Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Jinn Verse 8

Mufti Taqi Usmani

and that we sought (to reach) the sky, but we found it filled with stern guards and flames,

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

˹Earlier˺ we tried to reach heaven ˹for news˺, only to find it filled with stern guards and shooting stars.[[ Some jinn used to eavesdrop on the heaven, then pass on what they heard to fortune-tellers. But this practice came to an end once Muḥammad (ﷺ) was sent as a messenger with the Quran. ]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

We have sought to reach the heaven but found it filled with stern guards and flaming fire.

A. J. Arberry

And we stretched towards heaven, but we found it filled with terrible guards and meteors.

Abdul Haleem

We tried to reach heaven, but discovered it to be full of stern guards and shooting stars––

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And we sought to reach the heaven; then we found it filled with a strong guard and darting meteors.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

'And we pried into the secrets of heaven; but we found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires.

Abul Ala Maududi

and that “we tried to pry (the secrets of) the heaven, but we found it full of terrible guards and shooting meteors”;

Ahmed Ali

We sought to pry into the secrets of the heavens, but found it full of fierce guards and shooting flames.

Ahmed Raza Khan

‘And we reached the sky, so we found it strongly guarded and filled with comets.’

Ali Quli Qarai

Indeed we made for the heaven and found it full of mighty sentries and flames.

Ali Ünal

‘But now when we sought to reach heaven, we found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires (shooting-stars).

Amatul Rahman Omar

"And we (- the non-Arab Jews, the jinn who had listened to the Qur´ân, as diviners and astrologers) had primarily sought to probe the secrets of space above but we found it teeming with strong guards and shooting stars (a phenomenon which generally occurs before the advent of a divine Reformer).

English Literal

`And that we, we touched the sky/space, so we found it filled (with) strong guards, and all lights from a fire source/stars/planets (shooting stars) .`

Faridul Haque

‘And we reached the sky, so we found it strongly guarded and filled with comets.’

Hamid S. Aziz

"And we sought to reach heaven, but we found it filled with strong guards and flaming fires (or meteors).

Hilali & Khan

'And we have sought to reach the heaven; but found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And we know that we cannot escape Allah in the earth, nor can we escape Him by flight:

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And that we sought to reach heaven, but we found it filled with strong guards and flaming stars.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And (the Jinn who had listened to the Qur'an said): We had sought the heaven but had found it filled with strong warders and meteors.

Muhammad Sarwar

"We went near the heavens but found it to be full of strong guards and shooting flames.

Qaribullah & Darwish

(The jinn continued saying): "We made our way towards heaven, but we found it filled with stern guards and a flame.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

`And we have sought to reach the heaven; but we found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires.'

Wahiduddin Khan

We sought to reach heaven, but found it filled with strong guards and flames --

Talal Itani

We probed the heaven, and found it filled with stern guards and projectiles.

Tafsir jalalayn

The jinn say; And we made for the heaven, we desired to listen by stealth, but we found it filled with mighty guards, from among the angels, and meteors, scorching stars; this was at the time of the sending of the Prophet (s).

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Jinns stealing Information from the Sky before the the Messenger was sent and striking Them with flaming Fire after His Coming

Allah informs about the Jinns when He sent His Messenger Muhammad and revealed the Qur'an to him. Among the ways He protected it (the Qur'an) was by filling sky with stern guards guarding it from all of its sides. The devils were then expelled from the places where they used to sit prior to that. This was so that they could not steal anything from the Qur'an and tell it to the soothsayers, thereby causing matters to be confused and mixed up. If this happened it would not be known who was being truthful. Allah did this out of His kindness to His creation, His mercy upon His servants and His protection of His Mighty Book (the Qur'an). This is why the Jinns said,

وَأَنَّا لَمَسْنَا السَّمَاء فَوَجَدْنَاهَا مُلِيَتْ حَرَسًا شَدِيدًا وَشُهُبًا




وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ فَمَن يَسْتَمِعِ الاْأنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهَابًا رَّصَدًا