Quran 3:79 — Aal-i-Imraan, verse 79
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
No person to whom God had given the Scripture, wisdom, and prophethood would ever say to people, ‘Be my servants, not God’s.’ [He would say], ‘You should be devoted to God because you have taught the Scripture and studied it closely.’
مَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُؤْتِيَهُ اللَّهُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحُكْمَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ ثُمَّ يَقُولَ لِلنَّاسِ كُونُوا عِبَادًا لِي مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلَـٰكِنْ كُونُوا رَبَّانِيِّينَ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تُعَلِّمُونَ الْكِتَابَ وَبِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَدْرُسُونَ
mā kāna libasharin an yu'tiyahu l-lahu l-kitāba wal-ḥuk'ma wal-nubuwata thumma yaqūla lilnnāsi kūnū ʿibādan lī min dūni l-lahi walākin kūnū rabbāniyyīna bimā kuntum tuʿallimūna l-kitāba wabimā kuntum tadrusūna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- It belongs not to any mortal that God should give him the Book, the Judgment, the Prophethood, then he should say to men, 'Be you servants to me apart from God.' Rather, 'Be you masters in that you know the Book, and in that you study.'
- Muhammad Asad
- It is not conceivable that a human being unto whom God had granted revelation, and sound judgment, and prophethood, should thereafter have said unto people, "Worship me beside God"; but rather [did he exhort them], "Become men of God by spreading the knowledge of the divine writ, and by your own deep study [thereof]."
- Sahih International
- It is not for a human [prophet] that Allāh should give him the Scripture and authority and prophethood and then he would say to the people, "Be servants to me rather than Allāh," but [instead, he would say], "Be pious scholars of the Lord because of what you have taught of the Scripture and because of what you have studied."
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | مَاmā | Not | — |
| 2 | كَانَkāna | is | كون |
| 3 | لِبَشَرٍlibasharin | for a human | بشر |
| 4 | أَنan | that | — |
| 5 | يُؤْتِيَهُyu'tiyahu | gives him | أتي |
| 6 | ٱللَّهُl-lahu | Allah | أله |
| 7 | ٱلْكِتَـٰبَl-kitāba | the Book | كتب |
| 8 | وَٱلْحُكْمَwal-ḥuk'ma | and the wisdom | حكم |
| 9 | وَٱلنُّبُوَّةَwal-nubuwata | and the Prophethood | نبأ |
| 10 | ثُمَّthumma | then | — |
| 11 | يَقُولَyaqūla | he says | قول |
| 12 | لِلنَّاسِlilnnāsi | to the people | نوس |
| 13 | كُونُوا۟kūnū | Be | كون |
| 14 | عِبَادًۭاʿibādan | worshippers | عبد |
| 15 | لِّىlī | of me | — |
| 16 | مِنmin | from | — |
| 17 | دُونِdūni | besides | دون |
| 18 | ٱللَّهِl-lahi | Allah | أله |
| 19 | وَلَـٰكِنwalākin | but (would say) | — |
| 20 | كُونُوا۟kūnū | Be | كون |
| 21 | رَبَّـٰنِيِّـۧنَrabbāniyyīna | worshippers of the Lord | ربب |
| 22 | بِمَاbimā | because | — |
| 23 | كُنتُمْkuntum | you have been | كون |
| 24 | تُعَلِّمُونَtuʿallimūna | teaching | علم |
| 25 | ٱلْكِتَـٰبَl-kitāba | the Book | كتب |
| 26 | وَبِمَاwabimā | and because | — |
| 27 | كُنتُمْkuntum | you have been | كون |
| 28 | تَدْرُسُونَtadrusūna | studying (it) | درس |