Quran 11:116 — Hud, verse 116
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
If only there had been, among the generations before your time, people with a rem-nant of good sense, to forbid corruption on the earth! We saved only a few of them, while the unjust pursued the enjoyment of plenty, and persisted in sin.
فَلَوْلَا كَانَ مِنَ الْقُرُونِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ أُولُو بَقِيَّةٍ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِمَّنْ أَنْجَيْنَا مِنْهُمْ ۗ وَاتَّبَعَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مَا أُتْرِفُوا فِيهِ وَكَانُوا مُجْرِمِينَ
falawlā kāna mina l-qurūni min qablikum ulū baqiyyatin yanhawna ʿani l-fasādi fī l-arḍi illā qalīlan mimman anjaynā min'hum wa-ittabaʿa alladhīna ẓalamū mā ut'rifū fīhi wakānū muj'rimīna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- Or if there had been, of the generations before you, men of a remainder forbidding corruption in the earth -- except a few of those whom We delivered of them; but the evildoers followed the ease they were given to exult in and became sinners.
- Muhammad Asad
- BUT, ALAS, among those generations [whom We destroyed] before your time there were no people endowed with any virtue - [people] who would speak out against the [spread of] corruption on earth -except the few of them whom We saved [because of their righteousness], whereas those who were bent on evildoing only pursued pleasures which corrupted their whole being, and so lost themselves in sinning.
- Sahih International
- So why were there not among the generations before you those of enduring discrimination forbidding corruption on earth - except a few of those We saved from among them? But those who wronged pursued what luxury they were given therein, and they were criminals.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | فَلَوْلَاfalawlā | So why not | — |
| 2 | كَانَkāna | had been | كون |
| 3 | مِنَmina | of | — |
| 4 | ٱلْقُرُونِl-qurūni | the generations | قرن |
| 5 | مِنmin | before you | — |
| 6 | قَبْلِكُمْqablikum | before you | قبل |
| 7 | أُو۟لُوا۟ulū | those possessing a remnant | أول |
| 8 | بَقِيَّةٍۢbaqiyyatin | those possessing a remnant | بقي |
| 9 | يَنْهَوْنَyanhawna | forbidding | نهي |
| 10 | عَنِʿani | from | — |
| 11 | ٱلْفَسَادِl-fasādi | the corruption | فسد |
| 12 | فِىfī | in | — |
| 13 | ٱلْأَرْضِl-arḍi | the earth | أرض |
| 14 | إِلَّاillā | except | — |
| 15 | قَلِيلًۭاqalīlan | a few | قلل |
| 16 | مِّمَّنْmimman | of those | — |
| 17 | أَنجَيْنَاanjaynā | We saved | نجو |
| 18 | مِنْهُمْ ۗmin'hum | among them | — |
| 19 | وَٱتَّبَعَwa-ittabaʿa | But followed | تبع |
| 20 | ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna | those who | — |
| 21 | ظَلَمُوا۟ẓalamū | did wrong | ظلم |
| 22 | مَآmā | what | — |
| 23 | أُتْرِفُوا۟ut'rifū | luxury they were given | ترف |
| 24 | فِيهِfīhi | therein | — |
| 25 | وَكَانُوا۟wakānū | and they were | كون |
| 26 | مُجْرِمِينَmuj'rimīna | criminals | جرم |