Quran 12:39 — Yusuf, verse 39
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
Fellow prisoners, would many diverse gods be better than God the One, the All Powerful? [No indeed!]
يَا صَاحِبَيِ السِّجْنِ أَأَرْبَابٌ مُتَفَرِّقُونَ خَيْرٌ أَمِ اللَّهُ الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ
yāṣāḥibayi l-sij'ni a-arbābun mutafarriqūna khayrun ami l-lahu l-wāḥidu l-qahāru
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- Say, which is better, my fellow-prisoners -- many gods at variance, or God the One, the Omnipotent?
- Muhammad Asad
- "O my companions in imprisonment! Which is more reasonable: [belief in the existence of numerous divine] lords, each of them different from the other" -or [in] the One God, who holds absolute sway over all that exists?
- Sahih International
- O [my] two companions of prison, are separate lords better or Allāh, the One, the Prevailing?
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | يَـٰصَـٰحِبَىِyāṣāḥibayi | O my two companions | صحب |
| 2 | ٱلسِّجْنِl-sij'ni | (of) the prison | سجن |
| 3 | ءَأَرْبَابٌۭa-arbābun | Are lords | ربب |
| 4 | مُّتَفَرِّقُونَmutafarriqūna | separate | فرق |
| 5 | خَيْرٌkhayrun | better | خير |
| 6 | أَمِami | or | — |
| 7 | ٱللَّهُl-lahu | Allah | أله |
| 8 | ٱلْوَٰحِدُl-wāḥidu | the One | وحد |
| 9 | ٱلْقَهَّارُl-qahāru | the Irresistible | قهر |