Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nahl Verse 70

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Allah has created you, then He takes you back. And among you there is one who is carried to the worst part of the age, so that he knows nothing after having knowledge. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Allah has created you, and then causes you to die. And some of you are left to reach the most feeble stage of life so that they may know nothing after having known much. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, Most Capable.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Allah has created you, then He causes you to die. Among you are some who are left to reach the most decrepit age, so that they may know nothing after having known much. Indeed, Allah is All-Knowing, Most Capable.

A. J. Arberry

God created you; then He will gather you to Him; and some of you will be kept back unto the vilest state of life, that after knowing somewhat, they may know nothing; God is All-knowing, All-powerful.

Abdul Haleem

It is God who has created you and in time will cause you to die. Some of you will be reduced, in old age, to a most abject state, so that, after having knowledge, they will know nothing at all: God is truly all knowing and all powerful.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And Allah hath created you, then He taketh your souls; of you are some who are brought back to the meanest of age, so that they know not aught after having knowledge; verily Allah is Knowing, Potent.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

It is Allah who creates you and takes your souls at death; and of you there are some who are sent back to a feeble age, so that they know nothing after having known (much); for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

Abul Ala Maududi

Allah has created you, and then He causes you to die. Some of you have your lives prolonged to an abject old age, when one loses all knowledge after having acquired it. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

Ahmed Ali

It is God who creates you, then makes you die; and some reach the age of dotage when they forget what they had known before. God is indeed all-knowing and all-powerful.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And Allah created you, and will then remove your souls; and among you is one who is sent back to the most lowly age, so knowing nothing after having had knowledge; indeed Allah knows everything, is Able to do all things.

Ali Quli Qarai

Allah has created you, then He takes you away, and there are some among you who are relegated to the nethermost age so that he knows nothing after [having possessed] some knowledge. Indeed Allah is all-knowing, all-powerful.

Ali Ünal

God has created you, then He causes you to die. And among you are those who are deferred to the age of senility so they do not know, of what they once knew, anything at all. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Allâh has created you, then He causes you to die; and there are some of you who are driven to the worst part of life (-very advanced old age), with the result that he knows nothing after (having had) knowledge. Verily, Allâh is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

English Literal

And God created you, then He makes you die, and from you who is returned to the lifetime`s worst/meanest/despised, so that (he) not know after knowledge a thing, that your Lord (is) knowledgeable, capable .

Faridul Haque

And Allah created you, and will then remove your souls; and among you is one who is sent back to the most lowly age, so knowing nothing after having had knowledge; indeed Allah knows everything, is Able to do all things.

Hamid S. Aziz

Allah created you; then He will take you to Himself; but amongst you are some whom He will thrust into the most decrepit stage of life, so that he may not know aught that once he knew. Verily, Allah is Knower, Powerful.

Hilali & Khan

And Allah has created you and then He will cause you to die, and of you there are some who are sent back to senility, so that they know nothing after having known (much). Truly! Allah is All-Knowing, All-Powerful.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Then eat of all the fruits and walk in the ways of thy Lord submissively. There comes forth from their bellies a beverage of many hues, in which there is healing for men. Therein is surely a sign for a people who reflect.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And Allah has created you, then He causes you to die, and of you is he who is brought back to the worst part of life, so that after having knowledge he does not know anything; surely Allah is Knowing, Powerful.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And Allah createth you, then causeth you to die, and among you is he who is brought back to the most abject stage of life, so that he knoweth nothing after (having had) knowledge. Lo! Allah is Knower, Powerful.

Muhammad Sarwar

God has created you and He causes you to die. Some of you will grow to an extremely old age and lose your memory. God is All-knowing and Almighty.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Allah created you, and causes you to die. There are some of you who, after knowing something, will be kept back to the vilest state of life, knowing nothing. Allah is the Knowing, Powerful.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And Allah created you and then He will cause you to die; and among you there are some who are sent back to senility, so that they know nothing after having known (much). Truly, Allah is Knowing, capable of all things.

Wahiduddin Khan

God created you; then He shall cause you to die: and some shall have their lives prolonged to abject old age, ceasing to know anything after once having had knowledge. God is all knowing and powerful.

Talal Itani

God created you; then He takes you away. Some of you will be brought back to the worst age, so that he will no longer know anything, after having acquired knowledge. God is Omniscient and Omnipotent.

Tafsir jalalayn

And God has created you, when you were nothing, then He takes you [in death], when your terms [of life] are concluded; and there are some among you who are relegated to the most abject stage of life, that is, the most diminished, because of old-age and senility, so that he knows nothing after [having possessed] some knowledge. `Ikrima said, `Whoever recites the Qur'n will not come to such a predicament'. God is Knowing, of how to manage [the affairs of] His creation, Powerful, in [doing] what He will.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

In Man there is a Lesson

Allah says,

وَاللّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ ثُمَّ يَتَوَفَّاكُمْ وَمِنكُم مَّن يُرَدُّ إِلَى أَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ لِكَيْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْيًا إِنَّ اللّهَ عَلِيمٌ قَدِيرٌ



And Allah created you and then He will cause you to die; and among you there are some who are sent back to senility, so that they know nothing after having known (much). Truly, Allah is Knowing, capable of all things.

Allah tells us that He is controlling the affairs of His servants. He is the One Who created them out of nothing, then He will cause them to die. But there are some of them that He allows to grow old, which is a physical weakness, as Allah says;

اللَّهُ الَّذِى خَلَقَكُمْ مِّن ضَعْفٍ ثُمَّ جَعَلَ مِن بَعْدِ ضَعْفٍ قُوَّةٍ

Allah is He Who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness. (30;54)

لِكَيْ لَا يَعْلَمَ بَعْدَ عِلْمٍ شَيْيًا

so that they know nothing after having known.

meaning, after he knew things, he will reach a stage where he knows nothing because of weakness of mind due to old age and senility.

Thus Al-Bukhari, when commenting on this Ayah, reported a narration from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah used to pray;

أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ

الْبُخْلِ

وَالْكَسَلِ

وَالْهَرَمِ

وَأَرْذَلِ الْعُمُرِ

وَعَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ

وَفِتْنَةِ الدَّجَّالِ

وَفِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَات

I seek refuge with You from

miserliness,

laziness,

old age,

senility,

the punishment of the grave,

the Fitnah of the Dajjal and

the trials of life and death.

Zuhayr bin Abi Sulma said, in his famous Mu`allaqah;

"I became exhausted from the responsibilities of life. Whoever lives for eighty years, no wonder he is tired. I saw death hitting people like a crazed camel, and whoever it hit dies, but whoever is not hit lives until he grows old.