Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa Verse 78

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Wherever you will be, Death will overtake you, even though you are in fortified castles.” If some good comes to them, they say, “This is from Allah.” But if some evil visits them, they say, “This is from you.” Say, “All is from Allah.” So, what is wrong with these people, they do not seem to understand anything?

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Wherever you may be, death will overcome you—even if you were in fortified towers.” When something good befalls them, they say, “This is from Allah,” but when something evil befalls them, they say, “This is from you.” Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Both have been destined by Allah.” So what is the matter with these people? They can hardly comprehend anything!

Ruwwad Translation Center

Wherever you are, death will overcome you, even if you are in fortified towers.” If something good happens to them, they say, “This is from Allah,” but if something bad happens to them, they say, “This is from you.” Say, “All is from Allah.” What is wrong with these people that they hardly understand any word?

A. J. Arberry

Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, though you should be in raised-up towers. And if a good thing visits them, they say, 'This is from God'; but if an evil thing visits them, they say, 'This is from thee.' Say: 'Everything is from God.' How is it with this people? They scarcely understand any tiding.

Abdul Haleem

Death will overtake you no matter where you may be, even inside high towers.’ When good fortune comes their way, they say, ‘This is from God,’ but when harm befalls them, they say, ‘This is from you [Prophet].’ Say to them, ‘Both come from God.’ What is the matter with these people that they can barely understand what they are told?

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Wheresoever ye may be, death shall overtake you, even though ye be in fortresses plastered. And if there betideth them some good, they say: this is from God. And if there betideth them some ill, they say: this is because of thee. Say thou: everything is from Allah. What aileth then this people, that well-nigh they understand not any speech

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

"Wherever ye are, death will find you out, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high!" If some good befalls them, they say, "This is from Allah"; but if evil, they say, "This is from thee" (O Prophet). Say; "All things are from Allah." But what hath come to these people, that they fail to understand a single fact?

Abul Ala Maududi

Wherever you might be, death will overtake you even though you be in massive towers. And when some good happens to them, they say: 'This is from Allah'; whereas when some misfortune befalls them, they say: 'This is because of you'. Say: 'All is from Allah.' What has happened to this people that they seem to understand nothing?

Ahmed Ali

Death will overtake you wheresoever you be, even in the mightiest of towers. Yet if some good comes their way they say: "It is from God;" and if it is evil that befalls them, they say: "It is indeed from you." Say to them: "Every thing is from God." O, what has come upon the people that even this they fail to understand!

Ahmed Raza Khan

Death will come to you wherever you may be, even if you were in strong fortresses; if some good reaches them they say, “This is from Allah”; and if any misfortune reaches them, they say, “This is from you”; say, “Everything is from Allah”; what is wrong with these people, that they do not seem to understand anything?

Ali Quli Qarai

Wherever you may be death will overtake you, even if you were in fortified towers.’ If any good befalls them, they say, ‘This is from Allah;’ and when an ill befalls them, they say, ‘This is from you.’ Say, ‘All is from Allah.’ What is the matter with these people that they would not understand any matter?

Ali Ünal

Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even though you be in towers built up strong and high. Yet, when some good happens to them, they say: "This is from God;" and when an evil befalls them, they say: "This is because of you." Say: "All is from God." But how is it with these people that they do not grasp the truth of anything said (or anything that has happened)!

Amatul Rahman Omar

Death will overtake you wherever you may be, even if you be in strongly built castles. And if any good occurs to them (- to the hypocrites) they say, `This is from Allâh´ and if evil befalls them they say, `This is from you.´ Say, `Everything is from Allâh.´ What is the matter with these people that they hardly understand (anything)?

English Literal

Wherever you are, the death catches up/reaches you , and (even) if you were in towers/castles/constellations built/erected , and if a goodness strikes them, they say: "This (is) from at God." And if a sin/crime (harm) strikes them, they say: "This (is) from at you." Say: "All/each (are) from at God, so how those the nation, they almost do not understand an information/speech?"

Faridul Haque

Death will come to you wherever you may be, even if you were in strong fortresses; if some good reaches them they say, "This is from Allah"; and if any misfortune reaches them, they say, "This is from you"; say, "Everything is from Allah"; what is wrong with these people, that they do not seem to understand anything?

Hamid S. Aziz

Whoever obeys the Messenger he has obeyed Allah; and he who turns away - We have not sent you as a warder over them.

Hilali & Khan

"Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!" And if some good reaches them, they say, "This is from Allah," but if some evil befalls them, they say, "This is from you (O Muhammad SAW)." Say: "All things are from Allah," so what is wrong with these people that they fail to understand any word?

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Has thou not seen those to whom it was said: Withhold your hands, and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate. But when fighting is prescribed for them, lo! a party of them fear men as they ought to fear Allah, or with a greater fear, and say: Our Lord, why has Thou ordained fighting for us? Wouldst Thou not grant us respite to a near term? Say: The enjoyment of this world is short, and the Hereafter is better for him who keeps his duty. And you shall not be wronged a whit.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Wherever you are, death will overtake you, though you are in lofty towers, and if a benefit comes to them, they say: This is from Allah; and if a misfortune befalls them, they say: This is from you. Say: All is from Allah, but what is the matter with these people that they do not make approach to understanding what is told (them)?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Wheresoever ye may be, death will overtake you, even though ye were in lofty towers. Yet if a happy thing befalleth them they say: This is from Allah; and if an evil thing befalleth them they say: This is of thy doing (O Muhammad). Say (unto them): All is from Allah. What is amiss with these people that they come not nigh to understand a happening?

