Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nahl Verse 63

Mufti Taqi Usmani

By Allah, We sent (messengers) to communities before you, but the Satan made their deeds look good to them. So, he is their patron today, and for them there is a painful punishment.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

By Allah! We have surely sent messengers to communities before you ˹O Prophet˺, but Satan made their misdeeds appealing to them. So he is their patron today, and they will suffer a painful punishment.

Ruwwad Translation Center

By Allah, We sent [messengers] to nations before you, but Satan made their deeds appealing to them. He is their ally today, and for them there will be a painful punishment.

A. J. Arberry

By God, assuredly We sent Messengers to nations before thee, but Satan decked out fair to them their deeds; he is their protector today, and there yet awaits them a painful chastisement.

Abdul Haleem

By God, We have sent messengers before you [Muhammad] to other communities, but Satan made their foul deeds seem alluring to them. He is the patron of these present disbelievers too, and a painful punishment awaits them all.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

By Allah! assuredly We have sent apostles to communities before thee, then the Satan made their works fairseeming unto them, so he is their patron to-day, and unto them shall be a torment afflictive.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

By Allah, We (also) sent (Our messengers) to Peoples before thee; but Satan made, (to the wicked), their own acts seem alluring; He is also their patron today, but they shall have a most grievous penalty.

Abul Ala Maududi

By Allah, (O Muhammad), We sent Messengers to other communities before you but Satan made their evil deeds attractive to them (so they paid no heed to the call of the Messengers). The same Satan is their patron today and they are heading towards a painful chastisement.

Ahmed Ali

By God, We sent apostles to many a people before you, but Satan made their acts seem attractive to them, and he is their friend this day, and a painful torment awaits them.

Ahmed Raza Khan

By Allah, We indeed sent Noble Messengers to several nations before you, but Satan made their misdeeds appear good to them – so he only is their companion this day, and for them is a punishment, most painful.

Ali Quli Qarai

By Allah, We have certainly sent [apostles] to nations before you. But Satan made their deeds seem decorous to them. So he is their master today and there is a painful punishment for them.

Ali Ünal

By God, We certainly sent Messengers to the communities before you (O Messenger), but Satan decked out their deeds as appealing to (the unbelievers among) them. And this day (too, when the Qur’an is being revealed), he is their close friend, and theirs is a painful punishment.

Amatul Rahman Omar

By Allâh! We did send (Messengers) to (all) nations before you but (it so happened that) satan made their (evil) deeds fair-seeming to them. So he is their (- disbelievers´) patron (again) this day, and there awaits them a grievous punishment.

English Literal

By God, We had sent to nations from before you, so the devil decorated/beautified for them their deeds, so he is their guardian/ally today, and for them (is) a painful torture.

Faridul Haque

By Allah, We indeed sent Noble Messengers to several nations before you, but Satan made their misdeeds appear good to them - so he only is their companion this day, and for them is a punishment, most painful.

Hamid S. Aziz

By Allah! We verily sent messengers unto the nations before you, but Satan made their works fair-seeming unto them. So he is their patron this day, and for them is grievous doom!

Hilali & Khan

By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you (O Muhammad SAW), but Shaitan (Satan) made their deeds fair-seeming to them. So he (Satan) is their Wali (helper) today (i.e. in this world), and theirs will be a painful torment.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And they ascribe to Allah what they (themselves) hate, and their tongues related the lie that for them is good. Assuredly for them is the Fire, and they will be (therein) abandoned.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

By Allah, most certainly We sent (apostles) to nations before you, but the Shaitan made their deeds fair-seeming to them, so he is their guardian today, and they shall have a painful punishment.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

By Allah, We verily sent messengers unto the nations before thee, but the devil made their deeds fairseeming unto them. So he is their patron this day, and theirs will be a painful doom.

Muhammad Sarwar

By God, We sent (Messengers) to nations who lived before you. Satan made their deeds seem attractive to them and, on the Day of Judgment, satan will be their guardian. For them there will be a painful punishment.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Indeed, by Allah, We have sent Messengers before you to other nations. But satan made their deeds seem fair to them so that today he is their guardian, and a painful punishment awaits them.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you, but Shaytan made their deeds seeming fair to them. So today he is their helper, and theirs will be a painful torment.

Wahiduddin Khan

By God! We have sent messengers before you to other nations. But Satan made their [foul] deeds seem fair to them and today he is their patron. They shall have a painful punishment.

Talal Itani

By God, We sent messengers to communities before you, but Satan made their deeds appear alluring to them. He is their master today, and they will have a painful punishment.

Tafsir jalalayn

By God, We verily sent to communities before you, messengers. But Satan adorned for them their deeds, [their] evil [deeds], so that they considered them to be good [deeds] and therefore they denied the messengers. So he is their patron, the guardian of their affairs, today, that is, [now] in this world, and for them there will be a painful chastisement, in the Hereafter. It is also said that by al-yawm, `today', is meant the Day of Resurrection, narrating the events as though they are taking place [now]. In other words, they have no guardian other than him [in other words, Satan], and as he is incapable of helping himself, how could he possibly help them?

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Finding Consolation in the Reminder of Those Who came before

Allah says,

تَاللّهِ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَى أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ



By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you, but Shaytan made their deeds seeming fair to them.

Allah says, `He sent Messengers to the nations of the past, and they were rejected. You, O Muhammad, have an example in your brothers among the Messengers, so do not be distressed by your people's rejection. As for the idolators' rejection of the Messengers, the reason for this is that the Shaytan made their deeds attractive to them.'

فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ الْيَوْمَ

So today he (Shaytan) is their helper,

meaning they will be suffering punishment while Shaytan is their only helper, and he cannot save them, so they have no one to answer their calls for help,

وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ



and theirs will be a painful torment.
The Reason why the Qur'an was revealed

Allah says,