←Prev   Ayah az-Zumar (The Troops, Throngs, The Companies) 39:43   Next→ 

Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
And yet, they choose [to worship], side by side with God, [imaginary] intercessors!” Say: “Why - even though they have no power over anything, and no understanding?”
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Or have they taken others besides Allah as intercessors? Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “˹Would they do so,˺ even though those ˹idols˺ have neither authority nor intelligence?”
Safi Kaskas   
Or have they taken intercessors besides God? Say, "Even though they do not have any power, nor do they reason?"

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ شُفَعَاءَ قُلْ أَوَلَوْ كَانُوا لَا يَمْلِكُونَ شَيْئًا وَلَا يَعْقِلُون
Transliteration (2021)   
ami ittakhadhū min dūni l-lahi shufaʿāa qul awalaw kānū lā yamlikūna shayan walā yaʿqilūn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
Or have they taken from besides Allah intercessors? Say, "Even though they were not possessing anything, and not they understand?"

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
And yet, they choose [to worship], side by side with God, [imaginary] intercessors!” Say: “Why - even though they have no power over anything, and no understanding?”
M. M. Pickthall   
Or choose they intercessors other than Allah? Say: What! Even though they have power over nothing and have no intelligence
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
What! Do they take for intercessors others besides Allah? Say: "Even if they have no power whatever and no intelligence?"
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Or have they taken others besides Allah as intercessors? Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “˹Would they do so,˺ even though those ˹idols˺ have neither authority nor intelligence?”
Safi Kaskas   
Or have they taken intercessors besides God? Say, "Even though they do not have any power, nor do they reason?"
Wahiduddin Khan   
Have they taken others for intercessors besides God? Say, Even though they have no power nor understanding
Shakir   
Or have they taken intercessors besides Allah? Say: what! even though they did not ever have control over anything, nor do they understand
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
Or took they to themselves other than God intercessors? Say: Even though they had not been possessing anything and they are not reasonable?
T.B.Irving   
Or do they adopt intercessors instead of God? SAY: "Even though they do not control a thing and cannot even reason?"
Abdul Hye   
Have they taken others besides Allah as intercessors? Ask: “(How can they intercede) if they don’t possess anything and have no intelligence?”
The Study Quran   
Or do they take intercessors apart from God? Say, “Even though they have not any power and do not understand?
Dr. Kamal Omar   
Have the people picked up intercessors besides Allah? Say; “What? And if they do not own anything and do not use intellect — (will you still accept them as idols or deities who may help you as intercessors)?
Farook Malik   
Have they taken others besides Allah to intercede for them? Ask them: "How can they intercede, if they have neither control over anything nor do they understand?"
Talal A. Itani (new translation)   
Or have they chosen intercessors other than God? Say, 'Even though they have no power over anything, and are devoid of reason?'
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
Or even have they taken to themselves constant intercessors apart from Allah? Say, (This is addressed to the Prophet) "And (even) if they do not possess (any power) for anything, nor do they consider?"
Muhammad Sarwar   
Have they chosen intercessors besides God? Say, "Would you choose them as your intercessors even though they do not possess anything and have no understanding?"
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
Is it that they have adopted intercessors out of those (whom they invoke) other than Allah? Say, .(Do you take them as intercessors) even though they have no power at all, nor do they understand?
Shabbir Ahmed   
What! Do they contrive mediators side by side with Allah? Say, "Why - even though they have power over nothing and have no intelligence?"
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Or have they, instead of Allah, accepted mediators (to worship)? Ask them, "Even though they have no power, and may understand nothing?"
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
What! Do they take intercessors other than Allah? Say: "Even if they do not have any power whatever and (have) no intelligence?"
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
Or have they taken other than Allah as intercessors? Say, "Even though they do not possess [power over] anything, nor do they reason?"
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
Or have they taken intercessors besides God Say: "What if they do not possess any power, nor understanding"
Abdel Haleem   
Yet they take intercessors besides God! Say, ‘Even though these have no power or understanding?’
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
Have they taken others for intercessors beside Allah! Say thou: What! even though they own not aught and understand not
Ahmed Ali   
Have they appointed intercessors other than God? Say: "Even though they have no power in the least, nor do they understand?"
Aisha Bewley   
Or have they adopted intercessors besides Allah? Say: ´Even though they do not control a thing and have no awareness?´
Ali Ünal   
What! (Failing to recognize that God is the sole Authority over the universe in need of nothing) have they taken to themselves, apart from God, intercessors (whom they suppose capable of intervening for their souls or even in the operation of the universe)? Say: "Why – even though they have no share in the dominion of anything, nor (like idols) any sense or intelligence
Ali Quli Qara'i   
Have they taken intercessors besides Allah? Say, ‘What! Even though they have no control over anything and cannot apply reason?!’
Hamid S. Aziz   
Or have they taken intercessors besides Allah? Say, "What! Even though they did not ever have control over anything, nor do they understand
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
Or did they take mediators other than God? Say: even though they do not own anything and they do not understand
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
What, do they take for intercessors others besides God? Say, “Even if they have no power whatsoever and no intelligence?
Musharraf Hussain   
Have they chosen intermediaries beside Allah? Say: “Though they haven’t got power nor understanding?”
Maududi   
Or have they taken others instead of Allah as intercessors? Say: "Will they intercede though they may have no power and though they may not even understand?"
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
Or have they taken intercessors besides God? Say: "What if they possessed nothing, nor comprehended?"
Mohammad Shafi   
Or have they taken intercessors other than Allah? Say, "Can they intercede even if they have no power and do not even understand?"