Muhammad Sarwar

Wherever you are, death will find you even if you hide yourselves in firmly constructed towers. Whenever people experience good fortune, they say that it is from God but whenever they experience misfortune, they say it is because of you, (Muhammad). Tell them, "Everything is from God." What is wrong with these people that they do not even try to understand?

Qaribullah & Darwish

Wherever you are, death will overtake you, even if you shall be in the fortified, high towers' If bounty reaches them, they say: 'This is from Allah' but when evil hits them, they say: 'This is from you' Say to them: 'All is from Allah' What is the matter with this people that they scarcely understand any statement.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

"Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!" And if some good reaches them, they say, "This is from Allah," but if some evil befalls them, they say, "This is from you." Say: "All things are from Allah," so what is wrong with these people that they fail to understand any word

Wahiduddin Khan

Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you be in strongly built towers." If some good befalls them, they say, "This is from God," and if ill befalls them, they say, "This is from you." Tell them, "All is from God." But what is wrong with these people that they fail to understand anything?

Talal Itani

Wherever you may be, death will catch up with you, even if you were in fortified towers. When a good fortune comes their way, they say, “This is from God.” But when a misfortune befalls them, they say, “This is from you.” Say, “All is from God.” So what is the matter with these people, that they hardly understand a thing?

Tafsir jalalayn

Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, though you should be in raised-up, lofty, towers', forts, so do not shrink from fighting for fear of death. And if a good thing, such as fertility and abundance, befalls them, the Jews, they say, `This is from God'; but if an evil thing, such as drought or misfortune, befalls them, as it did with them when the Prophet (s) arrived in Medina, they say, `This is from you', O Muhammad (s), that is, from the bad luck [you bring]. Say, to them; `Everything, good and evil, is from God.' What is wrong with this people that they do not understand, that is, they do not come close to comprehending, any words, delivered to them (the m, `what' [of m li-h'l', `what is wrong with these'] is an interrogative intended to provoke amazement at their extreme ignorance; to state that one cannot even come close to doing something is [rhetorically] more intense than saying that he cannot do it).

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُواْ يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ



Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you,

meaning, you shall certainly die and none of you shall ever escape death.

Allah said,

كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ

Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish) (55;26)

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَايِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ

Everyone shall taste death. (21;35)

and,

وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ

And We granted not to any human being immortality before you. (21;24)

Therefore, every soul shall taste death and nothing can save any person from it, whether he performed Jihad or not. Everyone has an appointed time, and a limited term of life.

In the illness that preceded his death, Khalid bin Al-Walid said, while in his bed,

"I participated in so and so number of battles, and every part of my body sustained an injury due to a stab or a shot. Yet here I am, I die in my bed! Let not the eyes of the cowards ever taste sleep."

Allah's statement,

وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ

even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!

means, entrenched, fortified, high and towering. No caution or fortification can ever avert death.
The Hypocrites Sense a Bad Omen Because of the Prophet!

Allah said,

وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ حَسَنَةٌ

And if some good reaches them,

meaning, fertile years and provision of fruits, produce, children, etc., as said by Ibn Abbas, Abu Al-Aliyah and As-Suddi.

يَقُولُواْ هَـذِهِ مِنْ عِندِ اللّهِ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّيَةٌ

they say, "This is from Allah," but if some evil befalls them,

drought, famine, shortages of fruits and produce, death that strikes their children or animals, and so forth, as Abu Al-`Aliyah and As-Suddi stated.

يَقُولُواْ هَـذِهِ مِنْ عِندِكَ

they say, "This is from you,"

meaning, because of you and because we followed you and embraced your religion.

Allah said about the people of Fir`awn,

فَإِذَا جَأءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ قَالُواْ لَنَا هَـذِهِ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّيَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُواْ بِمُوسَى وَمَن مَّعَهُ

But whenever good came to them, they said;"Ours is this." And if evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Musa and those with him. (7;131)

Allah said,

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ

And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were upon the edge (i. e. in doubt). (22;11)

The same is the statement uttered by the hypocrites, who embraced Islam outwardly, but disliked it inwardly. This is why when a calamity befell them, they attributed it to following the Prophet.

Consequently, Allah revealed,

قُلْ كُلًّ مِّنْ عِندِ اللّهِ

Say;All things are from Allah,

Allah's statement that all things are from Him means, everything occurs by the decision and decree of Allah, and His decision shall come to pass for both the righteous and the wicked, the faithful and the disbelievers.

فَمَا لِهَـوُلاء الْقَوْمِ لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفْقَهُونَ حَدِيثًا



so what is wrong with these people that they fail to understand any word!

Allah then said while addressing His Messenger, but referring to mankind in general