Quran 2:177 — Al-Baqara, verse 177
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
Goodness does not consist in turning your face towards East or West. The truly good are those who believe in God and the Last Day, in the angels, the Scripture, and the prophets; who give away some of their wealth, however much they cherish it, to their relatives, to orphans, the needy, travellers and beggars, and to liberate those in bondage; those who keep up the prayer and pay the prescribed alms; who keep pledges whenever they make them; who are steadfast in misfortune, adversity, and times of danger. These are the ones who are true, and it is they who are aware of God.
لَيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَنْ تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَالْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَاهَدُوا ۖ وَالصَّابِرِينَ فِي الْبَأْسَاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَحِينَ الْبَأْسِ ۗ أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا ۖ وَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ
laysa l-bira an tuwallū wujūhakum qibala l-mashriqi wal-maghribi walākinna l-bira man āmana bil-lahi wal-yawmi l-ākhiri wal-malāikati wal-kitābi wal-nabiyīna waātā l-māla ʿalā ḥubbihi dhawī l-qur'bā wal-yatāmā wal-masākīna wa-ib'na l-sabīli wal-sāilīna wafī l-riqābi wa-aqāma l-ṣalata waātā l-zakata wal-mūfūna biʿahdihim idhā ʿāhadū wal-ṣābirīna fī l-basāi wal-ḍarāi waḥīna l-basi ulāika alladhīna ṣadaqū wa-ulāika humu l-mutaqūna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- It is not piety, that you turn your faces to the East and to the West. True piety is this: to believe in God, and the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets, to give of one's substance, however cherished, to kinsmen, and orphans, the needy, the traveller, beggars, and to ransom the slave, to perform the prayer, to pay the alms. And they who fulfil their covenant when they have engaged in a covenant, and endure with fortitude misfortune, hardship and peril, these are they who are true in their faith, these are the truly godfearing.
- Muhammad Asad
- True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west - but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance - however much he himself may cherish - it - upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God.
- Sahih International
- Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allāh, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakāh; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ۞ لَّيْسَlaysa | It is not | ليس |
| 2 | ٱلْبِرَّl-bira | [the] righteousness | برر |
| 3 | أَنan | that | — |
| 4 | تُوَلُّوا۟tuwallū | you turn | ولي |
| 5 | وُجُوهَكُمْwujūhakum | your faces | وجه |
| 6 | قِبَلَqibala | towards | قبل |
| 7 | ٱلْمَشْرِقِl-mashriqi | the east | شرق |
| 8 | وَٱلْمَغْرِبِwal-maghribi | and the west | غرب |
| 9 | وَلَـٰكِنَّwalākinna | [and] but | — |
| 10 | ٱلْبِرَّl-bira | the righteous[ness] | برر |
| 11 | مَنْman | (is he) who | — |
| 12 | ءَامَنَāmana | believes | أمن |
| 13 | بِٱللَّهِbil-lahi | in Allah | أله |
| 14 | وَٱلْيَوْمِwal-yawmi | and the Day | يوم |
| 15 | ٱلْـَٔاخِرِl-ākhiri | [the] Last | أخر |
| 16 | وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِwal-malāikati | and the Angels | ملك |
| 17 | وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِwal-kitābi | and the Book | كتب |
| 18 | وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَwal-nabiyīna | and the Prophets | نبأ |
| 19 | وَءَاتَىwaātā | and gives | أتي |
| 20 | ٱلْمَالَl-māla | the wealth | مول |
| 21 | عَلَىٰʿalā | in | — |
| 22 | حُبِّهِۦḥubbihi | spite of his love (for it) | حبب |
| 23 | ذَوِىdhawī | (to) those | — |
| 24 | ٱلْقُرْبَىٰl-qur'bā | (of) the near relatives | قرب |
| 25 | وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰwal-yatāmā | and the orphans | يتم |
| 26 | وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينَwal-masākīna | and the needy | سكن |
| 27 | وَٱبْنَwa-ib'na | and (of) | بني |
| 28 | ٱلسَّبِيلِl-sabīli | the wayfarer | سبل |
| 29 | وَٱلسَّآئِلِينَwal-sāilīna | and those who ask | سأل |
| 30 | وَفِىwafī | and in | — |
| 31 | ٱلرِّقَابِl-riqābi | freeing the necks (slaves) | رقب |
| 32 | وَأَقَامَwa-aqāma | and (who) establish | قوم |
| 33 | ٱلصَّلَوٰةَl-ṣalata | the prayer | صلو |
| 34 | وَءَاتَىwaātā | and give | أتي |
| 35 | ٱلزَّكَوٰةَl-zakata | the zakah | زكو |
| 36 | وَٱلْمُوفُونَwal-mūfūna | and those who fulfill | وفي |
| 37 | بِعَهْدِهِمْbiʿahdihim | their covenant | عهد |
| 38 | إِذَاidhā | when | — |
| 39 | عَـٰهَدُوا۟ ۖʿāhadū | they make it | عهد |
| 40 | وَٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَwal-ṣābirīna | and those who are patient | صبر |
| 41 | فِىfī | in | — |
| 42 | ٱلْبَأْسَآءِl-basāi | [the] suffering | بأس |
| 43 | وَٱلضَّرَّآءِwal-ḍarāi | and [the] hardship | ضرر |
| 44 | وَحِينَwaḥīna | and (the) time | حين |
| 45 | ٱلْبَأْسِ ۗl-basi | (of) [the] stress | بأس |
| 46 | أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَulāika | Those | — |
| 47 | ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna | (are) the ones who | — |
| 48 | صَدَقُوا۟ ۖṣadaqū | are true | صدق |
| 49 | وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَwa-ulāika | and those | — |
| 50 | هُمُhumu | [they] | — |
| 51 | ٱلْمُتَّقُونَl-mutaqūna | (are) the righteous | وقي |