Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Muzzammil Verse 17

Mufti Taqi Usmani

So, if you disbelieve, how will you save yourself from a day that will turn the small boys into grey-headed old men,

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

If you ˹pagans˺ persist in disbelief, then how will you guard yourselves against ˹the horrors of˺ a Day which will turn children’s hair grey?

Ruwwad Translation Center

If you disbelieve, then how will you protect yourselves against a Day that will turn children’s hair gray?

A. J. Arberry

If therefore you disbelieve, how will you guard yourselves against a day that shall make the children grey-headed?

Abdul Haleem

So if you disbelieve, how can you guard yourselves against a Day that will turn children’s hair grey,

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

How then, if ye disbelieve, shall ye escape, on a Day which shall make children grey-headed.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Then how shall ye, if ye deny (Allah), guard yourselves against a Day that will make children hoary-headed?-

Abul Ala Maududi

If you persist in disbelieving, how will you guard yourself against the (woe of the) Day that will turn children grey-haired,

Ahmed Ali

How then, if you disbelieve, will you preserve yourselves on the day which will even turn the children hoary?

Ahmed Raza Khan

So how will you save yourselves, if you disbelieve, on a day that will turn children old?

Ali Quli Qarai

So, if you disbelieve, how will you avoid the day, which will make children white-headed,

Ali Ünal

Then how will you, if you persist in unbelief, guard yourselves against a Day which will turn the children gray-headed?

Amatul Rahman Omar

But if you also disobey (the Messenger sent to you), how will you then guard yourselves from the (calamity of the) day which will turn (even) children (prematurely) gray-headed.

English Literal

So how (do) you fear and obey (avoid), if you disbelieved (in) a day it makes the children/new borns white or gray haired (old)?

Faridul Haque

So how will you save yourselves, if you disbelieve, on a day that will turn children old?

Hamid S. Aziz

How, then, will you guard yourselves, if you disbelieve, on the day which shall make children grey-headed (with stress)?

Hilali & Khan

Then how can you avoid the punishment, if you disbelieve, on a Day that will make the children grey-headed (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)?

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Surely this is a Reminder; so let him who will, take a way to his Lord.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

How, then, will you guard yourselves, if you disbelieve, on the day which shall make children grey-headed?

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Then how, if ye disbelieve, will ye protect yourselves upon the day which will turn children grey,

Muhammad Sarwar

If you, disbelieve, how will you be able to protect yourselves from the hardships of the day which would even turn children grey-headed?

Qaribullah & Darwish

If you disbelieve, how will you guard yourself against the Day that will make children gray haired,

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Then how can you protect yourselves from the punishment, if you disbelieve, on a Day that will make the children gray-headed

Wahiduddin Khan

If you persist in denying the truth how will you escape the Day that will turn the children's hair grey.

Talal Itani

So how will you, if you persist in unbelief, save yourself from a Day which will turn the children gray-haired?

Tafsir jalalayn

So, if you disbelieve, in this world, how will you guard against a day (yawman is the direct object of tattaqna, `you guard against') that is, against the chastisement thereof, by what defence will you defend yourselves against the chastisement of a day, that will make the children grey-haired (shb is the plural of ashyab) by the severity of its terrors, this being the Day of Resurrection (the shn of shb should actually have a damma, but it is given a kasra because of its [phonetic] affinity with the y') -- a distressing day is described as being `a day that makes the forelocks of children turn grey', which is [usually] understood figuratively; but it may be that in the case of this verse it is meant literally --

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Then how can you protect yourselves from the punishment, if you disbelieved, on a Day that will make the children gray-headed?

Ibn Jarir quoted in the recitation of Ibn Mas`ud;

"How can you, O people, fear a Day that makes the children grey-headed, if you disbelieve in Allah and do not testify to Him"

So the first interpretation would mean,

- `how can you attain safety for yourselves from the Day of this great horror if you disbelieve'

It could imply the meaning,

- `how can you all attain piety if you disbelieve in the Day of Judgement and reject it.'

Both of these meanings are good. However, the first interpretation is closer to the truth. And Allah knows best.

The meaning of Allah's statement,

يَوْمًا يَجْعَلُ الْوِلْدَانَ شِيبًا


On a Day that will make the children gray-headed, is that this will happen due to the severity of its horrors, its earth- quakes and its disturbing confusion. This is when Allah will say to Adam,

"Send a group to the Fire."

Adam will say, "How many"

Allah will then reply, "From every thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine to the Fire, and one to Paradise."

Then Allah says