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←Prev   Ayah al-Anfal (The Spoils of War) 8:15   Next→ 

Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
O YOU who have attained to faith! When you meet in battle those who are bent on denying the truth, advancing in great force, do not turn your backs on them
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
O believers! When you face the disbelievers in battle, never turn your backs to them.
Safi Kaskas   
Believers, when you meet the unbelievers in battle, do not turn your backs on them,

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفًا فَلَا تُوَلُّوهُمُ الْأَدْبَار
Transliteration (2021)   
yāayyuhā alladhīna āmanū idhā laqītumu alladhīna kafarū zaḥfan falā tuwallūhumu l-adbār
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more   
O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve advancing, then (do) not turn to them the backs.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
O YOU who have attained to faith! When you meet in battle those who are bent on denying the truth, advancing in great force, do not turn your backs on them
M. M. Pickthall   
O ye who believe! When ye meet those who disbelieve in battle, turn not your backs to them
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
O ye who believe! when ye meet the Unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to them
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
O believers! When you face the disbelievers in battle, never turn your backs to them.
Safi Kaskas   
Believers, when you meet the unbelievers in battle, do not turn your backs on them,
Wahiduddin Khan   
Believers, when you meet in battle those who deny the truth, never turn your backs on them
Shakir   
O you who believe! when you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, then turn not your backs to them
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
O those who believed! When you met those who were ungrateful marching to battle, then, turn not your backs to them in flight.
T.B.Irving   
You who believe, whenever you meet those who disbelieve, do not turn your backs on them as they go marching along.
Abdul Hye   
O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve in a battlefield, don’t turn your backs to them,
The Study Quran   
O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve arrayed [for battle], turn not your backs to them
Dr. Kamal Omar   
O you people who have Believed! When you faced those who have disbelieved, in an encounter, then do not turn towards them your backs (with an intention of retreat or surrender)
Farook Malik   
O believers! When you encounter the unbelievers in a battle, never turn your backs to them
Talal A. Itani (new translation)   
O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve on the march, never turn your backs on them
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
O you who have believed, when you meet the ones who have disbelieved marching (to battle) then do not turn your backs (Literally: your hind parts) to them
Muhammad Sarwar   
Believers, do not retreat when facing the marching army of the unbelievers, for no believer will turn back at that time except for strategic reasons or to join another band
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
O you who believe, when you face the disbelievers in a battle, do not turn your backs to them
Shabbir Ahmed   
O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Never turn your backs when you meet the rejecters in battle
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Oh you who believe, when you meet the unbelievers (on the battlefield), do not ever turn your backs to them (and retreat)
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
O you who believe! When you meet the disbelievers in battle fields (and wars), do not turn your backs to them
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
O you who have believed, when you meet those who disbelieve advancing [for battle], do not turn to them your backs [in flight]
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
O you who believe; when you encounter those who have rejected on the battlefield, then do not flee from them
Abdel Haleem   
Believers, when you meet the disbelievers in battle, never turn your backs on them
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
O Ye who believe! whenever ye those who disbelieve matching meet slowly turn to them not your backs
Ahmed Ali   
O believers, when you meet unbelievers on the field of battle, do not turn your backs to them
Aisha Bewley   
You who have iman! when you encounter those who are kafir advancing in massed ranks into battle, do not turn your backs on them.
Ali Ünal   
O you who believe! When you encounter in battle those who disbelieve, do not turn your backs on them in flight
Ali Quli Qara'i   
O you who have faith! When you encounter the faithless advancing [for battle], do not turn your backs [to flee] from them
Hamid S. Aziz   
O you who believe! When you meet the disbelievers in hostile swarms, turn not to them your backs
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
You who believe, when you encounter those who disbelieved advancing (in war), then do not turn your backs to them (to flee)
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
O you who believe, when you meet the unbelievers while advancing, never turn your backs to them
Musharraf Hussain   
Believers, whenever you meet disbelievers in battle advancing towards you, don’t turn your backs to them to flee.
Maududi   
Believers, whenever you encounter a hostile force of unbelievers, do not turn your backs to them in flight
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
O you who believe; when you encounter those who have rejected on the battlefield, do not flee from them.
Mohammad Shafi   
O you who believe! When you meet the suppressors of the Truth in war, turn not your backs to them

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
'O believers! When you encounter the infidels in the battlefield, turn not your backs to them.
Rashad Khalifa   
O you who believe, if you encounter the disbelievers who have mobilized against you, do not turn back and flee.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
Believers, when you encounter unbelievers on the march do not turn your backs to them in flight
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
O you who believe, when you meet those who disbelieve marching for war, turn not your backs to them
Muhammad Ahmed - Samira   
You, you those who believed, if you met/found those who disbelieved marching slowly/creeping, so do not turn away your back/ends from them
Bijan Moeinian   
O’ Believers, when your army engages in fight with the disbeliever, never turn your back to them
Faridul Haque   
O People who Believe! When you confront a large army of disbelievers in battle, do not turn your backs to them
Sher Ali   
O ye who believe ! when you meet those who disbelieve, advancing in force, turn not your backs to them
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
O believers! When you combat the disbelievers (in the battlefield), never turn your backs on them, (even if they are) a large army
Amatul Rahman Omar   
O you who believe! when you meet those who disbelieve in battle array, do not show them your backs
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve, in a battle-field, never turn your backs to them

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
O believers, when you encounter the unbelievers marching to battle, turn not your backs to them
George Sale   
O ye who believe! when you meet those who disbelieve, advancing in force, turn not your backs to them
Edward Henry Palmer   
O ye who believe! when ye meet those who misbelieve in swarms, turn not to them your hinder parts
John Medows Rodwell   
O ye who believe! when ye meet the marshalled hosts of the infidels, turn not your backs to them
N J Dawood (2014)   
Believers, when you encounter the infidels on the march, do not turn your backs to them in flight

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
O Believers, when you meet the unbelievers in battle, never turn your backs on them.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
You who believe, whenever you meet those who disbelieve, do not turn your backs on them as they go marching along.
Sayyid Qutb   
Believers, when you meet in battle those who disbelieve, do not turn your backs to them in flight.
Ahmed Hulusi   
O believers... When you meet those who collectively deny the knowledge of the reality, do not turn your backs on them!
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
O� you who have Faith! when you meet those who disbelieve (to attack) in battle, then do not turn your backs to them
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim   
O you who have conformed to Islam: "If you happen to meet with the infidels -the enemy to your faith- and you see they are marshaled for fighting you, do not turn your backs upon them nor reverse your course or retreat
Mir Aneesuddin   
O you who believe ! when you meet those who do not believe, marching (against you) for war, then do not turn your backs to them,

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
O ye who believe! when ye meet the Unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to them
OLD Literal Word for Word   
O you who believe! When you meet those who disbelieve advancing, then (do) not turn to them the backs