain a secret of ours."
Aisha Bewley
Holy Quran Translation
They said, ‘Let us make an oath to one another by Allah that we will fall on him and his family in the night and then say to his protector, "We did not witness the destruction of his family and we are telling the truth. "’
Mahmoud Ghali
Holy Quran Translation
They said, "Swear, one to another, by Allah that indeed we will definitely attack him and his family by night. Thereafter indeed we will definitely say to his patron, "In no way did we testify to the perishing of his family; and surely we are indeed sincere (men)."
Arthur John Arberry
Holy Quran Translation
they said, 'Swear you, one to another, by God, "We will attack him and his family by night, then we will tell his protector, We were not witnesses of the destruction of his family; and assuredly we are truthful men. "'
E. Henry Palmer
Holy Quran Translation
Said they, 'Swear to each other by God, we will surely fall on him by night and on his people; then we will surely say unto his next of kin, " We witnessed not the destruction of his people, and we do surely tell the truth!"'
Amatul Rahman Omar
Holy Quran Translation
They said one to another, `Let us swear by Allâh that we will surely make a raid on him (-Sâlih) and his family by night and then we will say to his claimant (- the next of kin, if he seeks vengeance) that we were not present at the time and place of the destruction of his family and most surely we speak the truth. '
George Sale
Holy Quran Translation
And they said unto one another, swear ye reciprocally by God, that we will fall upon Saleh and his family by night: And afterwards we will say unto him who hath right to avenge his blood, we were not so much as present at the destruction of his family; and we certainly speak the truth.
Hamid S. Aziz
Holy Quran Translation
And there were in the city nine persons who despoiled the land and reformed not.
Ali Quli Qarai
Holy Quran Translation
They said, ‘[Let us] swear together by Allah that we will attack him and his family by night. Then we will surely tell his heir that we were not present at the murder of his family and we indeed speak the truth.’
Muhammad Asad
Holy Quran Translation
[and] after having bound one another by an oath in God’s name, they said: "Indeed, we shall suddenly fall upon him and his household by night [and slay them all]; and then we shall boldly say to his next of kin, ‘We did not witness the destruction of his household - and, behold, we are indeed men of truth!’"
Abdel Khalek Himmat
Al- Muntakhab
They mutually agreed and resolved under oath (their kind of oath) to launch an attack upon him -Saleh- and his people by night to finish them off and rid the town of them and then declare their innocence to his next of kin and insist on their statement, thus: "We", they would say, "were never present at the scene of the massacre of his people and this is the truth".
Progressive Muslims
Holy Quran Translation
They said: "Swear by God to one another that we will attack him and his family at night, and we will then say to his supporters: "We did not witness who murdered his family, and we are being truthful""
Shabbir Ahmed
Holy Quran Translation
They called a meeting and after swearing to one another in the name of Allah, said, "Indeed, we shall ambush him and his family by night, and afterward we shall boldly say to his tribe, We know nothing about their death. And, behold, we are men of truth.' "
Sahih International
(Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)
They said, "Take a mutual oath by Allah that we will kill him by night, he and his family. Then we will say to his executor, 'We did not witness the destruction of his family, and indeed, we are truthful.' "
Syed Vickar Ahamed
Holy Quran Translation
(Among themselves) they said: "Make a common oath by Allah that we shall make a secret night-attack on him (Sálih) and his household, and that we shall then tell his heirs (when they want to punish us): 'We were not there at the killing of his household, and verily, we are surely telling the truth'. "
Sam Gerrans
The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation
They said: “Swear one to another, by God, that we will attack him and his household by night. Then we will say to his ally: ‘We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and we are the truthful.’”