Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

And take not your oaths as a deception between you lest a foot slip after its being firm and you taste evil for turning away from the path of God, and for you there be a great punishment.

وَلَا تَتَّخِذُٓوا اَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلاً بَيْنَكُمْ فَتَزِلَّ قَدَمٌ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِهَا وَتَذُوقُوا السُّٓوءَ بِمَا صَدَدْتُمْ عَنْ سَب۪يلِ اللّٰهِۚ وَلَكُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظ۪يمٌ
Wala tattakhithoo aymanakumdakhalan baynakum fatazilla qadamun baAAda thubootiha watathooqooassoo-a bima sadadtum AAan sabeeli Allahiwalakum AAathabun AAatheem
#wordmeaningroot
1walāAnd (do) not
2tattakhidhūtakeاخذ
3aymānakumyour oathsيمن
4dakhalan(as) a deceptionدخل
5baynakumbetween youبين
6fatazillalest, should slipزلل
7qadamuna footقدم
8baʿdaafterبعد
9thubūtihāit is firmly plantedثبت
10watadhūqūand you would tasteذوق
11l-sūathe evilسوا
12bimāfor what
13ṣadadttumyou hinderedصدد
14ʿanfrom
15sabīli(the) wayسبل
16l-lahi(of) Allah
17walakumand for you
18ʿadhābun(is) a punishmentعذب
19ʿaẓīmungreatعظم
  • Aisha Bewley

    Do not make your oaths a means of deceiving one another or your foot will slip after it was firmly placed and you will taste evil for barring access to the Way of Allah and you will have a terrible punishment.

  • Progressive Muslims

    And do not use your oaths as a means of deception between you, that a foot will falter after it had been firm, and you will taste the evil of turning away from the path of God, and you will have a great retribution.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    Do not abuse the oaths among you. When you make pledges with people or sign treaties with other nations, be not deceitful. If you did that, you would be hindering people from the Path of Allah. And, you will lose the confidence of people and nations. Your feet will slip after being firmly planted and you will suffer a heavy punishment.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    And take not your oaths as a deception between you lest a foot slip after its being firm and you taste evil for turning away from the path of God, and for you there be a great punishment.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    And do not use your oaths as a means of deception between you, that a foot will slip after it has been made firm, and you will taste the evil of turning away from the path of God, and you will have a great retribution.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    Do not use your oaths as a means of deception between you, that a foot will falter after it had been firm, and you will taste the evil of turning away from the path of God, and you will have a great retribution.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Do not abuse the oaths among you, lest you slide back after having a strong foothold, then you incur misery. Such is the consequence of repelling from the path of GOD (by setting a bad example); you incur a terrible retribution.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    So do not make your oaths a means of deceiving one another, lest your foot should slip after having found its hold, and you taste of evil for having hindered (others) from the way of God, and suffer a grievous punishment.

  • Sahih International (Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley)

    And do not take your oaths as deceit between you, lest a foot slip after it was firm, and you would taste evil for what you diverted from the way of Allah, and you would have a great punishment.

  • Muhammad Asad

    And do not use your oaths as a means of deceiving one another-or else foot will slip after having been firm, and then you will have to taste the evil of your having turned away from the path of God, with tremendous suffering awaiting you .

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Make not your oaths a deceit between you, lest a foot should slip after being firmly planted and ye should taste evil forasmuch as ye debarred (men) from the way of Allah, and yours should be an awful doom.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Do not make your oaths a means of deceiving one another or else your foot may slip after having been firm,* and you may suffer evil consequences because of hindering people from the way of Allah. A mighty chastisement awaits you.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    And do not carelessly use your oaths among yourselves to practise deception lest one's foot should slide and lose its hold after it has been holding in a stable position and you suffer the evil consequence for precluding Allah's spirit of truth from guiding into all truth and you suffer the torment laid upon the damned.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    When you promise something to somebody, take it seriously. Do not let your foot to slip (after having firmly held on the ground) and end up in misery. Such is the consequence of tempting people to leave the path of God. If you do so, an awful punishment will be waiting for you.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    And make not your oaths a means of deception among yourselves, lest a foot should slip after being firmly planted, and you may have to taste the evil (punishment in this world) of having hindered (men) from the Path of Allâh (i.e. Belief in the Oneness of Allâh and His Messenger, Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم), and yours will be a great torment (i.e. the Fire of Hell in the Hereafter).

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    And take not your oaths, to practise deception between yourselves, with the result that someone's foot may slip after it was firmly planted, and ye may have to taste the evil (consequences) of having hindered (men) from the Path of Allah, and a Mighty Wrath descend on you.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    And do not take your oaths as a means of deceiving one another or your feet will slip after they have been firm. Then you will taste the evil ˹consequences˺ of hindering ˹others˺ from the Way of Allah, and you will suffer a tremendous punishment.

  • Taqi Usmani

    Do not make your oaths a means of mischief among yourselves, lest a foot should slip after it is firmly placed, and you taste evil consequences for your having prevented (others) from the path of Allah, and you incur a great punishment.

  • Abdul Haleem

    Do not use your oaths to deceive each other lest any foot should slip after being firmly placed and lest you should taste the penalty for having hindered others from the path of God, and suffer terrible torment.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    Take not your oaths as mere mutual deceit, lest any foot should slip after it has stood firm, and you should taste evil, for that you barred from the way of God, and lest there should await you a mighty chastisement.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Take not therefore your oaths for mutual intrigue, lest a foot slip after being planted firmly, and ye taste of evil for that ye turned folks off the path of God, and for you there be mighty woe!

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    Take not therefore your oaths for mutual deceit, lest a foot slip after being planted firmly, and you taste of evil in that you turned folks off the path of Allah, and your s should be a mighty doom.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    And do not take to yourselves your oaths fraudulently among yourselves for that a foot should slide back after firm (steadiness) and you should taste the odious (reward) for that you barred from the way of Allah; and you will have a tremendous torment.

  • George Sale

    Therefore take not your oaths between you deceitfully, lest your foot slip, after it hath been stedfastly fixed, and ye taste evil in this life, for that ye have turned aside from the way of God; and ye suffer a grievous punishment in the life to come.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    And do not make your promises to (hide the) acts of dishonesty (and deception) between yourselves, with the effect that someone's foot may slip after it was firmly placed, and you may have to taste the evil (penalty) for having blocked (men) from the Path of Allah, and the mighty Anger (of Allah) come upon you.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Do not use your oaths to deceive one another or you will lose your foothold (again) after having gained stability and you will suffer evil consequences for your barring (the people) from (following) Allâh's way and for forsaking the path of Allâh and you shall receive great punishment.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    Do not make your oaths a means of deceit among yourselves lest feet should stumble after being steady and you suffer ill for barring from the way of Allah and there be a great punishment for you.