Al-Qur'an Surah Taha Verse 89

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Have they not been seeing that it did not respond to them (even) with a word, nor did it have power to harm or benefit them?

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Did they not see that it did not respond to them, nor could it protect or benefit them?

Ruwwad Translation Center

Do they not see that it does not respond a word to them, nor does it have power to harm or benefit them?

A. J. Arberry

What? Did they not see that thing returned no speech unto them, neither had any power to hurt or profit them?

Abdul Haleem

Did they not see that [the calf] gave them no answer, that it had no power to harm or benefit them?

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Observed they not that it returned not unto them a word, and owned not for them hurt or profit?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Could they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good?

Abul Ala Maududi

Did they not see that it did not return a word to them, and had no power either to hurt them or to cause them any benefit?

Ahmed Ali

Did they not see that it did not give them any answer, nor had it power to do them harm or bring them gain?

Ahmed Raza Khan

So do they not see that it does not answer to any of their speech? And has no power to cause them any harm or benefit?

Ali Quli Qarai

Did they not see that it did not answer them, nor could it bring them any benefit or harm?

Ali Ünal

Did they not see at all that (even) it could not return to them a word (for answer), and had no power to harm or benefit them?

Amatul Rahman Omar

Could they not see that this (calf) made them no answer and could neither avoid harm to them nor do good (to any).

English Literal

So do they not see/understand that it (does) not return to them a saying/words , and nor own/possess for them harm, and nor benefit/usefulness?

Faridul Haque

So do they not see that it does not answer to any of their speech? And has no power to cause them any harm or benefit?

Hamid S. Aziz

Then he brought forth for the people (out of the fire) a corporeal (a statue of a) calf. It seemed to low, and they said, "This is your god and the god of Moses, but he has forgotten!"

Hilali & Khan

Did they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good?

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Then he brought forth for them a calf, a body, which had a hollow sound, so they said: This is your god and the god of Moses; but he forgot.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

What! could they not see that it did not return to them a reply, and (that) it did not control any harm or benefit for them?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

See they not, then, that it returneth no saying unto them and possesseth for them neither hurt nor use?

Muhammad Sarwar

Did they not consider that the calf could not give them any answer, nor it could harm or benefit them?

Qaribullah & Darwish

What! Did they not see that it did not speak a word to them in return, and for them it could own neither harm nor benefit?

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Did they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer), and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good

Wahiduddin Khan

Why did they not see that it could not give them any response and had no power to harm or benefit them?

Talal Itani

Did they not see that it cannot return a word to them, and has no power to harm them or benefit them?

Tafsir jalalayn

Did they not see that ([in all] an has been softened in place of the hardened form, with its subject omitted, in other words [it should be] annahu) it, the Calf, did not reciprocate their words, that is, that it did not give them any response in return, nor did it have any power over hurt for them, that is, [any power] to prevent it, or any benefit?, that is, [any power] to procure it [for them], in other words, how can such [a thing] be taken as a god?

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

أَفَلَ يَرَوْنَ أَلاَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَيْهِمْ قَوْلاً

Did they not see that it could not return them a word (for answer),

This is about the calf. `Do they not see that it does not respond to them when they ask it and when they speak to it!'

وَلَا يَمْلِكُ لَهُمْ ضَرًّا وَلَا نَفْعًا



and that it had no power either to harm them or to do them good!

Meaning in their worldly affairs and matters of the Hereafter.

Ibn Abbas said,

"Nay, by Allah, the moaning sound of the calf was nothing but wind that would enter into its behind and come out of its mouth, thus causing it to make a sound."

In a Hadith of Al-Fitun recorded from Al-Hasan Al-Basri, it is mentioned that;

this calf's name was Bahmut. In reference to the excuse of these ignorant people, they claimed that they were merely ridding themselves of the jewelry of the Copts. In the process of doing so, they cast the jewelry (into the pit of fire) and ended up worshipping the calf. Thus, they were seeking to rid themselves of something detestable, but wound up doing something even worse.

This is similar to an authentic narration reported from Abdullah bin Umar.

A man from Iraq asked him about the ruling of mosquitoes' blood if it get on one's garment.

The man wanted to know if it is permissible to pray in such a garment or not.

Ibn Umar replied by saying,

"Look at the people of Iraq. They killed the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, Al-Hussein, and yet they're asking about the blood of the mosquito.