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
Have they taken some intercessors besides Allah? Say you, what! 'Even though they own nothing, nor they do understand'.
Rashad Khalifa   
Have they invented intercessors to mediate between them and GOD? Say, "What if they do not possess any power, nor understanding?"
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
Have they chosen, other than Allah, to intercede for them? Say: 'What, even though they have no power at all, nor understanding?
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
Or, take they intercessors besides Allah? Say: What! Even though they control naught, nor do they understand
Muhammad Ahmed - Samira   
Or they took from other than God mediators, say: "Even if they were not owning/possessing a thing, and nor reasoning/comprehending
Bijan Moeinian   
[Man’s next minute’s life thus being determined by God,] How silly of people who have invented intermediaries to ask God’s mercy through them. Say to them: “What if these intercessors of them lack the power and the intelligence?”
Faridul Haque   
What! Have they chosen intercessors against Allah? Proclaim, “What! Even if they do not own anything nor have any intelligence?”
Sher Ali   
Have they taken intercessors beside ALLAH? Say, `Even if they have no power over anything and no understanding
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
Have they taken (idols as) intercessors against Allah’s leave? Say: ‘Even though they do not own anything, nor do they have any reason?
Amatul Rahman Omar   
Have these (polytheists) chosen (certain other) intercessors apart from Allah? Say, `What! (will they intercede for you?) though they have no authority at all and understand nothing.
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
Have they taken others as intercessors besides Allah? Say: "Even if they have power over nothing whatever and have no intelligence?"

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
Say: 'What, even though they have no power whatever and no understanding?
George Sale   
Have the Koreish taken idols for their intercessors with God? Say, what, although they have not dominion over any thing, neither do they understand
Edward Henry Palmer   
Do they take besides God intercessors? Say, 'What! though they have no control over anything and have no sense.
John Medows Rodwell   
Have they taken aught beside God as intercessors? SAY: What! though they have no power over anything, neither do they understand
N J Dawood (2014)   
Have they chosen others besides God to intercede for them? Say: ‘Even though they have no power nor understanding?‘

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
Do [the idolaters] acknowledge intercessors other than Allah? Say, “Even though they have no power at all and no intelligence?”
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Or do they adopt intercessors instead of Allah (God)? SAY: "Even though they do not control a thing and cannot even reason?"
Sayyid Qutb   
Have they chosen others besides God to intercede for them? Say: 'Why, even though they have no power over anything and no understanding?'
Ahmed Hulusi   
Or did they take intercessors besides Allah? Say, “What if they do not possess anything and are unintelligent?”
Mir Aneesuddin   
Have they taken (for worship, things) besides Allah, (for) the purpose of mediation? Say, “Even if they have no control on anything and have no sense?”
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim   
Or do they -the infidels- take besides Allah other gods to intercede on their behalf in Day of Judgement, even though they are destitute of power as well as of the rational faculty which is Allah's given gift

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
What! Do they take for intercessors others besides God? Say: "Even if they have no power whatever and no intelligence?"
OLD Literal Word for Word   
Or have they taken besides Allah intercessors? Say, "Even though they were not possessing anything, and not they understand?