Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anbya Verse 58

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Then, he turned all of them into pieces, except the big one of them, so that they may come back to it.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

So he smashed them into pieces, except the biggest of them, so they might turn to it ˹for answers˺.

Ruwwad Translation Center

So he broke them into pieces, except the biggest of them, so that they might come back to it.

A. J. Arberry

So he broke them into fragments, all but a great one they had, for haply they would return to it.

Abdul Haleem

He broke them all into pieces, but left the biggest one for them to return to.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Then he made them fragments, all except the big one of them, that haply unto it they may return.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

So he broke them to pieces, (all) but the biggest of them, that they might turn (and address themselves) to it.

Abul Ala Maududi

Then he broke them all into pieces, sparing only the supreme one among them that they may possibly return to him.

Ahmed Ali

So he smashed them up to pieces with the exception of the biggest, so that they may turn to it.

Ahmed Raza Khan

He shattered them all, except the biggest among them, that perhaps they may question it.

Ali Quli Qarai

So he broke them into pieces—all except the biggest of them—so that they might come back to it.

Ali Ünal

And then he broke all of them to pieces except the one biggest in their sight, so that they might be able turn back to it (to ask what had happened)!

Amatul Rahman Omar

So he smashed them all into pieces, except their chief (idol), that they might return to it (for inquiry as he planned).

English Literal

So he made them broken/pieces except a big/large (one) for them, maybe/perhaps to it they return.

Faridul Haque

He shattered them all, except the biggest among them, that perhaps they may question it.

Hamid S. Aziz

And, by Allah! I have a plan for your idols after you have gone and turned your backs!"

Hilali & Khan

So he broke them to pieces, (all) except the biggest of them, that they might turn to it.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And, by Allah! I will certainly plan against your idols after you go away, turning your backs.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

So he broke them into pieces, except the chief of them, that haply they may return to it.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Then he reduced them to fragments, all save the chief of them, that haply they might have recourse to it.

Muhammad Sarwar

He broke all the idols into pieces, except the biggest among them so that perhaps people would refer to it.

Qaribullah & Darwish

He broke them all into pieces, except their great one so that they might return to it.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

So he broke them to pieces, except the biggest of them, that they might turn to it.

Wahiduddin Khan

He broke them all into pieces, except for the biggest one of them, so that they might return to it [for enquiry].

Talal Itani

So he reduced them into pieces, except for their biggest, that they may return to it.

Tafsir jalalayn

And so, after they had set off to a gathering of theirs on one of their festival days, he reduced them to fragments (read judhdhan or jidhdhan, meaning `pieces'), [smashing them] with a hatchet, [all] except the principal one among them, around whose neck he hung the hatchet, that they might return to it, that is, to the principal one, and see what he had done to the others.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَاذًا إِلاَّ كَبِيرًا لَّهُمْ

So he broke them to pieces, except the biggest of them,

means, he smashed them all, except for the biggest idol.

This is like the Ayah,

فَرَاغَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضَرْباً بِالْيَمِينِ

Then he turned upon them, striking (them) with (his) right hand. (37;93)

لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُونَ



that they might turn to it.

It was said that he put a hammer in the hands of the biggest idol so that the people would think that it had become jealous on its own account and objected to these smaller idols being worshipped alongside it, so it had broken them.

قَالُوا مَن فَعَلَ هَذَا بِألِهَتِنَا إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