Quran 8:31 — Al-Anfaal, verse 31
M. A. S. Abdel Haleem · selected translation
Whenever Our Revelation is recited to them they say, ‘We have heard all this before- we could say something like this if we wanted- this is nothing but ancient fables.’
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُنَا قَالُوا قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَاءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَـٰذَا ۙ إِنْ هَـٰذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ
wa-idhā tut'lā ʿalayhim āyātunā qālū qad samiʿ'nā law nashāu laqul'nā mith'la hādhā in hādhā illā asāṭīru l-awalīna
Other translations
- A. J. Arberry
- And When Our signs were being recited to them, they said, 'We have already heard; if we wished, we could say the like of this; this is naught but the fairy-tales of the ancients.'
- Muhammad Asad
- And whenever Our messages were conveyed to them, they would say, "We have heard [all this] before; if we wanted, we could certainly compose sayings like these [ourselves]: they are nothing but fables of ancient times!"
- Sahih International
- And when Our verses are recited to them, they say, "We have heard. If we willed, we could say [something] like this. This is not but legends of the former peoples."
Words
| # | Word | Meaning | Root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | وَإِذَاwa-idhā | And when | — |
| 2 | تُتْلَىٰtut'lā | are recited | تلو |
| 3 | عَلَيْهِمْʿalayhim | to them | — |
| 4 | ءَايَـٰتُنَاāyātunā | Our Verses | أيي |
| 5 | قَالُوا۟qālū | they say | قول |
| 6 | قَدْqad | Verily | — |
| 7 | سَمِعْنَاsamiʿ'nā | we have heard | سمع |
| 8 | لَوْlaw | if | — |
| 9 | نَشَآءُnashāu | we wish | شيأ |
| 10 | لَقُلْنَاlaqul'nā | surely, we could say | قول |
| 11 | مِثْلَmith'la | like | مثل |
| 12 | هَـٰذَآ ۙhādhā | this | — |
| 13 | إِنْin | Not | — |
| 14 | هَـٰذَآhādhā | is this | — |
| 15 | إِلَّآillā | but | — |
| 16 | أَسَـٰطِيرُasāṭīru | tales | سطر |
| 17 | ٱلْأَوَّلِينَl-awalīna | (of) the former (people) | أول |