Al-Qur'an Surah Ghafir Verse 78

Mufti Taqi Usmani

We had sent messengers before you. Among them there are those whose history We have narrated to you, and of them there are those whose history We did not narrate to you. And it is not up to a messenger that he could come up with a sign without permission from Allah. So, when the command of Allah will come, matters will stand decided justly, and on that occasion all adherents of falsehood will turn into losers.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

We already sent messengers before you. We have told you the stories of some of them, while others We have not. It was not for any messenger to bring a sign without Allah’s permission. But when Allah’s decree comes, judgment will be passed with fairness, and the people of falsehood will then be in ˹total˺ loss.

Ruwwad Translation Center

We have sent messengers before you; of them are some whose stories We have told you, and some We have not. It was not for a messenger to bring a sign except with Allah’s permission. But when the decree of Allah comes, judgment will be passed with justice, thereupon the people of falsehood will be in utter loss.

A. J. Arberry

We sent Messengers before thee; of some We have related to thee, and some We have not related to thee. It was not for any Messenger to bring a sign, save by God's leave. When God's command comes, justly the issue shall be decided; then the vain-doers shall be lost.

Abdul Haleem

We have sent other messengers before you- some We have mentioned to you and some We have not- and no messenger could bring about a sign except with God’s permission. When [the Day] God ordained comes, just judgement will be passed between them: there and then, those who followed falsehood will be lost.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Assuredly We have sent apostlesy before thee, of them are these whose store We have recounted Unto thee and these whose story We have net recounted Unto thee. And it was not possible for anv apostle that he should bring a sign san by Allah's leave. So when the commade of Allah cometh, judgment will be given with truth, and then will lose the followers of falsehood.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

We did aforetime send messengers before thee; of them there are some whose story We have related to thee, and some whose story We have not related to thee. It was not (possible) for any messenger to bring a sign except by the leave of Allah; but when the Command of Allah issued, the matter was decided in truth and justice, and there perished, there and then those who stood on Falsehoods.

Abul Ala Maududi

Indeed We sent many Messengers before you: of them there are some whose account We have narrated to you and there are others whose account We have not narrated to you. It did not lie in any Messenger's power to bring any Sign except with Allah's leave. So when Allah's decree came, the matter was decided with justice, and those steeped in error courted utter loss, then and there.

Ahmed Ali

Surely We have sent apostles before you, some of whose account We have related to you, and that of some We have not told you. But no apostle was given a miracle unless God dispensed. But when the decree of God comes the sentence is passed with justice; and the lovers of vice and vanity will then come to grief.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Indeed We sent many Noble Messengers before you, so We have related to you the affairs of some among them, and not related the affairs of some; and no Noble Messenger has the right to bring any sign except with the command of Allah; so the time when the command of Allah comes, the true judgement will be delivered and there will the people of falsehood be ruined.

Ali Quli Qarai

Certainly We have sent apostles before you. Of them are those We have recounted to you, and of them are those We have not recounted to you. An apostle may not bring any sign except by Allah’s permission. Hence, when Allah’s edict comes, judgment is made with justice, and it is thence that the falsifiers become losers.

Ali Ünal

Indeed We sent Messengers before you; among them are those (the exemplary histories of) whom We have already related to you, and among them are those (the exemplary histories of) whom We have not related to you. It is not for a Messenger to bring forth a miracle except by God’s leave. Then, when God’s command is issued, it is judged with truth and justice, and those inventors of vain falsehoods (who associate partners with God and strive to disprove the truth) are brought to loss and ruin.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And indeed We have already sent (Our) Messengers before you. There are some of them whom We have mentioned to you and of them there are some whom We have not mentioned to you. And it is not given to a Messenger to bring a Message by himself except by the leave of Allâh. But when the judgment of Allâh comes to pass the issues are settled in all fairness, and it is then that who endeavour to nullify the truth suffer the loss.

English Literal

And We had (E) sent messengers from before you, from them whom We relayed/informed on (to) you, and from them whom We did not relay/inform on (to) you; and (it) was not to a messenger that (E) He comes345with an evidence/verse/sign except with God`s permission , so if God`s order/command came, judgment was passed/ordered with the truth , and at that place and time the wasters/falsifiers lost .

Faridul Haque

Indeed We sent many Noble Messengers before you, so We have related to you the affairs of some among them, and not related the affairs of some; and no Noble Messenger has the right to bring any sign except with the command of Allah; so the time when the command of Allah comes, the true judgement will be delivered and there will the people of falsehood be ruined.

