And had We willed, We would have raised him thereby; but he clung to the earth and followed his vain desire. So his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou win him over, he pants; or if thou leave him, he pants. That is the likeness of the people who deny Our proofs; so relate thou to them the story, that they might reflect.
| # | word | meaning | root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | walaw | And if | |
| 2 | shi'nā | We willed | شيا |
| 3 | larafaʿnāhu | surely, We (could) have raised him | رفع |
| 4 | bihā | with these | |
| 5 | walākinnahu | [and] but he | |
| 6 | akhlada | adhered | خلد |
| 7 | ilā | to | |
| 8 | l-arḍi | the earth | ارض |
| 9 | wa-ittabaʿa | and followed | تبع |
| 10 | hawāhu | his (vain) desires | هوي |
| 11 | famathaluhu | So his example | مثل |
| 12 | kamathali | (is) like (the) example | مثل |
| 13 | l-kalbi | (of) the dog | كلب |
| 14 | in | if | |
| 15 | taḥmil | you attack | حمل |
| 16 | ʿalayhi | [on] him | |
| 17 | yalhath | he lolls out his tongue | لهث |
| 18 | aw | or | |
| 19 | tatruk'hu | if you leave him | ترك |
| 20 | yalhath | he lolls out his tongue | لهث |
| 21 | dhālika | That | |
| 22 | mathalu | (is the) example | مثل |
| 23 | l-qawmi | (of) the people | قوم |
| 24 | alladhīna | who | |
| 25 | kadhabū | denied | كذب |
| 26 | biāyātinā | [in] Our Signs | ايي |
| 27 | fa-uq'ṣuṣi | So relate | قصص |
| 28 | l-qaṣaṣa | the story | قصص |
| 29 | laʿallahum | so that they may | |
| 30 | yatafakkarūna | reflect | فكر |
If We had wanted to, We would have raised him up by them. But he gravitated towards the earth and pursued his whims and base desires. His metaphor is that of a dog: if you chase it away, it lolls out its tongue and pants, and if you leave it alone, it lolls out its tongue and pants. That is the metaphor of those who deny Our Signs. So tell the story so that hopefully they will reflect.
Had We wished, We could have elevated him by it, but he stuck to the Earth and he followed his desire. His example is like the dog, if you scold him he pants, and if you leave him he pants; such is the example of the people who deny Our revelations. Relate the stories, perhaps they will think.
He could have raised himself in honor according to Our Laws, but he clung to the earth and followed his own desire. Therefore his likeness is as the likeness of a dog. Whether you pet him or scold him, he pants. Such is the example of people who deny Our Revelations in practice. (The Revelation of Allah lightens your burdens, while man-made dogmas burden you (7:157)). So relate this narration that they may reflect.
And had We willed, We would have raised him thereby; but he clung to the earth and followed his vain desire. So his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou win him over, he pants; or if thou leave him, he pants. That is the likeness of the people who deny Our proofs; so relate thou to them the story, that they might reflect.
And if We had wished, We could have raised him with it, but he stuck to the earth and he followed his desire. His example is like the dog, if you scold him he pants, and if you leave him he pants; such is the example of the people who deny Our revelations. So tell the stories, perhaps they will think.
Had We willed, We could have elevated him by it, but he stuck to the earth and he followed his wishful thinking. His example is like the dog; if you scold him he pants, and if you leave him he pants; such is the example of the people who deny Our signs. Relate the stories, perhaps they will think.
Had we willed, we could have elevated him therewith, but he insisted on sticking to the ground, and pursued his own opinions. Thus, he is like the dog; whether you pet him or scold him, he pants. Such is the example of people who reject our proofs. Narrate these narrations, that they may reflect.
We wished to exalt him, but he loved baseness and followed his lust. His likeness is that of a dog who hangs out his tongue if you drive him away, and still hangs it out if you leave him alone. Such is the case of the people who deny Our signs. Narrate this history to them; they may haply reflect.
And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought.
Now had We so willed, We could indeed have exalted him by means of those : but he always clung to the earth and followed but his own desires. Thus, his parable is that of an dog: if thou approach him threateningly, he will pant with his tongue lolling; and. if thou leave him alone, he will pant with his tongue lolling. Such is the parable of those who are bent on giving the lie to Our messages. Tell , then, this story, so that they might take thought.
And had We willed We could have raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust. Therefor his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou attackest him he panteth with his tongue out, and if thou leavest him he panteth with his tongue out. Such is the likeness of the people who deny Our revelations. Narrate unto them the history (of the men of old), that haply they may take thought.
Now had We so willed We could indeed have exalted him through those signs, but he clung to earthly life and followed his carnal desires. Thus his parable is that of the dog who lolls out his tongue whether you attack him or leave him alone.* Such is the parable of those who reject Our signs as false. Narrate to them these parables that they may reflect.
