Al-Qur'an Surah Fatir Verse 22

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And the living and the dead are not alike. Allah makes to hear whomsoever He wills. And you cannot make to hear those who are in the graves.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Nor are the dead and the living equal. Indeed, Allah ˹alone˺ makes whoever He wills hear, but you ˹O Prophet˺ can never make those in the graves hear ˹your call˺.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Nor are the living and the dead equal. Allah makes to hear whom He wills, but you cannot make to hear those who are in the graves.

A. J. Arberry

not equal are the living and the dead. God makes to hear whomsoever He will; thou canst not make those in their tombs to hear -

Abdul Haleem

nor are the living and the dead. God makes anyone He wills hear [His message]: you cannot make those in their graves hear.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Nor alike are the living and the dead. Verily Allah maketh whomsoever He listeth to hear and thou canst not make them hear who are in the graves.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Nor are alike those that are living and those that are dead. Allah can make any that He wills to hear; but thou canst not make those to hear who are (buried) in graves.

Abul Ala Maududi

nor are the living and the dead alike. Allah makes to hear whomsoever He wishes, but you, (O Prophet), cannot cause to hear those who are in their graves.

Ahmed Ali

Equal are not the living and the dead. Verily God makes those He will to listen; but you cannot make those hear who are in their graves.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And not equal are the living and the dead! Indeed Allah causes them to listen*, whomever He wills; and you cannot make those who are in the graves** listen. (* Listen to guidance **The disbelievers are referred to as dead, whose fates are sealed.)

Ali Quli Qarai

nor are the living equal to the dead. Indeed Allah makes whomever He wishes to hear, and you cannot make those who are in the graves hear you.

Ali Ünal

And nor are equal the living and the dead. Surely God makes hear whomever He wills; and you are not one to make hear those who are in the graves.

Amatul Rahman Omar

The (spiritually) living and the (spiritually) dead are not alike. Allâh causes to hear whom He will. But you cannot make those hear who are (lying buried) in the graves (of ignorance and prejudice).

English Literal

And (they) do not become equal/alike, the alive and nor the deads, that truly God makes whom He wills/wants hear/listen , and you are not with making whom (are) in the graves/burial places hear/listen.

Faridul Haque

And not equal are the living and the dead! Indeed Allah causes them to listen *, whomever He wills; and you cannot make those who are in the graves ** listen. (* Listen to guidance **The disbelievers are referred to as dead, whose fates are sealed.)

Hamid S. Aziz

Nor the shade and the heat,

Hilali & Khan

Nor are (alike) the living (believers) and the dead (disbelievers). Verily, Allah makes whom He will hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Nor the shade and the heat.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Neither are the living and the dead alike. Surely Allah makes whom He pleases hear, and you cannot make those hear who are in the graves.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Nor are the living equal with the dead. Lo! Allah maketh whom He will to hear. Thou canst not reach those who are in the graves.

Muhammad Sarwar

nor are the living and the dead. God makes to listen whomever He wants. (Muhammad), you cannot make people in the graves to listen.

Qaribullah & Darwish

nor are the living and the dead equal. Allah makes to hear whosoever He will, but you cannot make those who are in their graves hear.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Nor are the living and the dead. Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear, but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.

Wahiduddin Khan

nor are the living and the dead. God causes whom He will to hear Him, but you cannot make those who are in their graves hear you.

Talal Itani

Nor are equal the living and the dead. God causes whomever He wills to hear, but you cannot make those in the graves hear.

Tafsir jalalayn

nor are the living equal to the dead, the believers and the disbelievers [respectively] (the addition of the particle l, `nor', in all three instances is for emphasis). Indeed God makes to hear whomever He will, to be guided, so that such [a person] then responds to Him by embracing faith. But you cannot make those who are in the graves to hear, namely, the disbelievers -- whom He has likened to the dead -- [to hear] and so respond.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الاَْحْيَاء وَلَا الاَْمْوَاتُ

Not alike are the blind and the seeing. Nor are (depths of) darkness and light. Nor are the shade and the sun's heat. Nor are the living and the dead.

Allah says that these antonyms are clearly not equal, the blind and the seeing are not equal, there is a difference and a huge gap between them. Darkness and light are not equal, neither are shade and the sun's heat. By the same token, the living and the dead are not equal. This is the parable Allah makes of the believers who are the living, and the disbelievers who are the dead.

This is like the Ayat;

أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَـهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُورًا يَمْشِي بِهِ فِى النَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَـتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا كَذَلِكَ


Is he who was dead and We gave him life and set for him a light (of belief) whereby he can walk amongst men -- like him who is in the (depths of) darkness from which he can never come out. (6;122)

مَثَلُ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كَالاٌّعْمَى وَالاٌّصَمِّ وَالْبَصِيرِ وَالسَّمِيعِ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلً

The parable of the two parties is as that of the blind and the deaf and the seer and the hearer. Are they equal when compared? (11;24)

The believer sees and hears, and walks in the light upon a straight path in this world and the Hereafter, until he comes to settle in Gardens (Paradise) wherein is shade and springs.

The disbeliever is blind and deaf, walking in darkness from which he cannot escape, he is lost in his misguidance in this world and the Hereafter, until he ends up in fierce hot wind and boiling water, and shadow of black smoke, neither cool nor good.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُسْمِعُ مَن يَشَاء

Verily, Allah makes whom He wills to hear,

means. He guides them to listen to the proof and accept it and adhere it.

وَمَا أَنتَ بِمُسْمِعٍ مَّن فِي الْقُبُورِ



but you cannot make hear those who are in graves.

means, `just as the dead cannot benefit from guidance and the call to truth after they have died as disbelievers and ended up in the graves, so too you cannot help these idolators who are decreed to be doomed, and you cannot guide them.'

إِنْ أَنتَ إِلاَّ نَذِيرٌ