Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

Hast thou not considered thy Lord, how He spread the shadow? And had He willed, He would have made it still. Then We made the sun its guide;

اَلَمْ تَرَ اِلٰى رَبِّكَ كَيْفَ مَدَّ الظِّلَّۚ وَلَوْ شَٓاءَ لَجَعَلَهُ سَاكِناًۚ ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَا الشَّمْسَ عَلَيْهِ دَل۪يلاًۙ
Alam tara ila rabbika kayfa madda aththillawalaw shaa lajaAAalahu sakinan thumma jaAAalnaashshamsa AAalayhi daleela
#wordmeaningroot
1alamDo you not
2taraseeراي
3ilā[to]
4rabbikayour Lordربب
5kayfahowكيف
6maddaHe extendsمدد
7l-ẓilathe shadowظلل
8walawAnd if
9shāaHe willedشيا
10lajaʿalahusurely He (could) have made itجعل
11sākinanstationaryسكن
12thummaThen
13jaʿalnāWe madeجعل
14l-shamsathe sunشمس
15ʿalayhifor it
16dalīlanan indicationدلل
  • Aisha Bewley

    Do you not see how your Lord stretches out shadows? If He had wished He could have made them stationary. Then We appoint the sun to be the pointer to them.

  • Progressive Muslims

    Did you not see to your Lord how He casts the shadow And if He wished, He could have made it still, then We would have made the sun as a guide to it.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    Are you not aware of your Lord by His Works? - How He spread the shade. And if He Willed, He could have made it still! Then We have made the sun its pilot. (He could have designed the Solar System differently with the earth remaining stationary).

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    Hast thou not considered thy Lord, how He spread the shadow? And had He willed, He would have made it still. Then We made the sun its guide;

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    Didyou not see to your Lord how He casts the shadow? And if He wished, He could have made it still, then We would have made the sun as a guide to it.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    Did you not see to your Lord how He casts the shadow? If He wished, He could have made it still, then We would have made the sun as a guide to it.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Have you not seen how your Lord designed the shadow? If He willed, He could have made it fixed, then we would have designed the sun accordingly.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Have you not seen how your Lord lengthens out the shadow? He could have kept it motionless if He liked. Yet We make the sun its pilot to show the way.

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

    Have you not considered your Lord - how He extends the shadow, and if He willed, He could have made it stationary? Then We made the sun for it an indication.

  • Muhammad Asad

    Art thou not aware of thy Sustainer ? - how He causes the shadow to lengthen when, had He so willed, He could indeed have made it stand still: but then, We have made the sun its guide;

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Hast thou not seen how thy Lord hath spread the shade - And if He willed He could have made it still - then We have made the sun its pilot;

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Have you not seen how your Lord spreads the shade? If He will, He could have made it stationary; instead, We have made the sun its pilot.*

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    Do you not see how Allah, your Creator, prolonged and lengthened the shadow of any object intercepting the sun or other luminary! Had He willed He would have made it still, and We made the sun the indication asserting the phenomenon, its presence and its dimensions

  • Bijan Moeinian

    Have you not seen how your Lord spreads the shadow? Had He willed, He would have made it constant. But I have decided to make the sun its pilot.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    Have you not seen how your Lord spread the shadow. If He willed, He could have made it still - But We have made the sun its guide (i.e. after the sunrise, the shadow shrinks and vanishes at midnoon and then again appears in the afternoon with the decline of the sun, and had there been no sunlight, there would have been no shadow).

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Hast thou not turned thy vision to thy Lord?- How He doth prolong the shadow! If He willed, He could make it stationary! then do We make the sun its guide;

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    Have you not seen how your Lord extends the shade—He could have simply made it ˹remain˺ still if He so willed—then We make the sun its guide,

  • Taqi Usmani

    Have you not observed how your Lord stretched out the shadow (of the sun)? If He so willed, He would have made it stand still. Then We made the sun an indicator for it.

  • Abdul Haleem

    Do you not see how your Lord lengthens the shade? If He had willed, He could have made it stand still- We made the sun its indicator-

  • Arthur John Arberry

    Hast thou not regarded thy Lord, how He has stretched out the shadow? Had He willed, He would have made it still. Then We appointed the sun, to be a guide to it;

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Hast thou not looked to thy Lord how He prolongs the shadow? but had He willed He would have made it stationary; then we make the sun a guide thereto,

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are but like the cattle, nay, they are further astray in the path.

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    Have you not regarded your Lord, how He has extended the shade? And if He had so decided, He would indeed have made it still. Thereafter We made the sun a constant indicator of it.

  • George Sale

    Dost thou not consider the works of thy Lord, how He stretcheth forth the shadow before sun-rise? If he had pleased, he would have made it immovable for ever. Then We cause the sun to rise, and to shew the same;

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    Have you not turned your sight (and thoughts) towards your Lord? How He pulls the shadow (longer during the evenings and mornings)! If He willed, He could make it fixed! Then We make the sun its guide (as it lengthens);

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Do you not see (the wonderful doing of) your Lord how He stretches the shadow? If He had pleased He could have made it still. Not only that (We stretch the shadow) We make (the position of) the sun its indicator.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    Have you not regarded how your Lord spreads the twilight? (Had He wished He would have made it still. ) Then We made the sun a beacon for it.