Sam Gerrans - The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

Say thou: “I have power to do myself neither harm nor benefit save that God should will.” For every community is a term; when their term comes, then they will not defer an hour, nor will they advance.

قُلْ لَٓا اَمْلِكُ لِنَفْس۪ي ضَراًّ وَلَا نَفْعاً اِلَّا مَا شَٓاءَ اللّٰهُۜ لِكُلِّ اُمَّةٍ اَجَلٌۜ اِذَا جَٓاءَ اَجَلُهُمْ فَلَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
Qul la amliku linafsee darranwala nafAAan illa ma shaa Allahulikulli ommatin ajalun itha jaa ajaluhum falayasta/khiroona saAAatan wala yastaqdimoon
#wordmeaningroot
1qulSayقول
2Not
3amlikuI have powerملك
4linafsīfor myselfنفس
5ḍarran(for) any harmضرر
6walāand not
7nafʿan(for) any profitنفع
8illāexcept
9what
10shāaAllah willsشيا
11l-lahuAllah wills
12likulliFor everyكلل
13ummatinnationامم
14ajalun(is) a termاجل
15idhāWhen
16jāacomesجيا
17ajaluhumtheir termاجل
18falāthen not
19yastakhirūnathey remain behindاخر
20sāʿatanan hourسوع
21walāand not
22yastaqdimūnathey can precede (it)قدم
  • Aisha Bewley

    Say: ‘I possess no power to harm or help myself except as Allah wills. Every nation has an appointed time. When their appointed time comes, they cannot delay it a single hour or bring it forward.’

  • Progressive Muslims

    Say: "I do not posses for myself any harm or benefit except what God wills. For every nation is a time. When their time comes, they cannot delay it one hour nor advance it."

  • Shabbir Ahmed

    Say (O Messenger), "I have no power even to avert any harm to myself, or benefit myself contrary to the Laws of Allah. Every nation determines its own rise and fall. When the time comes, they can neither delay, nor hasten the Requital."

  • Sam Gerrans The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation

    Say thou: “I have power to do myself neither harm nor benefit save that God should will.” For every community is a term; when their term comes, then they will not defer an hour, nor will they advance.

  • The Monotheist Group The Quran: A Monotheist Translation

    Say: "I do not possess for myself any harm or benefit except what God wills. For every nation is a time. When their time comes, they cannot delay it one hour nor advance it."

  • Edip-Layth Quran: A Reformist Translation

    Say, "I do not posses for myself any harm or benefit except what God wills. For every nation is a time. When their time comes, they cannot delay it one moment nor advance it."

  • Rashad Khalifa The Final Testament

    Say, "I possess no power to harm myself, or benefit myself; only what GOD wills takes place." Each community has a predetermined life span. Once their interim comes to an end, they cannot delay it by one hour, nor advance it.

  • Mohamed Ahmed - Samira

    Say: "I have no power over my own gain or loss other than what God may please. " Every people have a certain term. When their time is come they can neither delay it an hour nor advance it a moment forward.

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

    Say, "I possess not for myself any harm or benefit except what Allah should will. For every nation is a term. When their time has come, then they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede ."

  • Muhammad Asad

    Say : "It is not within my power to avert harm from, or bring benefit to, myself, except as God may please. For all people a term has been set: when the end of their term approaches, they can neither delay it by a single moment, nor hasten it."

  • Marmaduke Pickthall

    Say: I have no power to hurt or benefit myself, save that which Allah willeth. For every nation there is an appointed time. When their time cometh, then they cannot put it off an hour, nor hasten (it).

  • Abul A'la Maududi Tafhim commentary

    Tell them: 'I have no power to harm or benefit even myself, except what Allah may will.* There is an appointed term for every people; and when the end of their term comes, neither can they put it off for an hour, nor can they bring it an hour before.*

  • Abdel Khalek Himmat Al- Muntakhab

    Say to them: "I have no control over what will come nor of what will befall me, be it bad or good, but as Allah Wills" And to every people, all and each, We have ordained a definite point of time, and when their. time is fulfilled never shall they be able to delay it or anticipate it for one hour or infinitely less.

  • Bijan Moeinian

    Say to them: "I do not have any power of my own to materialize my wishful thinking or to prevent any hardship which I am destined to go through. Whatever is the Will of Lord will happen. Every nation has a destiny; when its time come, it will neither be postponed nor advanced."

  • Al-Hilali & Khan

    Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم): "I have no power over any harm or profit to myself except what Allâh may will. For every Ummah (a community or a nation), there is a term appointed; when their term comes, neither can they delay it nor can they advance it an hour (or a moment)." (Tafsir Al-Qurtubî).

  • Abdullah Yusuf Ali

    Say: "I have no power over any harm or profit to myself except as Allah willeth. To every people is a term appointed: when their term is reached, not an hour can they cause delay, nor (an hour) can they advance (it in anticipation)."

  • Mustafa Khattab The Clear Quran

    Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ "I have no power to benefit or protect myself, except by the Will of Allah." For each community there is an appointed term. When their time arrives, they cannot delay it for a moment, nor could they advance it.

  • Taqi Usmani

    Say, "I have no power to bring a harm or a benefit to myself, except what Allah wills. For every people there is an appointed time. When their time comes, they are not able to put it off for a moment, nor are they able to go ahead of it."

  • Abdul Haleem

    Say , ‘I cannot control any harm or benefit that comes to me, except as God wills. There is an appointed term for every community, and when it is reached they can neither delay nor hasten it, even for a moment.’

  • Arthur John Arberry

    Say: 'I have no power to profit for myself, or hurt, but as God will. To every nation a term; when their term comes they shall not put it back by a single hour nor put it forward.'

  • E. Henry Palmer

    Say, 'I have no power over myself for harm or for profit, save what God will. Every nation has its appointed time; when their appointed time comes to them they cannot delay it for an hour or bring it on.'

  • Hamid S. Aziz

    But they say, "When will this promise come to pass, if you tell the truth?"

  • Mahmoud Ghali

    Say, "I do not possess (any means for) harm or profit for myself, excepting whatever Allah decides. To every nation is a term; when their term comes they will not be able to postpone it by a (single) hour, nor will they be able put it forward."

  • George Sale

    Answer, I am able neither to procure advantage unto my self, nor to avert mischief from me, but as God pleaseth. Unto every nation is a fixed term decreed; when their term therefore is expired, they shall not have respite for an hour, neither shall their punishment be anticipated.

  • Syed Vickar Ahamed

    Say: "I have no power over any harm or gain to myself except as Allah wills. A term is fixed for every people: When their term is come, they can not postpone it by an hour, nor can they advance (it by an hour)."

  • Amatul Rahman Omar

    Say, `I have no power to hurt or to do good to myself. It shall happen as Allâh will. There is a term appointed for every nation (for the recompense of their actions). When their term comes they cannot remain behind (it) a single moment (to escape from it), nor can they get ahead (of it to avoid it).'

  • Ali Quli Qarai

    Say, ‘I have no control over any benefit for myself nor any harm except what Allah may wish. There is a time for every nation: when their time comes, they shall not defer it by a single hour nor shall they advance it.’