Al-Qur'an Surah Ali 'Imran Verse 143

Mufti Taqi Usmani

You had longed for death before you faced it. Now, you have seen it with your eyes wide open.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

You certainly wished ˹for the opportunity˺ for martyrdom before encountering it, now you have seen it with your own eyes.

Ruwwad Translation Center

You did wish for martyrdom before facing it, and now you have seen it with your own eyes.

A. J. Arberry

You were longing for death before you met it; now you have seen it, while you were beholding.

Abdul Haleem

Before you encountered death, you were hoping for it. Well, now you have seen it with your own eyes.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And assuredly ye were wont to long for death ere ye had met it. Now ye are beholding it even while ye are looking on.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Ye did indeed wish for death before ye met him; Now ye have seen him with your own eyes, (And ye flinch!)

Abul Ala Maududi

You previously longed for death (in the way of Allah): now you have faced it, observing it with your own eyes.

Ahmed Ali

You had wished to know death before you faced it (in battle); so now you have seen it before your own eyes.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And you used to wish for death before you met it; so now you see it before your eyes.

Ali Quli Qarai

Certainly you were longing for death before you had encountered it. Then certainly, you saw it, as you were looking on.

Ali Ünal

You did indeed long for death (for God’s cause) before you came face to face with it; now you have faced it (on the battlefield), only observing it with your own eyes (without doing anything to meet it).

Amatul Rahman Omar

And you used to long for (Jihâd and a martyr´s) death before you met it, but now you have seen it and you will see yet (many more wonders happen).

English Literal

And you had been wishing/desiring the death, from before that you meet/find it, so you had seen it and you (are) looking .

Faridul Haque

And you used to wish for death before you met it; so now you see it before your eyes.

Hamid S. Aziz

Mohammed is but a Messenger, messengers (the like of whom) have passed away before his time. What if he die or is killed, will you retreat upon your heels? He who retreats does no harm to Allah at all; but Allah will recompense the thankful.

Hilali & Khan

You did indeed wish for death (Ash-Shahadah - martyrdom) before you met it. Now you have seen it openly with your own eyes.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Do you think that you will enter the Garden while Allah has not yet known those from among you who strive hard (nor) known the steadfast?

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And certainly you desired death before you met it, so indeed you have seen it and you look (at it)

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And verily ye used to wish for death before ye met it (in the field). Now ye have seen it with your eyes!

Muhammad Sarwar

You certainly wished to die (for the cause of God) before you actually faced death. Then you faced death (in the battlefield and only a few of you had the true desire to die).

Qaribullah & Darwish

You used to wish for death before you met it, so you have seen it while you were looking.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

You did indeed wish for death before you met it. Now you have seen it openly with your own eyes.

Wahiduddin Khan

You were longing for death, before you met it. Now you have seen it with your own eyes.

Talal Itani

You used to wish for death before you have faced it. Now you have seen it before your own eyes.

Tafsir jalalayn

You were longing for (tamannawna; one of the two letters t' has been omitted from the original [tatamannawna]) death before you met it, when you said, `Would that we had a day like the Day of Badr in order to attain what its martyrs attained.' Now you have seen it, that is, the cause of it, war, looking on, that is, with your eyes [open] and contemplating the conditions, so why did you retreat?

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

You did indeed wish for death (martyrdom) before you met it. Now you have seen it openly with your own eyes.

The Ayah proclaims, O believers! Before today, you wished that you could meet the enemy and were eager to fight them. What you wished has occurred, so fight them and be patient.

In the Two Sahihs it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَاا تَتَمَنَّوْا لِقَاءَ الْعَدُوِّ وَسَلُوا اللهَ الْعَافِيَةَ فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُوهُمْ فَاصْبِرُوا وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الْجَنَّـةَ تَحْتَ ظِلَالِ السُّيُوف

Do not wish to encounter the enemy, and ask Allah for your well-being. However, if you do encounter them, then observe patience and know that Paradise is under the shade of swords.

This is why Allah said here,
فَقَدْ رَأَيْتُمُوهُ
(Now you have seen it);death, you saw it when the swords appeared, the blades were sharpened, the spears crisscrossed and men stood in lines for battle.

This part of the Ayah contains a figure of speech that mentions imagining what can be felt but not seen