Quran 12:81 — Yusuf, verse 81
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
so go back to your father and say, “Your son stole. We can only tell you what we saw. How could we guard against the unforeseen?
ارْجِعُوا إِلَىٰ أَبِيكُمْ فَقُولُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِنَّ ابْنَكَ سَرَقَ وَمَا شَهِدْنَا إِلَّا بِمَا عَلِمْنَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِلْغَيْبِ حَافِظِينَ
ir'jiʿū ilā abīkum faqūlū yāabānā inna ib'naka saraqa wamā shahid'nā illā bimā ʿalim'nā wamā kunnā lil'ghaybi ḥāfiẓīna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- Return you all to your father, and say, "Father, thy son stole; we do not testify except that we know; we were no guardians of the Unseen.
- Muhammad Asad
- [And as for you others,] return to your father and say: `O our father! Behold, thy son has stolen-but we [can] bear witness to no more than what has become known to us; and [although we gave you our pledge,] we could not guard against something that [lay hidden in the future and, hence,] was beyond the reach of our perception.
- Sahih International
- Return to your father and say, 'O our father, indeed your son has stolen, and we did not testify except to what we knew. And we were not witnesses of the unseen.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ٱرْجِعُوٓا۟ir'jiʿū | Return | رجع |
| 2 | إِلَىٰٓilā | to | — |
| 3 | أَبِيكُمْabīkum | your father | أبو |
| 4 | فَقُولُوا۟faqūlū | and say | قول |
| 5 | يَـٰٓأَبَانَآyāabānā | 'O our father | أبو |
| 6 | إِنَّinna | Indeed | — |
| 7 | ٱبْنَكَib'naka | your son | بني |
| 8 | سَرَقَsaraqa | has stolen | سرق |
| 9 | وَمَاwamā | and not | — |
| 10 | شَهِدْنَآshahid'nā | we testify | شهد |
| 11 | إِلَّاillā | except | — |
| 12 | بِمَاbimā | of what | — |
| 13 | عَلِمْنَاʿalim'nā | we knew | علم |
| 14 | وَمَاwamā | And not | — |
| 15 | كُنَّاkunnā | we were | كون |
| 16 | لِلْغَيْبِlil'ghaybi | of the unseen | غيب |
| 17 | حَـٰفِظِينَḥāfiẓīna | guardians | حفظ |