Quran 4:97 — An-Nisaa, verse 97
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
When the angels take the souls of those who have wronged themselves, they ask them, ‘What circumstances were you in?’ They reply, ‘We were oppressed in this land,’ and the angels say, ‘But was God’s earth not spacious enough for you to migrate to some other place?’ These people will have Hell as their refuge, an evil destination,
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَفَّاهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ ظَالِمِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ قَالُوا فِيمَ كُنْتُمْ ۖ قَالُوا كُنَّا مُسْتَضْعَفِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ ۚ قَالُوا أَلَمْ تَكُنْ أَرْضُ اللَّهِ وَاسِعَةً فَتُهَاجِرُوا فِيهَا ۚ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ وَسَاءَتْ مَصِيرًا
inna alladhīna tawaffāhumu l-malāikatu ẓālimī anfusihim qālū fīma kuntum qālū kunnā mus'taḍʿafīna fī l-arḍi qālū alam takun arḍu l-lahi wāsiʿatan fatuhājirū fīhā fa-ulāika mawāhum jahannamu wasāat maṣīran
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- And those the angels take, while still they are wronging themselves -- the angels will say, 'In what circumstances were you?' They will say, 'We were abased in the earth.' The angels will say, 'But was not God's earth wide, so that you might have emigrated in it?' Such men, their refuge shall be Gehenna -- an evil homecoming! --
- Muhammad Asad
- Behold, those whom the angels gather in death while they are still sinning against themselves, [the angels] will ask, "What was wrong with you?'' They will answer: "We were too weak on earth." [The angels] will say: "Was, then, God's earth not wide enough for you to forsake the domain of evil?" For such, then, the goal is hell - and how evil a journey's end!
- Sahih International
- Indeed, those whom the angels take [in death] while wronging themselves - [the angels] will say, "In what [condition] were you?" They will say, "We were oppressed in the land." They [the angels] will say, "Was not the earth of Allāh spacious [enough] for you to emigrate therein?" For those, their refuge is Hell - and evil it is as a destination.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | إِنَّinna | Indeed | — |
| 2 | ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna | those whom | — |
| 3 | تَوَفَّىٰهُمُtawaffāhumu | take them (in death) | وفي |
| 4 | ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُl-malāikatu | the Angels | ملك |
| 5 | ظَالِمِىٓẓālimī | (while) they (were) wronging | ظلم |
| 6 | أَنفُسِهِمْanfusihim | themselves | نفس |
| 7 | قَالُوا۟qālū | they say | قول |
| 8 | فِيمَfīma | In what (condition) | — |
| 9 | كُنتُمْ ۖkuntum | were you | كون |
| 10 | قَالُوا۟qālū | They said | قول |
| 11 | كُنَّاkunnā | We were | كون |
| 12 | مُسْتَضْعَفِينَmus'taḍʿafīna | oppressed | ضعف |
| 13 | فِىfī | in | — |
| 14 | ٱلْأَرْضِ ۚl-arḍi | the earth | أرض |
| 15 | قَالُوٓا۟qālū | They said | قول |
| 16 | أَلَمْalam | Not | — |
| 17 | تَكُنْtakun | was | كون |
| 18 | أَرْضُarḍu | (the) earth | أرض |
| 19 | ٱللَّهِl-lahi | (of) Allah | أله |
| 20 | وَٰسِعَةًۭwāsiʿatan | spacious (enough) | وسع |
| 21 | فَتُهَاجِرُوا۟fatuhājirū | so that you (could) emigrate | هجر |
| 22 | فِيهَا ۚfīhā | in it | — |
| 23 | فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَfa-ulāika | Then those | — |
| 24 | مَأْوَىٰهُمْmawāhum | (will have) their abode | أوي |
| 25 | جَهَنَّمُ ۖjahannamu | (in) Hell | — |
| 26 | وَسَآءَتْwasāat | and it is an evil | سوأ |
| 27 | مَصِيرًاmaṣīran | destination | صير |