Al-Qur'an Surah Yunus Verse 16

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Say, “Had Allah so willed, I would have not recited it to you, nor would He have let you know it. Then, I have lived among you for years before it. Have you, then, no sense?”

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Say, “Had Allah willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I had lived my whole life among you before this ˹revelation˺. Do you not understand?”

Ruwwad Translation Center

Say, “If Allah had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I have spent a lifetime among you before this. Do you not then understand?”

A. J. Arberry

Say: 'Had God willed I would not have recited it to you, neither would He have taught you it; I abode among you a lifetime before it -- will you not understand?'

Abdul Haleem

Say, ‘If God had so willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I lived a whole lifetime among you before it came to me. How can you not use your reason?’

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Say thou: had Allah so willed. Would not have rehearsed it unto you, nor would He have acquainted you therewith. Of a surety I have tarried among you a lifetime before it. Would ye not then reflect?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Say; "If Allah had so willed, I should not have rehearsed it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. A whole life-time before this have I tarried amongst you; will ye not then understand?"

Abul Ala Maududi

Tell them: 'Had Allah so willed, I would not have recited the Qur'an to you, nor would Allah have informed you of it. I have spent a lifetime among you before this. Do you, then, not use your reason?

Ahmed Ali

Say: "Had God pleased I would never have recited it to you, nor would He have given you comprehension of it. (Remember that I am one of you) and have lived a whole life with you before (its revelation). Even then you do not understand."

Ahmed Raza Khan

Say, “Had Allah willed I would not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you; so before this* I have spent an age among you; so do you not have sense?” (* Before Allah’s command to recite the Qur’an to you.)

Ali Quli Qarai

Say, ‘Had Allah [so] wished, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I have dwelled among you for a lifetime before it. Do you not exercise your reason?’

Ali Ünal

Say (also): "If God had so willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have brought it to your knowledge. I lived among you a whole lifetime before it (began to be revealed to me). Will you not reason and understand?"

Amatul Rahman Omar

Say, `Had Allâh (so) willed (that He should replace the teachings of the Qur´ân with some other teachings), I should not have recited this (Qur´ân) to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I had indeed lived among you a (whole) lifetime before this (claim to Prophethood. Was not my truthfulness undisputed?). Will you not then refrain (from opposing me)?´

English Literal

Say: " If God wanted/willed I would not (have) read/recited it on you, and He would not (have) informed you with (of) it, so I had stayed/remained in (between) you a life time from before it, so do you not reason/understand ?

Faridul Haque

Say, "Had Allah willed I would not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you; so before this * I have spent an age among you; so do you not have sense?" (* Before Allah’s command to recite the Qur’an to you.)

Hamid S. Aziz

But when Our evident Signs (revelations) are recited to them, those who expect not the meeting with Us say, "Bring a Lecture (Quran) other than this; or change it." Say, "It is not for me to, change it of my own accord; I do not follow aught but what I am inspired with. Verily, I fear, if I rebel against my Lord, the retribution of an awful Day!"

Hilali & Khan

Say (O Muhammad SAW): "If Allah had so willed, I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. Verily, I have stayed amongst you a life time before this. Have you then no sense?"

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when Our clear messages are recited to them, those who have no hope of meeting with Us say: Bring a Qur’an other than this or change it. Say: It is not for me to change it of my accord. I follow naught but what is revealed to me. Indeed I fear, if I disobey my Lord, the chastisement of a grievous day.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Say: If Allah had desired (otherwise) I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have taught it to you; indeed I have lived a lifetime among you before it; do you not then understand?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Say: If Allah had so willed I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. I dwelt among you a whole lifetime before it (came to me). Have ye then no sense?

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), tell them, "Had God wanted I would not have recited it (the Book) to you nor would I have told you anything about it. I lived among you for a whole life-time before it was revealed. Will you then not understand?

Qaribullah & Darwish

Say (Prophet Muhammad): 'Had Allah willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you. I lived among you all my life before it (was sent down). Will you not understand?

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Say: "If Allah had so willed, I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. Verily, I have stayed among you a lifetime before this. Have you then no sense"

Wahiduddin Khan

Say, "If God had so wished, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have brought it to your knowledge. Indeed, I have spent a whole lifetime among you before it came to me. How can you not use your reason?"

Talal Itani

Say, “Had God willed, I would not have recited it to you, and He would not have made it known to you. I have lived among you for a lifetime before it. Do you not understand?”

Tafsir jalalayn

Say; `If God had willed I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, [nor] would He have made you aware of it (the l [of wa-l adrkum] is for negation, and is a supplement to what preceded; a variant reading has the lm [sc. la-adrkum, `He would have made it known to you'] as the response to the [conditional] law, `if', in other words, He would have made it known to you by the tongue of someone other than myself). For I have already dwelt among you a [whole] lifetime, of forty years, before this [Qur'n], not relating to you anything [of the sort], so will you not understand?', that this [Qur'n] is not from myself?

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

قُل لَّوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا تَلَوْتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَا أَدْرَاكُم بِهِ


Say;"If Allah had so willed, I should not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you..."

This indicates that he brought this only with the permission and will of Allah for him to do so. The proof of this was that he had not fabricated it himself and that they were incapable of refuting it, and that they should be fully aware of his truthfulness and honesty since he grew up among them, until Allah sent the Message to him.

The Prophet was never criticized for anything or held in contempt. So he said,

فَقَدْ لَبِثْتُ فِيكُمْ عُمُرًا مِّن قَبْلِهِ أَفَلَ تَعْقِلُونَ



Verily, I have stayed among you a lifetime before this. Have you then no sense!

Which meant "don't you have brains with which you may distinguish the truth from falsehood!"

When Heraclius, the Roman king, asked Abu Sufyan and those who were in his company about the Prophet,

he said;"Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim?"

Abu Sufyan replied;"No."

Abu Sufyan was then the head of the disbelievers and the leader of the idolators, but he still admitted the truth. This is a clear and irrefutable testimony since it came from the enemy.

Heraclius then said;"I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah."

Jafar bin Abu Talib said to An-Najashi, the king of Ethiopia;"Allah has sent to us a Messenger that we know his truthfulness, ancestral lineage, and honesty. He stayed among us before the Prophethood for forty years.