Al-Qur'an Surah Ash-Shu'ara Verse 226

Mufti Taqi Usmani

and that they say what they do not?

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

only saying what they never do?

Ruwwad Translation Center

and that they say what they do not do?

A. J. Arberry

and how they say that which they do not?

Abdul Haleem

how they say what they do not do?

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And that they say that which they do not?

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And that they say what they practise not?-

Abul Ala Maududi

and say things which they do not act upon,

Ahmed Ali

And they say what they do not do,

Ahmed Raza Khan

And they speak what they do not do?

Ali Quli Qarai

and that they say what they do not do?

Ali Ünal

And they say what they themselves do not do.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And they say (such things) which they do not practice (themselves),

English Literal

And that they truly say what they do not make/do ?

Faridul Haque

And they speak what they do not do?

Hamid S. Aziz

Have you not seen how they wander confused in every valley (or by way)?

Hilali & Khan

And that they say what they do not do.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And the poets -- the deviators follow them.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And that they say that which they do not do,

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And how they say that which they do not?

Muhammad Sarwar

and preaching what they themselves never practice.

Qaribullah & Darwish

and they say what they do not do?

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And that they say what they do not do.

Wahiduddin Khan

preaching what they do not practice.

Talal Itani

And how they say what they do not do?

Tafsir jalalayn

and that they say, we do, what they do not do?, in other words, that they lie.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

And that they say what they do not do.

Al-Awfi reported that Ibn Abbas said;

at the time of the Messenger of Allah, two men, one from among the Ansar and one from another tribe, were ridiculing one another in verse, and each one of them was supported by a group of his own people, who were the foolish ones, and Allah said;

وَالشُّعَرَاء يَتَّبِعُهُمُ الْغَاوُونَ


أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي كُلِّ وَادٍ يَهِيمُونَ


وَأَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ مَا لَاأ يَفْعَلُونَ

As for the poets, the erring ones follow them. See you not that they speak about every subject in their poetry and that they say what they do not do.

What is meant here is that the Messenger, to whom this Qur'an was revealed, was not a soothsayer or a poet, because his situation was quite obviously different to theirs, as Allah says;

وَمَا عَلَّمْنَـهُ الشِّعْرَ وَمَا يَنبَغِى لَهُ إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ ذِكْرٌ وَقُرْءَانٌ مُّبِينٌ

And We have not taught him poetry, nor is it suitable for him. This is only a Reminder and a plain Qur'an. (36;69)

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ

وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ قَلِيلً مَّا تُوْمِنُونَ

وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ قَلِيلً مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ

تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

That this is verily, the word of an honored Messenger. It is not the word of a poet, little is that you believe!

Nor is it the word of a soothsayer, little is that you remember! This is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of all that exits. (69;40-43)
The Exception of the Poets of Islam

Allah tells