Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anbya Verse 2

Mufti Taqi Usmani

No fresh message of advice comes to them from their Lord, but they listen to it as if they were playing,

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Whatever new reminder comes to them from their Lord, they only listen to it jokingly,

Ruwwad Translation Center

Whenever new revelation comes to them from their Lord, they listen to it in jest,

A. J. Arberry

no Remembrance from their Lord comes to them lately renewed, but they listen to it yet playing,

Abdul Haleem

Whenever any fresh revelation comes to them from their Lord, they listen to it playfully

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

There cometh not unto them a fresh admonition from their Lord but they listen to it while they are playing.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Never comes (aught) to them of a renewed Message from their Lord, but they listen to it as in jest,-

Abul Ala Maududi

Whenever any fresh admonition comes to them from their Lord they barely heed it and remain immersed in play,

Ahmed Ali

Never does a new reminder come to them from their Lord but they listen to it with dalliance.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Whenever a new advice comes to them from their Lord, they do not listen to it except while playing.

Ali Quli Qarai

There does not come to them any new reminder from their Lord but they listen to it as they play around,

Ali Ünal

Whenever a new Revelation comes to them from their Lord to warn and enlighten them, they only listen to it in a playful manner,

Amatul Rahman Omar

No new Reminder comes to them from their Lord but they listen to it in a playful mood,

English Literal

None from a remembrance/reminder initiated/originated from their Lord, comes to them except they heard/listened (to) it and (while) they are playing/amusing .

Faridul Haque

Whenever a new advice comes to them from their Lord, they do not listen to it except while playing.

Hamid S. Aziz

Their reckoning draws nigh to men, yet in heedlessness they turn aside.

Hilali & Khan

Comes not unto them an admonition (a chapter of the Quran) from their Lord as a recent revelation but they listen to it while they play,

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Their reckoning draw nigh to men, and they turn away in heedlessness.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

There comes not to them a new reminder from their Lord but they hear it while they sport,

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Never cometh there unto them a new reminder from their Lord but they listen to it while they play,

Muhammad Sarwar

Whenever a new revelation comes to them from their Lord, they listen to it in a playful manner,

Qaribullah & Darwish

No recent revival of the remembrance comes to them from their Lord, except that they play with it as they listen

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Comes not unto them an admonition from their Lord as a recent revelation but they listen to it while they play.

Wahiduddin Khan

Whenever any fresh admonition comes to them from their Lord, they listen to it, but do not take it seriously;

Talal Itani

No fresh reminder comes to them from their Lord, but they listen to it playfully.

Tafsir jalalayn

There does not come to them any new reminder from their Lord, [revealed] gradually, in other words, [new] words of the Qur'n, but they listen to it as they play, [as they] engage in mockery,

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مَّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ

Comes not unto them an admonition from their Lord as a recent revelation,

meaning, newly-revealed,

إِلاَّ اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ



لَااهِيَةً قُلُوبُهُمْ

but they listen to it while they play. With their hearts occupied.

This is like what Ibn Abbas said,

"Why do you ask the People of the Book about what they have, which has been altered and distorted, and they have added things and taken things away, when your Book is the most recently revealed from Allah, and you read it pure and unadulterated"

Al-Bukhari recorded something similar to this.

وَأَسَرُّواْ النَّجْوَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ

Those who do wrong, conceal their private counsels,

meaning, what they say to one another in secret.

هَلْ هَذَا إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ

Is this more than a human being like you!

meaning, the Messenger of Allah.

They did not believe that he could be a Prophet because he was a human being like them, so how could he have been singled out to receive revelation, and not them!