Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
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Muhammad Asad | | The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than [they have on] their own selves, [seeing that he is as a father to them] and his wives are their mothers: and they who are [thus] closely related have, in accordance with God’s decree, a higher claim upon one another than [was even the case between] the believers [of Yathrib] and those who had migrated [there for the sake of God]. None the less, you are to act with utmost goodness towards your [other] close friends as well: this [too] is written down in God’s decree. | ⇨ |
M. M. Pickthall | | The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves, and his wives are (as) their mothers. And the owners of kinship are closer one to another in the ordinance of Allah than (other) believers and the fugitives (who fled from Mecca), except that ye should do kindness to your friends. This is written in the Book (of nature). | ⇨ |
Shakir | | The Prophet has a greater claim on the faithful than they have on themselves, and his wives are (as) their mothers; and the possessors of relationship have the better claim in the ordinance of Allah to inheritance, one with respect to another, than (other) believers, and (than) those who have fled (their homes), except that you do some good to your friends; this is written in the Book. | ⇨ |
Yusuf Ali | | The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. Blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, in the Decree of Allah. Than (the Brotherhood of) Believers and Muhajirs: nevertheless do ye what is just to your closest friends: such is the writing in the Decree (of Allah). | ⇨ |
[Al-Muntakhab] | | The Prophet is more closely attached to those who conformed to Islam than they are to themselves and his wives are their mothers. Those of you who are related by blood or by descent from a common ancestor take precedence of those who conformed to Islam and of those who emigrated in inheriting each other as is decreed in Allah's Book unless it be a favour you are doing to those who are unrelated or an edict that has been set forth by Allah in writing and be this so in the Quran. | ⇨ |
[Progressive Muslims] | | The prophet is closer to the believers than themselves, and his wives are mothers to them. And God's decree to the believers and the emigrants is that before they help their relatives, they have taken care of their own families first. Such has been decreed in the Scripture. | ⇨ |
Abdel Haleem | | The Prophet is more protective towards the believers than they are themselves, while his wives are their mothers. In God’s Scripture, blood-relatives have a stronger claim than other believers and emigrants, though you may still bestow gifts on your proteges. All this is written in the Scripture. | ⇨ |
Abdul Majid Daryabadi | | The Prophet is nigher unto the believers than themselves, and his wives are their mothers. And kinsmen are nigher one to another in the ordinance of Allah than other believers and the emigrants except that ye may act reputably unto your friends. This hath been written in the Book. | ⇨ |
Ahmed Ali | | The prophet (is) more worthy/deserving with the believers than them selves, and His wives (are) their mothers, and (those) of the relations some of them (are) more worthy/deserving with some in God's Book/judgment than the believers and the emigrants, except that (E) you make/do to your allies/friends kindness/goodness , that was in The Book written/inscribed . | ⇨ |
Aisha Bewley | | The Prophet more right to the muminun than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers. But blood-relations have more rights to one another in the Book of Allah than the muminun and Muhajirun. All the same you should act correctly by your friends; that is inscribed in the Book. | ⇨ |
Ali Ünal | | The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than they have on their own selves, and (seeing that he is as a father to them) his wives are (as) their mothers. Those who are bound by blood have a greater right (in inheritance and charity) upon one another according to God’s Book than other believers and the Emigrants – except that you must (nevertheless) act with kindness toward your friends (and bequeath some of your goods to them). That is what is written in the Book (of God’s Decree). | ⇨ |
Ali Quli Qara'i | | The Prophet is closer to the faithful than their own souls, and his wives are their mothers. The blood relatives are more entitled to inherit from one another in the Book of Allah than the [other] faithful and Emigrants, barring any favour you may do your comrades. This has been written in the Book. | ⇨ |
Amatul Rahman Omar | | The Prophet has a better claim on the believers than (that) they even have on themselves. (Not only that) his wives are (as) mothers to them. (But in the matters of inheritance) the blood relations are nearer one to another (and more deserving to get the heritage) in (accordance with) the Law of Allah than the other believers (from among the Ansar) as well as the immigrants (-Muhajirs whom the Ansar took as brothers and united with themselves). Yet you can do an act of kindness (to do honourable favour) to your friends. This is also laid down in the Book of Law. | ⇨ |
Hamid S. Aziz | | Proclaim their real relationship to their fathers; this is more equitable with Allah; but if you do not know their fathers, then they are your brethren in faith and your friends; and there is no blame on you concerning that in which you make mistakes, but only in that which your heart do purposely, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. | ⇨ |
