Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
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| Muhammad Asad | | and neither are equal the living and the dead [of heart]. Behold, [O Muhammad,] God can make hear whomever He wills, whereas thou canst not make hear such as are [dead of heart like the dead] in their graves |  |
M. M. Pickthall | | Nor are the living equal with the dead. Lo! Allah maketh whom He will to hear. Thou canst not reach those who are in the graves | |
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985) | | Nor are alike those that are living and those that are dead. Allah can make any that He wills to hear; but thou canst not make those to hear who are (buried) in graves | |
Shakir | | Neither are the living and the dead alike. Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear, and you cannot make those hear who are in the graves | |
Wahiduddin Khan | | nor are the living and the dead. God causes whom He will to hear Him, but you cannot make those who are in their graves hear you | |
| Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar | | Nor are the living and the lifeless on the same level. Truly, God causes to hear whom He wills. And thou art not one who causes to hear whoever is in graves. | |
| T.B.Irving | | The living and the dead are not alike. God lets anyone He wishes listen, while you will not make those in their graves hear. | |
| The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab | | Nor are the dead and the living equal. Indeed, Allah ˹alone˺ makes whoever He wills hear, but you ˹O Prophet˺ can never make those in the graves hear ˹your call˺. | |
| Safi Kaskas | | nor are the living and the dead alike. God can make anyone He wills hear, but you cannot make those in the grave hear. | |
| Abdul Hye | | nor the living and the dead. Surely, Allah can make hear whom He wills, but you (O Muhammad) cannot make those hear who are in graves. | |
| The Study Quran | | Not equal are the living and the dead. Truly God causes whomsoever He will to hear, but thou canst not cause those in graves to hear | |
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition) | | Nor equal are the living and the dead; God causes whomever He wills to hear. And you cannot make those who are in the graves hear | |
Abdel Haleem | | nor are the living and the dead. God makes anyone He wills hear [His message]: you cannot make those in their graves hear | |
Abdul Majid Daryabadi | | Nor alike are the living and the dead. Verily Allah maketh whomsoever He listeth to hear and thou canst not make them hear who are in the graves | |
Ahmed Ali | | Equal are not the living and the dead. Verily God makes those He will to listen; but you cannot make those hear who are in their graves | |
Aisha Bewley | | The living and dead are not the same. Allah makes anyone He wills hear but you cannot make those in the grave hear. | |
Ali Ünal | | And nor are equal the living and the dead. Surely God makes hear whomever He wills; and you are not one to make hear those who are in the graves | |
Ali Quli Qara'i | | nor are the living equal to the dead. Indeed Allah makes whomever He wishes to hear, and you cannot make those who are in the graves hear | |
Hamid S. Aziz | | Neither are the living and the dead alike. Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear, and you cannot make those hear who are in the graves | |
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali | | And in no way are the living and the dead equal. Surely Allah makes to hear whomever He decides; and in no way can you ever make (the ones) in the tombs to hear | |
Muhammad Sarwar | | nor are the living and the dead. God makes to listen whomever He wants. (Muhammad), you cannot make people in the graves to listen | |
Muhammad Taqi Usmani | | And the living and the dead are not alike. Allah makes to hear whomsoever He wills. And you cannot make to hear those who are in the graves | |
Shabbir Ahmed | | Nor are the living equal with the dead. Behold, Allah makes him hear who wants to hear. You cannot make hear the dead of heart like those who are in the graves | |
Syed Vickar Ahamed | | Neither are the same, those who are living and those who are dead. Verily, Allah can make any whom He wills to hear; And you cannot make those who are (buried) in graves to hear | |
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International) | | And not equal are the living and the dead. Indeed, Allah causes to hear whom He wills, but you cannot make hear those in the graves | |
Farook Malik | | nor the living and the dead. Certainly Allah can make anyone hear if He so wills; but, O Prophet, you cannot make those who are in the graves hear you | |
| Dr. Munir Munshey | | The dead and the living are not equal. Of course Allah can make anyone He wants hear (anything He wants). But, you cannot make people lying in their graves hear anything | |
| Dr. Kamal Omar | | And do not become equal the (different categories of) living ones, and nor the (different categories of) dead ones. Verily, Allah makes (him) hear whom He thinks proper. And you are not ‘one who makes one hear’ unto that who are in graves | |
| Talal A. Itani (new translation) | | Nor are equal the living and the dead. God causes whomever He wills to hear, but you cannot make those in the graves hear | |
Maududi | | nor are the living and the dead alike. Allah makes to hear whomsoever He wishes, but you, (O Prophet), cannot cause to hear those who are in their graves | |
| Ali Bakhtiari Nejad | | And the living and the dead are not equal. Indeed God makes anyone He wants listen. And you cannot make those who are in the graves listen | |
| A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018) | | Nor are those alike that are living and those who are dead. God can make any hear whom He wills to hear, but you cannot make those to hear who are in graves | |
| Musharraf Hussain | | The living and the dead are not the same either. Allah lets him hear, who wants to hear; messenger, the one who is in the grave, you cannot make him hear. | |
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition) | | Nor equal are the living and the dead; God causes whoever He wills to hear; and you cannot make those who are in the graves hear. | |
| Mohammad Shafi | | And the living and the dead are not alike. Allah does indeed make one hear whom He wills. And you cannot make those ones hear who are in the graves. | |
Controversial, deprecated, or status undetermined works
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Bijan Moeinian | | The living [the believer who is attached to the source of life] and the dead [the zombie whose living is reduced only to physical activities] are not equal. God makes those who are willing to hear, to grasp the reality. However, you cannot make a dead person to hear in his grave | |
| Faridul Haque | | And not equal are the living and the dead! Indeed Allah causes them to listen *, whomever He wills; and you cannot make those who are in the graves ** listen. (* Listen to guidance **The disbelievers are referred to as dead, whose fates are sealed. | |
| Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah | | nor are the living and the dead equal. Allah makes to hear whosoever He will, but you cannot make those who are in their graves hear | |
Maulana Muhammad Ali | | Neither are the living and the dead alike. Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear, and thou canst not make those hear who are in the graves | |
| Muhammad Ahmed - Samira | | And (they) do not become equal/alike, the alive and nor the deads, that truly God makes whom He wills/wants hear/listen , and you are not with making whom (are) in the graves/burial places hear/listen | |
Sher Ali | | Nor alike are the living and the dead. Surely, ALLAH causes him to hear whom HE pleases; and thou canst not make those hear who are in the graves | |
Rashad Khalifa | | Nor are the living and the dead; GOD causes whomever He wills to hear. You cannot make hearers out of those in the graves. | |
| Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi) | | And equal are not the living and the dead. Undoubtedly, Allah causes him to hear whom He pleases; and you are not to make those who are lying in their graves to hear. | |
Amatul Rahman Omar | | The (spiritually) living and the (spiritually) dead are not alike. Allah causes to hear whom He will. But you cannot make those hear who are (lying buried) in the graves (of ignorance and prejudice) | |
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri | | Nor can the living and the dead be alike. Surely, Allah makes whom He wills hear, and it is not your responsibility to make those hear who are (like those buried) in the graves* (i.e., you are not responsible to make the disbelievers accept what you say) | |
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali | | Nor are (alike) the living (believers) and the dead (disbelievers). Verily, Allah makes whom He will hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves | |
