Quran 4:18 — An-Nisaa, verse 18
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
It is not true repentance when people continue to do evil until death confronts them and then say, ‘Now I repent,’ nor when they die defiant: We have prepared a painful torment for these.
وَلَيْسَتِ التَّوْبَةُ لِلَّذِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ السَّيِّئَاتِ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا حَضَرَ أَحَدَهُمُ الْمَوْتُ قَالَ إِنِّي تُبْتُ الْآنَ وَلَا الَّذِينَ يَمُوتُونَ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ ۚ أُولَـٰئِكَ أَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا
walaysati l-tawbatu lilladhīna yaʿmalūna l-sayiāti ḥattā idhā ḥaḍara aḥadahumu l-mawtu qāla innī tub'tu l-āna walā alladhīna yamūtūna wahum kuffārun ulāika aʿtadnā lahum ʿadhāban alīman
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- But God shall not turn towards those who do evil deeds until, when one of them is visited by death, he says, 'Indeed now I repent,' neither to those who die disbelieving; for them We have prepared a painful chastisement.
- Muhammad Asad
- whereas repentance shall not be accepted from those who do evil deeds until their dying hour and then say, "Behold, I now repent"; nor from those who die as deniers of the truth: it is these for whom We have readied grievous suffering.
- Sahih International
- But repentance is not [accepted] of those who [continue to] do evil deeds up until, when death comes to one of them, he says, "Indeed, I have repented now," or of those who die while they are disbelievers. For them We have prepared a painful punishment.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | وَلَيْسَتِwalaysati | And not | ليس |
| 2 | ٱلتَّوْبَةُl-tawbatu | (is) the acceptance of repentance | توب |
| 3 | لِلَّذِينَlilladhīna | for those who | — |
| 4 | يَعْمَلُونَyaʿmalūna | do | عمل |
| 5 | ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِl-sayiāti | the evil deeds | سوأ |
| 6 | حَتَّىٰٓḥattā | until | — |
| 7 | إِذَاidhā | when | — |
| 8 | حَضَرَḥaḍara | approaches | حضر |
| 9 | أَحَدَهُمُaḥadahumu | one of them | أحد |
| 10 | ٱلْمَوْتُl-mawtu | [the] death | موت |
| 11 | قَالَqāla | he says | قول |
| 12 | إِنِّىinnī | Indeed I | — |
| 13 | تُبْتُtub'tu | repent | توب |
| 14 | ٱلْـَٔـٰنَl-āna | now | — |
| 15 | وَلَاwalā | and not | — |
| 16 | ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna | those who | — |
| 17 | يَمُوتُونَyamūtūna | die | موت |
| 18 | وَهُمْwahum | while they | — |
| 19 | كُفَّارٌ ۚkuffārun | (are) disbelievers | كفر |
| 20 | أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَulāika | Those | — |
| 21 | أَعْتَدْنَاaʿtadnā | We have prepared | عتد |
| 22 | لَهُمْlahum | for them | — |
| 23 | عَذَابًاʿadhāban | a punishment | عذب |
| 24 | أَلِيمًۭاalīman | painful | ألم |