Al-Qur'an Surah Ali 'Imran Verse 156

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, do not be like those who disbelieved and said about their brethren while they travelled on the earth or had to fight, “Had they been with us, they would have not died, nor would they have been killed.” The result is that Allah makes it a remorse resting in their hearts. Allah gives life and brings death; Allah is watchful of what you do.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Do not be like the unfaithful[[ i.e., the hypocrites.]] who say about their brothers who travel throughout the land or engage in battle, “If they had stayed with us, they would not have died or been killed.” Allah makes such thinking a cause of agony in their hearts. It is Allah who gives life and causes death. And Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, do not be like those who disbelieved and said about their brothers who traveled through the land or engaged in battle, “If they had stayed with us, they would not have died or been killed.” Allah makes that a cause of distress in their hearts. It is Allah Who gives life and causes death, and Allah is All-Seeing of what you do.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, be not as the unbelievers who say to their brothers, when they journey in the land, or are upon expeditions, 'If they had been with us, they would not have died and not been slain' -- that God may make that an anguish in their hearts. For God gives life, and He makes to die; and God sees the things you do.

Abdul Haleem

You who believe, do not be like those who disbelieved and said of their brothers who went out on a journey or a raid, ‘If only they had stayed with us they would not have died or been killed,’ for God will make such thoughts a source of anguish in their hearts. It is God who gives life and death; God sees everything you do.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O O Ye who believe! be not like unto those who disbelieve and say of their brethren when they journey in the land or go to religious war: had they been with, they had not died nor had they been slain; this is in order that Allah may cause an anguish in their hearts. And it is Allah who maketh alive and causeth to die, and Allah is of that which ye work Beholder.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Be not like the Unbelievers, who say of their brethren, when they are travelling through the Earth or engaged in fighting; "If they had stayed with us, they would not have died, or been slain." This that Allah may make it a cause of sighs and regrets in their hearts. It is Allah that gives Life and Death, and Allah sees well all that ye do.

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers, do not behave like those who disbelieved and say to their brothers (who meet some mishap) in the course of their journey for fighting: 'Had they remained with us, they would not have died nor been slain.' Allah makes such thoughts the cause of deep regrets in their hearts. For in truth it is Allah alone who grants life and deals death. Allah sees all that you do.

Ahmed Ali

O you who believe, do not be like those who deny, and say of their brethren (who died) travelling in the land or fighting: "Had they stayed with us here they would not have died or been killed." This happened so that God may fill their hearts with grief. God is the giver of life and death and sees all that you do.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Do not be like the disbelievers who said regarding their brothers who went on a journey or on holy war, “If they had been here with us they would not have died or been killed” – so that Allah may make it as despair in their hearts; and Allah gives life and causes death; and Allah is seeing your deeds.

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Do not be like the faithless who say of their brethren, when they travel in the land or go into battle, ‘Had they stayed with us they would not have died or been killed,’ so that Allah may make it a regret in their hearts. But Allah gives life and brings death, and Allah watches what you do.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Be not as those who disbelieve and say of their brothers who (died) after having set out on a journey or gone forth to war, "Had they remained with us, they would not have died or been killed." God wills that such thoughts as this should be a cause of sighs and anguish in their hearts. God (He alone) gives life and causes to die; and whatever you do, God sees it well.

Amatul Rahman Omar

O you who believe! do not be like those who have concealed (the truth) and who say of their brethren when they (- the latter) travel in the land or go forth on any campaign (and fall martyrs), `Had they been with us they would not have died or been killed.´ They say it so that Allâh makes this a cause of intense regret in their hearts. (The fact, however, is that) it is Allâh Who gives life and causes death. Allâh sees well all what you do.

English Literal

You, you those who believed, do not be like those who disbelieved and said to their brothers if they moved in the earth/Planet Earth or they were invading/raiding: "If they were at us, they would not (have) died, and they would not (have) been killed." (For) God to make/put that grief/sorrow/eagerness in their hearts/minds , and God revives/makes alive and makes die, and God (is) with what you make/do/work seeing/knowing.

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Do not be like the disbelievers who said regarding their brothers who went on a journey or on holy war, “If they had been here with us they would not have died or been killed” - so that Allah may make it as despair in their hearts; and Allah gives life and causes death; and Allah is seeing your deeds.

Hamid S. Aziz

And if, indeed, you be killed in Allah´s way or die therein, surely forgiveness from Allah and mercy is better than what you gather.

