Al-Qur'an Surah Al-An'am Verse 137

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Similarly, their associate-gods have made the killing of their children seem fair to many mushriks (idolators), so that they may ruin them and may confuse their faith for them. Had Allah so willed, they would not have done that. So, leave them alone with what they fabricate.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Likewise, the pagans’ evil associates have made it appealing to them to kill their own children—only leading to their destruction as well as confusion in their faith. Had it been Allah’s Will, they would not have done such a thing. So leave them and their falsehood.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Similarly, the evil associates of the pagans have made the killing of their children appealing to them, in order to lead them to destruction and confuse them in their faith. If Allah had willed, they would not have done that. So leave them to their fabrications.

A. J. Arberry

Thus those associates of theirs have decked out fair to many idolaters to slay their children, to destroy them, and to confuse their religion for them. Had God willed, they would not have done so; so leave them to their forging.

Abdul Haleem

In the same way, their idols have induced many of the pagans to kill their own children, bringing them ruin and confusion in their faith: if God had willed otherwise they would not have done this, so [Prophet] leave them to their own devices.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And even so their associate-gods have made fair seeming unto many of the associaters the slaying of their offspring, so that they may cause them to perish and that they may confound unto them their religion. And had Allah so willed, they would not have done it. Wherefore let thou alone them and that which they fabricate.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Even so, in the eyes of most of the pagans, their "partners" made alluring the slaughter of their children, in order to lead them to their own destruction, and cause confusion in their religion. If Allah had willed, they would not have done so; But leave alone them and their inventions.

Abul Ala Maududi

And, likewise, the beings supposed to have a share in Allah's divinity have made the slaying of their offspring seem lawful to many of those who associate others with Allah in His divinity so that they may ruin them and confound them regarding their faith. If Allah had so willed, they would not have done that. Leave them alone to persist in their fabrication.

Ahmed Ali

In the same way have their companions shown many unbelievers the killing of their children as desirable in order to ruin them and falsify their faith. If God had so willed they would never have done so. Leave them to their falsehoods.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And similarly, their partners (the devils) have made the killing of their children seem righteous in the sight of many of the polytheists, in order to ruin them and make their religion blurred to them; and if Allah willed they would not do so, therefore leave them alone with their fabrications.

Ali Quli Qarai

That is how to most of the polytheists the slaying of their children is presented as decorous by those whom they ascribe as partners [to Allah], that they may ruin them and confound their religion for them. Had Allah wished, they would not have done it. So leave them with what they fabricate.

Ali Ünal

And, in the way they follow, their associate-deities (their association of partners with God or their idol-worshipping, and satans of jinn and humankind they obey) deck out the killing of their children as appealing to many among those who associate partners with God, so as to bring them to ruin and confound them in their religion. If God had so willed (if He had not decreed freedom of will to humankind, thus compelling them to act in a particular way like other beings), they would not be doing all this. So, leave them alone with what they have been fabricating.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Just (as their associate-gods turned the polytheists away from Allâh) so did they make (even so monstrous a deed as) the killing of their children seem fair to a large number of the polytheists, with the result that they ruin them and that they obscure for them their religion. And if Allâh had (enforced) His will they would not have done so, so leave them alone and that what they forge.

English Literal

And like that their partners (with God) decorated/beautified to many of the takers of partners (with God) killing/murdering their children, to make them be destroyed/perished , and to confuse/mix on them their religion, and if God willed/wanted they would not have done it, so leave them, and what they are fabricating .

Faridul Haque

And similarly, their partners (the devils) have made the killing of their children seem righteous in the sight of many of the polytheists, in order to ruin them and make their religion blurred to them; and if Allah willed they would not do so, therefore leave them alone with their fabrications.

Hamid S. Aziz

Even so, have their "partners" made seemly to many of the Pagans (idolaters), the killing of their children, leading them to their own destruction, and to the obscuration for them of their religion. If Allah willed they would not have done so. But leave them alone and their inventions.