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali | | The Prophet is (worthier of) patronizing (i.e., mankind the pronoun is plural) the believers than their selves, and his spouses are their mothers; and those related by blood (Literally: related by (brith) wombs; endowed with near kinship) are worthier of patronizing one another (Literally: some of them patronizing some (others) in the Book of Allah than the believers and the emigrants, except that you should perform a beneficent act to your patronized (relatives). That has been inscribed in the Book. | ⇨ |
Muhammad Sarwar | | The Prophet has more authority over the believers than themselves. His wives are their mothers. The relatives are closer to each other, according to the Book of God, than the believers and the emigrants. However, you may show kindness to your guardians. This also is written in the Book. | ⇨ |
Muhammad Taqi Usmani | | The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers; and those having mutual kinship are closer to one another (for the purpose of inheritance) than (other) believers and emigrants according to the Book of Allah, unless you do some good to your friends (by making a will in their favor). This had been written in the Book (the Preserved Tablet). | ⇨ |
Shabbir Ahmed | | The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves and their own people. (Seeing that he is as a father to them), his wives are their mothers. In accordance with Allah's decree the relatives have a higher claim (in matters of inheritance) than other believers and the immigrants. Nevertheless, you are to deal with your friends in kindness. All this is recorded in this well-written and well-scored Book. (2:180,) (4:11), (9:111), (33:53), (48:10). | ⇨ |
Syed Vickar Ahamed | | The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are (in a holy sense) their mothers. By the Command of Allah, blood-relations among each other have closer personal ties, than (the brotherhood of) believers and those traveling from distant lands: However, you do what is just to your closest friends: Such is the writing in the Command (Book from Allah). | ⇨ |
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International) | | The Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves, and his wives are [in the position of] their mothers. And those of [blood] relationship are more entitled [to inheritance] in the decree of Allah than the [other] believers and the emigrants, except that you may do to your close associates a kindness [through bequest]. That was in the Book inscribed. | ⇨ |
Farook Malik | | The Prophet has a higher claim on the believers than [they have on] their own selves, [seeing that he is as a father to them] and his wives are their mothers: [Thus, connecting with the preceding mention of voluntary, elective relationships (as contrasted with those by blood), this verse points to the highest manifestation of an elective, spiritual relationship: that of the God-inspired Prophet and the person who freely chooses to follow him. The Prophet himself is reported to have said: "None of you has real faith unless I am dearer unto him than his father, and his child, and all mankind" (Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Anas, with several almost identical versions in other compilations). The Companions invariably regarded the Prophet as the spiritual father of his community. Some of them - e.g., Ibn Masud (as quoted by Zamakhshari) or Ubayy ibn Kab, Ibn Abbas and Muawiyah (as quoted by Ibn Kathir) - hardly ever recited the above verse without adding, by way of explanation, "seeing that he is [as] a father to them"; and many of the tabi in -- including Mujahid, Qatadah, lkrimah and Al-Hasan (cf. Tabari and Ibn Kathir) - did the same: hence my interpolation, between brackets, of this phrase. (However, see also verse 40 of this surah and the corresponding note.) As regards the status of the Prophet's wives as the "mothers of the believers", this arises primarily from the fact of their having shared the life of God's Apostle in its most intimate aspect. Consequently, they could not remarry after his death (see verse 53 below), since all the believers were, spiritually, their "children".] and they who are [thus] closely related have, in accordance with God's decree, a higher claim upon one another than [was even the case between] the believers [of Yathrib] and those who had migrated [there for the sake of God]. [See note on the last but one sentence of 8:75. As explained in that note, neither of these two passages (8:75 and 33:6) can be satisfactorily interpreted as bearing on the laws of inheritance: all endeavours to interpret them in that sense only do violence to the logical build-up and inner cohesion of the Quranic discourse. On the other hand, it is obvious that both passages have basically a similar (namely, spiritual) import - with the difference only that whereas the concluding sentences of Al-Anfal refer to the brotherhood of all believers in general, the present passage lays stress on the yet deeper, special relationship between every true believer and God's Apostle.] None the less, you are to act with utmost goodness towards your [other] close friends as well: [I.e., towards all other believers, as stressed so often in the Quran, and particularly in 8:75 (see preceding note): in other words, a believer's exalted love for the Prophet should not blind him to the fact that "all believers are brethren" 49:10. The extremely complex term maruf rendered by me in this context as "innermost goodness", may be defined as "any act [or attitude] the goodness whereof is evident to reason" (Raghib).] this [too] is written down in God's decree. | ⇨ |
