Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anbya Verse 21

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Or have they adopted gods from the earth, who raise the dead?

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Or have they taken gods from the earth, who can raise the dead?

Ruwwad Translation Center

Or have they taken gods from the earth who [cannot even] resurrect the dead?

A. J. Arberry

Or have they taken gods out of the earth who raise the dead?

Abdul Haleem

Have they chosen any gods from the earth who can give life to the dead?

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Have they taken gods from the earth who raise the deed?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Or have they taken (for worship) gods from the earth who can raise (the dead)?

Abul Ala Maududi

Have they taken earthly gods who are such that they raise up the dead to life?

Ahmed Ali

Or have they taken gods from the earth who can raise the dead?

Ahmed Raza Khan

Have they appointed from the earth, Gods that create something?

Ali Quli Qarai

Have they taken gods from the earth who raise [the dead]?

Ali Ünal

What, have those polytheists (given up hope of heaven and) adopted deities from the earth, (do they believe) that they (those deities) can raise up the dead?

Amatul Rahman Omar

And yet some people have chosen (false) gods from the earth who (are supposed to) raise (the dead) to life.

English Literal

Or they took/received gods from the earth/Planet Earth, they are reviving/resurrecting.

Faridul Haque

Have they appointed from the earth, Gods that create something?

Hamid S. Aziz

They glorify Him by night and day without intermission.

Hilali & Khan

Or have they taken (for worship) aliha (gods) from the earth who raise the dead?

Maulana Mohammad Ali

They glorify (Him) night and day: they flag not.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Or have they taken gods from the earth who raise (the dead).

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Or have they chosen gods from the earth who raise the dead?

Muhammad Sarwar

Have they chosen deities from earth? Can such deities give life to anyone?

Qaribullah & Darwish

Or, have they taken earthly gods who revive the dead?

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Or have they taken (for worship) gods from the earth who raise the dead

Wahiduddin Khan

Have they taken deities from the earth who can bring the dead to life?

Talal Itani

Or have they taken to themselves gods from the earth who resurrect?

Tafsir jalalayn

Or (am, functions with the meaning of bal, `nay', to effect a transition [in subject-matter]; the hamza is for [rhetorical] denial) have they chosen gods, that are, from the earth, such as stones, gold or silver, who, that is, gods [who], resurrect? who bring the dead back to life? No! Indeed only one who brings the dead back to life can be God.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Refutation of false gods

Allah denounces those who take other gods instead of Him;

أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا الِهَةً مِّنَ الاَْرْضِ هُمْ يُنشِرُونَ



Or have they taken gods from the earth who raise the dead!

meaning, can they bring the dead back to life and bring them forth from the earth? They cannot do any of that, so how can they make them rivals to Allah and worship them alongside Him!

Then Allah tells us that if there were another god besides Him, the heavens and the earth would be ruined