Had We willed We Would have opened his heart's ears and influenced him with the divine course of action, and thereby exalted his best faculties to the highest spiritual honours. But he chose to direct his intellect earthward, indulge in vanities and remain low. And there, he stood similitude exact of the dog which lolls his tongue whether you drive him away or you let him alone. This is exactly the similitude of those who deny Our revelations and signs betokening Omnipotence and Authority. Therefore, recourse O Muhammad to the narratives of such persons so that they may hopefully pause to think.
If I wanted, I could have elevated him by the means of those revelations. His choice was to stick to the world and follow his own lusts. Such person is like a dog whose tongue is always out as a sign of his continuous lust. His life story is similar to those people who chose to disregard My Revelations. Go on and relate these stories to them, perhaps they come to their senses.
And had We willed, We would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So his parable is the parable of a dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls his tongue out. Such is the parable of the people who reject Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.). So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.
If it had been Our will, We should have elevated him with Our signs; but he inclined to the earth, and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog: if you attack him, he lolls out his tongue, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject Our signs; So relate the story; perchance they may reflect.
If We had willed, We would have elevated him with Our signs, but he clung to this life—following his evil desires. His example is that of a dog: if you chase it away, it pants, and if you leave it, it ˹still˺ pants. This is the example of the people who deny Our signs. So narrate ˹to them˺ stories ˹of the past˺, so perhaps they will reflect.
If We so willed, We would have elevated him thereby; but he clung to the earth and followed his desires. So, his example is like the example of a dog, if you attack him, he pants with his tongue protruding, and if you leave him alone he still pants with his tongue protruding. That is the example of those who rejected Our signs. So, relate the chronicles, so that they may ponder.
if it had been Our will, We could have used these signs to raise him high, but instead he clung to the earth and followed his own desires- he was like a dog that pants with a lolling tongue whether you drive it away or leave it alone. Such is the image of those who reject Our signs. Tell them the story so that they may reflect.
And had We willed, We would have raised him up thereby; but he inclined towards the earth and followed his lust. So the likeness of him is as the likeness of a dog; if thou attackest it it lolls its tongue out, or if thou leavest it, it lolls its tongue out. That is that people's likeness who cried lies to Our signs. So relate the story; haply they will reflect.
Had we pleased we would have exalted him thereby, but lie crouched upon the earth and followed his lust, and his likeness was as the likeness of a dog, whom if thou shouldst attack he hangs out his tongue, or if thou should leave him, hangs out his tongue too. That is the likeness of the people who say our signs are lies. Tell them then these tales - haply they may reflect.
Had We pleased We would have exalted him thereby (with Our Signs), but he clung to the earth and followed his own lust, and his likeness was as the likeness of a dog, whom if you should attack he hangs out his tongue, or if you should leave him, hangs out his tongue too. Such is the likeness of the people who say our Signs (revelations) are lies. Tell them then these tales - per chance (or possibly) they may reflect.
And if We had decided, We would indeed have raised him thereby, but he clung to the earth and closely followed his prejudice. So the likeness of him is like the likeness of a dog: in case you burden it, it lolls (its tongue out), or (in case) you leave it, it lolls (its tongue out). That is the likeness of the people who have cried lies to Our signs. So narrate (these) narratives that possibly they would meditate..
And if We pleased, We would have exalted him thereby; but he inclined to the earth and followed his evil desires. His case, therefore, is like the case of a thirsty dog; if thou drive him away, he hangs out his tongue and if thou leave him, he hangs out his tongue. Such is the case of the people who disbelieve in Our Signs. So relate to them this narrative that they may reflect.
And if it had been Our Will, We should have raised him with Our Signs; But he was tempted (down) to the earth, and followed his own useless desires. So the similarity is that of a dog: If you attack him, he puts out his tongue (and pants), or if you leave him alone, he (still) hangs out his tongue (and pants). That is the similarity of those who reject Our Signs; So relate the stories; So that they may think.
Had We so willed We would have exalted him (in ranks) thereby (- by means of these Our commandments), but he remained inclined to (the material things of) this world and followed his low desires. His case therefore is like that of a dog, if you bear down upon it, it lolls its tongue out or if you leave it alone, it still lolls out its tongue. Such is the case with the people who cry lies to Our commandments; (they do not give up their evil ways whether you warn them or not). So narrate to them the account (of the people of old) that they may reflect.
Had We wished, We would have surely raised him by their means, but he clung to the earth and followed his desires. So his parable is that of a dog: if you make for it, it lolls out its tongue, and if you let it alone, it lolls out its tongue. Such is the parable of the people who deny Our signs. So recount these narratives, so that they may reflect.