Hilali & Khan

And so to many of the Mushrikun (polytheists - see V. 2:105) their (Allah's so-called) "partners" have made fair-seeming the killing of their children, in order to lead them to their own destruction and cause confusion in their religion. And if Allah had willed they would not have done so. So leave them alone with their fabrications.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And they set apart a portion for Allah out of what He has created of tilth and cattle, and say: This is for Allah -- so they assert -- and this for our associate-gods. Then that which is for their associate-gods reaches not Allah, and that which is for Allah reaches their associate-gods. Evil is what they judge.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And thus their associates have made fair seeming to most of the polytheists the killing of their children, that they may cause them to perish and obscure for them their religion; and if Allah had pleased, they would not have done it, therefore leave them and that which they forge.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Thus have their (so-called) partners (of Allah) made the killing of their children to seem fair unto many of the idolaters, that they may ruin them and make their faith obscure for them. Had Allah willed (it otherwise), they had not done so. So leave them alone with their devices.

Muhammad Sarwar

To many of the pagans, the murder of their children was made to seem attractive by the idols. This led them (the pagans) to confusion in their religion and to face their own destruction. Had God wanted, they would not have murdered their children. Keep away from them and their evil gains.

Qaribullah & Darwish

As such their associates made it attractive to the idolaters to kill their children so that they ruin them and confuse them about their religion. But had Allah willed, they would not have done so. Therefore, leave them to their false inventions.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And so to many of the idolators, their "partners" have made fair seeming the killing of their children, in order to lead them to their own destruction and cause confusion in their religion. And if Allah had willed, they would not have done so. So leave them alone with their fabrications.

Wahiduddin Khan

And in like manner, their associate gods have made killing their children seem fair to many pagans, so that they may ruin them and cause confusion in their religion. Had God pleased, they would not have done so; so leave them to their false inventions.

Talal Itani

Likewise, their idols entice many idolaters to kill their children, in order to lead them to their ruin, and confuse them in their religion. Had God willed, they would not have done it; so leave them to their fraud.

Tafsir jalalayn

And thus, in the same way that what is mentioned was adorned for them, those associates of theirs, from among the jinn, have adorned for many of the idolaters the slaying of their children, by burying them alive (shurak'uhum, `those associates of theirs', is read in the nominative as the subject of the verb zayyana, `adorned'; an alternative reading has the passive [zuyyina, `it has been adorned'], with qatlu, `the slaying', in the nominative [as the subject of this passive verb], awldahum, `their children', in the accusative on account of it [being the direct object of qatlu, `the slaying'], and shurak'ihim in the genitive as an annexation to qatlu, so that the object in this case intervenes between the two elements of the annexation [qatlu awldahum shurak'ihim, `their associates killing the children'] -- this is acceptable [syntactically] -- and the annexation of qatlu to shurak'ihim [in this latter reading] is on account of them [the associates] commanding [the idolaters to do] this), that they may destroy them and to confuse, to make obscure, their religion for them. Had God willed, they would not have done so; so leave them and that which they fabricate.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Shaytan Lured the Idolators to Kill Their Children

Allah says,

وَكَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَادِهِمْ شُرَكَأوُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُواْ عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ

And so to many of the idolators, their "partners" have made fair seeming the killing of their children, in order to lead them to their own destruction and cause confusion in their religion.

Allah says, just as the Shayatin lured the idolators to assign a share for Allah from what He created of agriculture and cattle - and a share for the idols, they also made it seem fair for them to kill their children, for fear of poverty, and burying their daughters alive, for fear of dishonor.

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn Abbas that he commented;
وَكَذَلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَادِهِمْ شُرَكَأوُهُمْ
(And so to many of the idolators, their "partners" have made fair seeming the killing of their children...).

"They make killing their children attractive to them."

Mujahid said,

"Idolators' partners among the devils ordered them to bury their children for fear of poverty."

As-Suddi said,

"The devils commanded them to kill their daughters so that they,
لِيُرْدُوهُمْ
(lead them to their own destruction), and to,
وَلِيَلْبِسُواْ عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ
(cause confusion in their religion)."

Allah said,

وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا فَعَلُوهُ

And if Allah had willed, they would not have done so.

meaning, all this occurred by Allah's leave, will and decree, but He dislikes these practices, and He has the perfect wisdom in every decree. He is never questioned about what He does, but they all will be questioned.

فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ



So leave them alone with their fabrications.

meaning, avoid and abandon them and what they do, for Allah will judge between you and them