Fussilat 41:22 — Quran | Pray for the Truth

M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation

yet you did not try to hide yourselves from your ears, eyes, and skin to prevent them from testifying against you. You thought that God did not know about much of what you were doing,

وَمَا كُنْتُمْ تَسْتَتِرُونَ أَنْ يَشْهَدَ عَلَيْكُمْ سَمْعُكُمْ وَلَا أَبْصَارُكُمْ وَلَا جُلُودُكُمْ وَلَـٰكِنْ ظَنَنْتُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَعْلَمُ كَثِيرًا مِمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

wamā kuntum tastatirūna an yashhada ʿalaykum samʿukum walā abṣārukum walā julūdukum walākin ẓanantum anna l-laha lā yaʿlamu kathīran mimmā taʿmalūna

A. J. Arberry: Not so did you cover yourselves, that your hearing, your eyes and your skins should not bear witness against you; but you thought that God would never know much of the things that you were working.
Muhammad Asad: And you did not try to hide [your sins] lest your hearing or your sight or your skins bear witness against you: nay, but you thought that God did not know much of what you were doing –
Sahih International: And you were not covering [i.e., protecting] yourselves, lest your hearing testify against you or your sight or your skins, but you assumed that Allāh does not know much of what you do.

Word-by-word analysis of Fussilat verse 22
#	Word	Meaning	Root
1	وَمَاwamā	And not	—
2	كُنتُمْkuntum	you were	كون
3	تَسْتَتِرُونَtastatirūna	covering yourselves	ستر
4	أَنan	lest	—
5	يَشْهَدَyashhada	testify	شهد
6	عَلَيْكُمْʿalaykum	against you	—
7	سَمْعُكُمْsamʿukum	your hearing	سمع
8	وَلَآwalā	and not	—
9	أَبْصَـٰرُكُمْabṣārukum	your sight	بصر
10	وَلَاwalā	and not	—
11	جُلُودُكُمْjulūdukum	your skins	جلد
12	وَلَـٰكِنwalākin	but	—
13	ظَنَنتُمْẓanantum	you assumed	ظنن
14	أَنَّanna	that	—
15	ٱللَّهَl-laha	Allah	أله
16	لَاlā	(does) not	—
17	يَعْلَمُyaʿlamu	know	علم
18	كَثِيرًۭاkathīran	much	كثر
19	مِّمَّاmimmā	of what	—
20	تَعْمَلُونَtaʿmalūna	you do	عمل

Quran 41:22 — Fussilat, verse 22

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