Hamid S. Aziz

And certainly We sent messengers before you: there are some of them that We have mentioned to you and there are others whom We have not mentioned to you; and it was not meet for a messenger that he should bring a sign except with Allah´s permission, but when the command of Allah came, judgment was given with truth, and those who treated (it) as a lie (or followed vanities) were lost.

Hilali & Khan

And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you (O Muhammad SAW); of some of them We have related to you their story and of some We have not related to you their story, and it was not given to any Messenger that he should bring a sign except by the Leave of Allah. So, when comes the Commandment of Allah, the matter will be decided with truth, and the followers of falsehood will then be lost.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Therefore be patient, surely the promise of Allah is true. But whether We make thee see part of what We threaten them with, or cause thee to die, to Us shall they be returned.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And certainly We sent apostles before you: there are some of them that We have mentioned to you and there are others whom We have not mentioned to you, and it was not meet for an apostle that he should bring a sign except with Allah's permission, but when the command of Allah came, judgment was given with truth, and those who treated (it) as a lie were lost.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Verily We sent messengers before thee, among them those of whom We have told thee, and some of whom We have not told thee; and it was not given to any messenger that he should bring a portent save by Allah's leave, but when Allah's commandment cometh (the cause) is judged aright, and the followers of vanity will then be lost.

Muhammad Sarwar

We have told you the stories of some of Our Messengers whom We had sent before you and We have not told you the stories of some others. A Messenger is not supposed to show a miracle without the permission of God. When God's decree of punishment comes to pass, He will judge truthfully and the supporters of the falsehood will perish when God's decree of punishemnt comes to pass.

Qaribullah & Darwish

We sent other Messengers before you; of some, We have already told you, of others We have not told you. Yet it was not for any Messenger to bring a verse except by the permission of Allah. And when the command of Allah comes the matter will be justly decided; and the vaindoers will be lost.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you, of some of them We have related to you their story. And of some We have not related to you their story, and it was not given to any Messenger that he should bring a sign except by the leave of Allah. But, when comes the commandment of Allah, the matter will be decided with truth, and the followers of falsehood will then be lost.

Wahiduddin Khan

Before your time We sent other messengers: of them there are some whose story We have related to you, and some whose story We have not related to you. It was not [possible] for any messenger to bring a sign except by the leave of God: but when the command of God was issued, the matter was decided in truth and justice. There and then, those who stood on falsehoods perished.

Talal Itani

We sent messengers before you. Some of them We told you about, and some We did not tell you about. No messenger can bring a miracle except by leave of God. Then, when the command of God is issued, fair judgment will be passed, and there and then the seekers of vanity will lose.

Tafsir jalalayn

And verily We sent messengers before you. Of them are those whom We have recounted to you, and of them are those whom We have not recounted to you; it is reported that God, exalted be He, sent 8,000 prophets, 4,000 prophets [sent] from among the Children of Israel and [the other] 4,000 from among the remainder of mankind. And it was never [permitted] for any messenger, from among them, to bring a sign except with God's permission, for they are [also] servants enthralled [by Him]. Hence when God's command comes, for the chastisement to be sent down on the disbelievers, judgement, between the messengers and their deniers, is passed justly; and it is thence that the advocates of falsehood become losers, that is to say, [it is thence that] the judgement and the loss become manifest for mankind, although such [advocates of falsehood] will have always been losers always before that.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلً مِّن قَبْلِكَ مِنْهُم مَّن قَصَصْنَا عَلَيْكَ



And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you, of some of them We have related to you their story.

as Allah also says in Surah An-Nisa', meaning, `We have revealed the stories of some of them and how their people disbelieved in them, but the Messengers ultimately prevailed.'

وَمِنْهُم مَّن لَّمْ نَقْصُصْ عَلَيْكَ

And of some We have not related to you their story,

and they are many, many more than those whose stories have been told, as has been stated in Surah An-Nisa'.

Praise and blessings be to Allah.

وَمَا كَانَ لِرَسُولٍ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ بِأيَةٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ

and it was not given to any Messenger that he should bring a sign except by the leave of Allah.

means, none of the Prophets was able to bring miracles to his people except when Allah granted him permission to do that as a sign of the truth of the message he brought to them.

فَإِذَا جَاء أَمْرُ اللَّهِ

But, when comes the commandment of Allah,

means, His punishment and vengeance which will encompass the disbelievers,

قُضِيَ بِالْحَقِّ

the matter will be decided with truth,

so the believers will be saved and the disbelievers will be destroyed.

Allah says;

وَخَسِرَ هُنَالِكَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ



and the followers of falsehood will then be lost.