Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Anbya Verse 78

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And (remember) Dawūd (David) and Sulaimān (Solomon), when they were adjudicating about the tillage in which the goats of other people wandered at night (and trampled it), and We were witness to their judgment.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And ˹remember˺ when David and Solomon passed judgment regarding the crops ruined ˹at night˺ by someone’s sheep, and We were witness to their judgments.

Ruwwad Translation Center

And [remember] David and Solomon, when they passed judgment about the tillage into which some people’s sheep had strayed at night, and We were witnesses to their judgment.

A. J. Arberry

And David and Solomon -- when they gave judgment concerning the tillage, when the sheep of the people strayed there, and We bore witness to their judgment;

Abdul Haleem

And remember David and Solomon, when they gave judgement regarding the field into which sheep strayed by night and grazed. We witnessed their judgement

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And Daud and Sulaiman! recall what time they gave judgment regarding the tillage when certain people's sheep had pastured therein at night; and of the judgment concerning them We were the Witnesses.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And remember David and Solomon, when they gave judgment in the matter of the field into which the sheep of certain people had strayed by night; We did witness their judgment.

Abul Ala Maududi

We bestowed the same favour upon David and Solomon. Recall, when they gave judgement regarding a tillage into which the sheep of some people had strayed at night, and We were witnesses to their judgement.

Ahmed Ali

(Remember) David and Solomon, when they pronounced judgement about the field which was eaten up at night by sheep belonging to certain people. We were witness to their judgement.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And remember Dawud and Sulaiman, when they were deciding the dispute of a field, when some people’s sheep had strayed into it at night; and We were Present at the time of their deciding.

Ali Quli Qarai

And [remember] David and Solomon when they gave judgement concerning the tillage when the sheep of some people strayed into it by night, and We were witness to their judgement.

Ali Ünal

(Among those whom We made leaders were) David and Solomon. The two were once judging a case regarding a field into which the sheep of some other people had strayed at night. We were watching and witnessing their judgment.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And (We bestowed Our favours on) David and Solomon. Behold! they gave their (respective) judgment in the disputed matter about a certain crop when the sheep of a certain people strayed into it at night, and We were bearers of witness to the judgment they gave (them).

English Literal

And David and Soliman when they (B) judge/rule in the agricultural land/plants, when the nation`s sheep/goats grazed at night/spread in it, and We were to their judgment/rule witnessing/present .

Faridul Haque

And remember Dawud and Sulaiman, when they were deciding the dispute of a field, when some people’s sheep had strayed into it at night; and We were Present at the time of their deciding.

Hamid S. Aziz

And We helped him against the people who said Our signs were lies; verily, they were a bad people, therefore did We drown them all.

Hilali & Khan

And (remember) Dawud (David) and Sulaiman (Solomon), when they gave judgement in the case of the field in which the sheep of certain people had pastured at night and We were witness to their judgement.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And We helped him against the people who rejected Our messages. Surely they were an evil people, so We drowned them all.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And Dawood and Sulaiman when they gave judgment concerning the field when the people's sheep pastured therein by night, and We were bearers of witness to their judgment.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And David and Solomon, when they gave judgment concerning the field, when people's sheep had strayed and browsed therein by night; and We were witnesses to their judgment.

Muhammad Sarwar

David and Solomon were trying to settle the case of the people's sheep that grazed in a corn-field at night. We witnessed their decree in that matter.

Qaribullah & Darwish

And David and Solomon they passed judgment upon the tilled land on which the people? s sheep had strayed. We bore witness to their judgment, and

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And (remember) Dawud and Sulayman, when they gave judgement in the case of the field in which the sheep of certain people had Nafashat; and We were witness to their judgement.

Wahiduddin Khan

Tell of David and Solomon who both passed judgement on the field into which some people's sheep had strayed [and grazed] at night. We bore witness to their judgement.

Talal Itani

And David and Solomon, when they gave judgment in the case of the field, when some people’s sheep wandered therein by night; and We were witnesses to their judgment.

Tafsir jalalayn

And, mention, David and Solomon, that is, [mention] their story (Dwda wa-Sulaymna is substituted by [the following, idh yahkumni ...]) when they gave judgement concerning the tillage, a field of crops or a vineyard, when the sheep of a [certain] people strayed into it, that is, [when these sheep] grazed there at night, but without a shepherd, because they had escaped; and We were witnesses to their judgement (li- hukmihim shhidna; here the plural person is being used in the case of a dual). David decreed; to the owner of the tillage belong the head of the sheep. Solomon decreed; he shall benefit from [the use of] their milk, offspring and wool until such time as the tillage is restored to its original state at the hands of the owner [of the sheep], after which he [the owner of the tillage] should return them [the sheep] to him [their owner].

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Dawud and Suleiman and the Signs which They were given; the Story of the People whose Sheep pastured at Night in the Field

(Abu) Ishaq narrated from Murrah from Ibn Mas`ud;

"That crop was grapes, bunches of which were dangling."

This was also the view of Shurayh.

Ibn Abbas said;

"Nafash means grazing."

Shurayh, Az-Zuhri and Qatadah said;

"Nafash only happens at night."

Qatadah added,

"(and) Al-Haml is grazing during the day."

Allah tells;

وَدَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ إِذْ يَحْكُمَانِ فِي الْحَرْثِ إِذْ نَفَشَتْ فِيهِ غَنَمُ الْقَوْمِ



And (remember) Dawud and Suleiman, when they gave judgement in the case of the field in which the sheep of certain people had pastured at night;

Ibn Jarir recorded that Ibn Mas`ud said;

"Grapes which had grown and their bunches were spoiled by the sheep. Dawud (David) ruled that the owner of the grapes should keep the sheep.

Suleiman (Solomon) said, `Not like this, O Prophet of Allah!'

(Dawud) said, `How then'

(Suleiman) said;`Give the grapes to the owner of the sheep and let him tend them until they grow back as they were, and give the sheep to the owner of the grapes and let him benefit from them until the grapes have grown back as they were. Then the grapes should be given back to their owner, and the sheep should be given back to their owner.'

This is what Allah said;
فَفَهَّمْنَاهَا سُلَيْمَانَ
(And We made Suleiman to understand (the case)."

This was also reported by Al-`Awfi from Ibn Abbas.

وَكُنَّا لِحُكْمِهِمْ شَاهِدِينَ



and We were witness to their judgement.