Quran 16:26 — An-Nahl, verse 26
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
Those who went before them also schemed, but God attacked the very foundations of what they built. The roof fell down on them: punishment came on them from unimagined directions.
قَدْ مَكَرَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَى اللَّهُ بُنْيَانَهُمْ مِنَ الْقَوَاعِدِ فَخَرَّ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّقْفُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِمْ وَأَتَاهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
qad makara alladhīna min qablihim fa-atā l-lahu bun'yānahum mina l-qawāʿidi fakharra ʿalayhimu l-saqfu min fawqihim wa-atāhumu l-ʿadhābu min ḥaythu lā yashʿurūna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- Those that were before them contrived; then God came upon their building from the foundations, and the roof fell down on them from over them, and the chastisement came upon them from whence they were not aware.
- Muhammad Asad
- Those who lived before them did, too, devise many a blasphemy -whereupon God visited with destruction all that they had ever built, [striking] at its very foundations, so that the roof fell in upon them from above and suffering befell them without their having perceived whence it came.
- Sahih International
- Those before them had already plotted, but Allāh came at [i.e., uprooted] their building from the foundations, so the roof fell upon them from above them, and the punishment came to them from where they did not perceive.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | قَدْqad | Verily | — |
| 2 | مَكَرَmakara | plotted | مكر |
| 3 | ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna | those who | — |
| 4 | مِنmin | (were) before them | — |
| 5 | قَبْلِهِمْqablihim | (were) before them | قبل |
| 6 | فَأَتَىfa-atā | but Allah came | أتي |
| 7 | ٱللَّهُl-lahu | but Allah came | أله |
| 8 | بُنْيَـٰنَهُمbun'yānahum | (at) their building | بني |
| 9 | مِّنَmina | from | — |
| 10 | ٱلْقَوَاعِدِl-qawāʿidi | the foundations | قعد |
| 11 | فَخَرَّfakharra | so fell | خرر |
| 12 | عَلَيْهِمُʿalayhimu | upon them | — |
| 13 | ٱلسَّقْفُl-saqfu | the roof | سقف |
| 14 | مِنmin | from | — |
| 15 | فَوْقِهِمْfawqihim | above them | فوق |
| 16 | وَأَتَىٰهُمُwa-atāhumu | and came to them | أتي |
| 17 | ٱلْعَذَابُl-ʿadhābu | the punishment | عذب |
| 18 | مِنْmin | from | — |
| 19 | حَيْثُḥaythu | where | حيث |
| 20 | لَاlā | they (did) not perceive | — |
| 21 | يَشْعُرُونَyashʿurūna | they (did) not perceive | شعر |