Al-Qur'an Surah 'Abasa Verse 23

Mufti Taqi Usmani

No! He has not yet fulfilled what He (Allah) had commanded him.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

But no! They have failed to comply with what He ordered.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Yet he has not fulfilled what He commanded him.

A. J. Arberry

No indeed! Man has not accomplished His bidding.

Abdul Haleem

Yet mandoes not fulfil God’s commands.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

By no means He performed not that which He had commanded him.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

By no means hath he fulfilled what Allah hath commanded him.

Abul Ala Maududi

Nay, but man did not fulfil what Allah had enjoined upon him.

Ahmed Ali

But no. He has not fulfilled what was enjoined on him.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Not one – he has not yet completed what he was commanded.

Ali Quli Qarai

No indeed! He has not yet carried out what He has commanded him.

Ali Ünal

No indeed! Human has not fulfilled what God enjoined on him.

Amatul Rahman Omar

It cannot be (that there is no resurrection;) he has not yet carried out what He commanded him to do.

English Literal

No/but he did not (E) accomplish/execute what He ordered/commanded him.

Faridul Haque

Not one – he has not yet completed what he was commanded.

Hamid S. Aziz

Nay; but man has not done that which He bade him.

Hilali & Khan

Nay, but (man) has not done what He commanded him.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Then let man look at his food --

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Nay; but he has not done what He bade him.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Nay, but (man) hath not done what He commanded him.

Muhammad Sarwar

Certainly, he has not duly fulfilled His commands.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Indeed, he has not fulfilled that which He has ordered him.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Nay, but has not done what He commanded him.

Wahiduddin Khan

Yet man declines to do His bidding.

Talal Itani

But no, he did not fulfill what He has commanded him.

Tafsir jalalayn

No indeed! Verily, he has not accomplished, he has not done, what He, his Lord, commanded him, to [do].

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Nay, but has not done what He commanded him.

Ibn Jarir said,

"Allah is saying, `Nay, the matter is not as this disbelieving man says. He claims that he has fulfilled Allah's right upon him regarding himself and his wealth.
لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَأ أَمَرَهُ
But he has not done what He commanded him.

Allah is saying that man has not fulfilled for his Lord the obligations that were imposed upon him."

What seems apparent to me of its actual meaning -- and Allah knows best -- is that the Ayah

ثُمَّ إِذَا شَأءَ أَنشَرَهُ

Then when it is His will, He will resurrect him.

means, He will resurrect him.

كَلَّ لَمَّا يَقْضِ مَأ أَمَرَهُ

Nay! But he has not done what He commanded him.

means, He has not done it (resurrected them) as of yet, until the time period has expired and the extent of the earthly life of humanity is complete, according to the lives of all whom Allah has written it to exist from the time they are brought into existence into the world. Verily, Allah has decreed the existence of mankind, and its duration, therefore, when that is finished with Allah, He resurrects the creatures and repeats their creation just as He initially created them.
The Growth of the Seed and Other Things is a Proof of Life after Death

Then Allah says;

فَلْيَنظُرِ الاِْنسَانُ إِلَى طَعَامِهِ