Quran 5:31 — Al-Maaida, verse 31
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
God sent a raven to scratch up the ground and show him how to cover his brother’s corpse and he said, ‘Woe is me! Could I not have been like this raven and covered up my brother’s body?’ He became remorseful.
فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ غُرَابًا يَبْحَثُ فِي الْأَرْضِ لِيُرِيَهُ كَيْفَ يُوَارِي سَوْءَةَ أَخِيهِ ۚ قَالَ يَا وَيْلَتَىٰ أَعَجَزْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِثْلَ هَـٰذَا الْغُرَابِ فَأُوَارِيَ سَوْءَةَ أَخِي ۖ فَأَصْبَحَ مِنَ النَّادِمِينَ
fabaʿatha l-lahu ghurāban yabḥathu fī l-arḍi liyuriyahu kayfa yuwārī sawata akhīhi qāla yāwaylatā aʿajaztu an akūna mith'la hādhā l-ghurābi fa-uwāriya sawata akhī fa-aṣbaḥa mina l-nādimīna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- Then God sent forth a raven, scratching into the earth, to show him how he might conceal the vile body of his brother. He said, 'Woe is me! Am I unable to be as this raven, and so conceal my brother's vile body?' And he became one of the remorseful.
- Muhammad Asad
- Thereupon God sent forth a raven which scratched the earth, to show him how he might conceal the nakedness of his brother's body. [And Cain] cried out: "Oh, woe is me! Am I then too weak to do what this raven did, and to conceal the nakedness of my brother's body?" - and was thereupon smitten with remorse.
- Sahih International
- Then Allāh sent a crow searching [i.e., scratching] in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace of his brother. He said, "O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the disgrace [i.e., body] of my brother?" And he became of the regretful.
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | فَبَعَثَfabaʿatha | Then (was) sent | بعث |
| 2 | ٱللَّهُl-lahu | (by) Allah | أله |
| 3 | غُرَابًۭاghurāban | a crow | غرب |
| 4 | يَبْحَثُyabḥathu | it (was) scratching | بحث |
| 5 | فِىfī | in | — |
| 6 | ٱلْأَرْضِl-arḍi | the earth | أرض |
| 7 | لِيُرِيَهُۥliyuriyahu | to show him | رأي |
| 8 | كَيْفَkayfa | how | كيف |
| 9 | يُوَٰرِىyuwārī | to hide | وري |
| 10 | سَوْءَةَsawata | (the) dead body | سوأ |
| 11 | أَخِيهِ ۚakhīhi | (of) his brother | أخو |
| 12 | قَالَqāla | He said | قول |
| 13 | يَـٰوَيْلَتَىٰٓyāwaylatā | Woe to me | — |
| 14 | أَعَجَزْتُaʿajaztu | Am I unable | عجز |
| 15 | أَنْan | that | — |
| 16 | أَكُونَakūna | I can be | كون |
| 17 | مِثْلَmith'la | like | مثل |
| 18 | هَـٰذَاhādhā | this | — |
| 19 | ٱلْغُرَابِl-ghurābi | [the] crow | غرب |
| 20 | فَأُوَٰرِىَfa-uwāriya | and hide | وري |
| 21 | سَوْءَةَsawata | (the) dead body | سوأ |
| 22 | أَخِى ۖakhī | (of) my brother | أخو |
| 23 | فَأَصْبَحَfa-aṣbaḥa | Then he became | صبح |
| 24 | مِنَmina | of | — |
| 25 | ٱلنَّـٰدِمِينَl-nādimīna | the regretful | ندم |