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Be not like those who disbelieve (hypocrites) and who say to their brethren when they travel through the earth or go out to fight: "If they had stayed with us, they would not have died or been killed," so that Allah may make it a cause of regret in their hearts. It is Allah that gives life and causes death. And Allah is All-Seer of what you do.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Those of you who turned back on the day when the two armies met, only the devil sought to cause them to make a slip on account of some deeds they had done, and certainly Allah has pardoned them. Surely Allah is Forgiving, Forbearing.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! be not like those who disbelieve and say of their brethren when they travel in the earth or engage in fighting: Had they been with us, they would not have died and they would not have been slain; so Allah makes this to be an intense regret in their hearts; and Allah gives life and causes death and Allah sees what you do.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Be not as those who disbelieved and said of their brethren who went abroad in the land or were fighting in the field: If they had been (here) with us they would not have died or been killed: that Allah may make it anguish in their hearts. Allah giveth life and causeth death; and Allah is Seer of what ye do.

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, do not be like the unbelievers, who said of their brothers who travelled in the land or took part in a fight, "Had they stayed with us, they would not have died or been killed." God will only cause regret to enter their hearts. It is God who gives life and causes people to die. God is Well Aware of what you do.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, do not be as those who disbelieve and say of their brothers when they journey in the land or go of to battle: 'Had they stayed with us, they would not have died, nor would they have been killed' In order that Allah will make that a regret in their hearts. Allah revives and causes to die. He has knowledge of what you do.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Be not like those who disbelieve and who say to their brethren when they travel through the earth or go out to fight: "If they had stayed with us, they would not have died or been killed," so that Allah may make it a cause of regret in their hearts. It is Allah that gives life and causes death. And Allah is All-Seer of what you do.

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers, do not be like those who are bent on denying the truth and who say of their brothers, when they travel about the land or go forth to war, "Had they but remained with us, they would not have died, or been slain" -- for God will cause such thoughts to become a source of bitter regret in their hearts, since it is God who gives life and causes death. And God sees all that you do.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Do not be like those who disbelieved, and said of their brethren who marched in the land, or went on the offensive, “Had they stayed with us, they would not have died or been killed.” So that God may make it a cause of regret in their hearts. God gives life and causes death. God is Seeing of what you do.

Tafsir jalalayn

O you who believe, be not as the disbelievers, that is, [as] the hypocrites, who say of their brothers, that is, regarding their affair, when they travel in the land, and then die, or are on raiding campaigns (ghuzzan, `a raiding party', is the plural of ghzin), and are then slain, `Had they been with us, they would not have died and would not have been slain', in other words, do not say as they say -- so that God may make that, saying [of theirs], as a conclusion of their affair, anguish in their hearts. For God gives life, and He gives death, and so no staying put can prevent death, and God sees what you do (ta`malna, or ya`malna, `they do'), and He will requite you for it.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Prohibiting the Ideas of the Disbeleivers about Death and Predestination

Allah forbids His believing servants from the disbelievers' false creed, seen in their statement about those who died in battle and during travel; "Had they abandoned these trips, they would not have met their demise."

Allah said,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواْ لَا تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَقَالُواْ لاِخْوَانِهِمْ

O you who believe! Be not like those who disbelieve (hypocrites) and who say to their brethren,

about their dead brethren,

إِذَا ضَرَبُواْ فِي الَارْضِ

when they travel through the earth,

for the purpose of trading and otherwise,

أَوْ كَانُواْ غُزًّى

or go out to fight,

participating in battles,

لَّوْ كَانُواْ عِندَنَا

"If they had stayed with us,"

in our area,

مَا مَاتُواْ وَمَا قُتِلُواْ

"they would not have died or been killed,"

they would not have died while traveling or been killed in battle.

Allah's statement,

لِيَجْعَلَ اللّهُ ذَلِكَ حَسْرَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ

so that Allah may make it a cause of regret in their hearts.

means, Allah creates this evil thought in their hearts so that their sadness and the grief they feel for their loss would increase.

Allah refuted them by saying,

وَاللّهُ يُحْيِـي وَيُمِيتُ

It is Allah that gives life and causes death.

for the creation is under Allah's power, and the decision is His Alone. No one lives or dies except by Allah's leave, and no one's life is increased or decreased except by His decree.

وَاللّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ



And Allah is All-Seer of what you do.

for His knowledge and vision encompasses all His creation and none of their affairs ever escapes Him.

Allah's statement,

وَلَيِن قُتِلْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