Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

And thus is the seizing of thy Lord, when He takes the cities when they are doing wrong; His seizing is painful and strong.

وَكَذٰلِكَ اَخْذُ رَبِّكَ اِذَٓا اَخَذَ الْقُرٰى وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌۜ اِنَّ اَخْذَهُٓ اَل۪يمٌ شَد۪يدٌ
Wakathalika akhthu rabbika ithaakhatha alqura wahiya thalimatuninna akhthahu aleemun shadeed
#wordmeaningroot
1wakadhālikaAnd thus
2akhdhu(is) the seizure (of) your Lordاخذ
3rabbika(is) the seizure (of) your Lordربب
4idhāwhen
5akhadhaHe seizesاخذ
6l-qurāthe citiesقري
7wahiyawhile they
8ẓālimatun(are) doing wrongظلم
9innaIndeed
10akhdhahuHis seizureاخذ
11alīmun(is) painfulالم
12shadīdun(and) severeشدد
  • Aisha Bewley

    Such is the iron grip of your Lord when He seizes the cities which do wrong. His grip is painful, violent.

  • Progressive Muslims

    Such is the taking of your Lord when He takes the towns while they are wicked. His taking is painful, severe.

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    Such is the grasp of your Lord's Law of Requital on townships when they run oppressive systems. His grasp is painful, strong.

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    And thus is the seizing of thy Lord, when He takes the cities when they are doing wrong; His seizing is painful and strong.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    And such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the towns while they are wicked. His taking is painful, severe.

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    Such is the taking of your Lord when He takes the towns while they are wicked. His taking is painful, severe.

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Such was the retribution enforced by your Lord when the communities transgressed. Indeed, His retribution is painful, devastating.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Such is the punishment of your Lord when He seizes human settlements in the acts of wickedness. Surely His hold is grievous and terrible.

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

    And thus is the seizure of your Lord when He seizes the cities while they are committing wrong. Indeed, His seizure is painful and severe.

  • Muhammad Asad

    And such is thy Sustainer's punishing grasp whenever He takes to task any community that is given to evildoing: verily, His punishing grasp is grievous, severe!

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Even thus is the grasp of thy Lord when He graspeth the townships while they are doing wrong. Lo! His grasp is painful, very strong.

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Such is the seizing of your Lord that when He does seize the towns immersed in wrong-doing, His seizing is painful, terrible.

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    Thus much is the punishment of Allah, your Creator, when He overtakes the towns whose inhabitants are wrongful of actions and grow daily more and more wicked. The divine act of overthrowing the wicked is indeed painful and terrifying.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    Such is the way that your Lord punishes the unjust nations. Know that His punishment is sever and painful.

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    Such is the Seizure of your Lord when He seizes the (population of) the towns while they are doing wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful, (and) severe.

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Such is the chastisement of thy Lord when He chastises communities in the midst of their wrong: grievous, indeed, and severe is His chastisement.

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    Such is the ˹crushing˺ grip of your Lord when He seizes the societies entrenched in wrongdoing. Indeed, His grip is ˹terribly˺ painful and severe.

  • Taqi Usmani

    Such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the (people of) towns when they are transgressing. Indeed, His seizing is painful, severe.

  • Abdul Haleem

    Such is the punishment of your Lord for towns in the midst of their sins: His punishment is terrible and severe.

  • Arthur John Arberry

    Such is the seizing of thy Lord, when He seizes the cities that are evildoing; surely His seizing is painful, terrible.

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Thus is thy Lord's overtaking when He overtakes the cities that have done wrong; verity, His overtaking is grievous, keen.

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves. Their gods on whom they called instead of Allah availed them naught when once the command of your Lord had come; they add to them naught save ruin!

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    And thus is the taking away of your Lord when He takes away the towns (while) they are unjust; surely His taking away is painful (and) strict.

  • George Sale

    And thus was the punishment of thy Lord inflicted, when He punished the cities which were unjust; for his punishment is grievous and severe.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    Such is the punishment of your Lord: When He punishes peoples in the midst of their wrong; Truly painful and severe is His punishment.

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Such is the punishing grasp of your Lord when He takes to task the peoples of the townships (after bringing home to them the truth) while they are steeped in wrongdoings. Surely, painful is His punishing grasp (and) severe.

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    Such is the seizing of your Lord when He seizes the townships that are wrongdoing. Indeed His seizing is painful, severe.