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Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
CALL THOU (all mankind] unto thy Sustainer's path with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner- for, behold, thy Sustainer knows best as to who strays from His path, and best knows He as to who are the right-guided
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Invite ˹all˺ to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner. Surely your Lord ˹alone˺ knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is ˹rightly˺ guided.
Safi Kaskas   
Call people to the path of your Lord with wisdom and good advice and argue with them in the most courteous way, for your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and knows best who is rightly guided.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
ادْعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَادِلْهُم بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِين
Transliteration (2021)   
ud'ʿu ilā sabīli rabbika bil-ḥik'mati wal-mawʿiẓati l-ḥasanati wajādil'hum bi-allatī hiya aḥsanu inna rabbaka huwa aʿlamu biman ḍalla ʿan sabīlihi wahuwa aʿlamu bil-muh'tadīn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
Call to (the) way (of) your Lord with the wisdom and the instruction the good, and discuss with them in that which (is) best. Indeed, your Lord, He (is) most knowing of who has strayed from His way, And He (is) most knowing of the guided ones.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
CALL THOU (all mankind] unto thy Sustainer's path with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner- for, behold, thy Sustainer knows best as to who strays from His path, and best knows He as to who are the right-guided
M. M. Pickthall   
Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and reason with them in the better way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Invite ˹all˺ to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner. Surely your Lord ˹alone˺ knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is ˹rightly˺ guided.
Safi Kaskas   
Call people to the path of your Lord with wisdom and good advice and argue with them in the most courteous way, for your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and knows best who is rightly guided.
Wahiduddin Khan   
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation and reason with them in a way that is best. Your Lord knows best those who have strayed away from His path, and He knows best those who are rightly guided
Shakir   
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner; surely your Lord best knows those who go astray from His path, and He knows best those who follow the right way
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
Call thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fairer admonishment. And dispute with them in a way that is fairer. Truly, thy Lord is He Who is greater in knowledge of whoever went astray from His way. And He is greater in knowledge of the ones who are truly guided.
T.B.Irving   
Invite [people] to your Lord´s way with discretion and kindly instruction, and discuss [things] with them in the politest manner. Your Lord is quite Aware as to who has strayed from His path, just as He is quite Aware of those who have consented to be guided.
Abdul Hye   
Invite (mankind, O Muhammad) to the Way of your Lord (Islam) with wisdom, kind advice, and reason with them in a way that it is better. Surely, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Way, and He knows best those who are guided.
The Study Quran   
Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation. And dispute with them in the most virtuous manner. Surely thy Lord is He Who knows best those who stray from His way, and He knows best the rightly guided
Dr. Kamal Omar   
Invite to the Way of your Nourisher-Sustainer with Al-Hikmah (‘The Wisdom’. This is an attribute for Allah’s Book) and Al-Mauizatil-Hasanah, and argue with them with such an approach which is better. Truly, your Nourisher-Sustainer: He knows better about that (person) who went astray from His Path. And He knows better about those who are guided
Farook Malik   
Call people to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and best advice, and reason with them, if you have to, in the most courteous manner: for your Lord knows best who strays from His Way and He knows best who is rightly guided
Talal A. Itani (new translation)   
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good advice, and debate with them in the most dignified manner. Your Lord is aware of those who stray from His path, and He is aware of those who are guided
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
Call (This is addressed to the Prophet) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and dispute with them in the way (which is) fairest. Surely your Lord is The Best Knower of the ones who have erred away from His way, and He is The Best Knower of the right-guided
Muhammad Sarwar   
Call (the pagans) to the path of your Lord through wisdom and good advice and argue with them in the best manner. God knows well about those who stray from His path and those who seek guidance
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
Invite (people) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good counsel. And argue with them in the best of manners. Surely, your Lord knows best the one who deviates from His way, and He knows best the ones who are on the right path
Shabbir Ahmed   
Call to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful exhortation. Reason with them most decently. Your Lord is best Aware of him who strays from His Path, and He is best Aware of those who go aright
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Call them towards the path of your Lord with wisdom and right advice, and debate with them amicably. Surely, your Lord knows very well who has deviated from His path, just as He knows best who are the well guided
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and holy teaching, and reason with them by ways that are the best (and most gracious): Truly, your Lord knows best, (those) who have strayed from His Path, and (those) who receive guidance
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
Invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and good advice, and argue with them in that which is better. Your Lord is fully aware of who is misguided from His path, and He is fully aware of the guided ones
Abdel Haleem   
[Prophet], call [people] to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good teaching. Argue with them in the most courteous way, for your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way and who is rightly guided
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
Call them unto the way of thy Lord with Wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them with that which is best. Verily thy Lord! He is the Best Knower of him who hath strayed from His way, and He is the Best Knower of the guided ones
Ahmed Ali   
Call them to the path of your Lord with wisdom and words of good advice; and reason with them in the best way possible. Your Lord surely knows who strays from His path, and He knows those who are guided the right way
Aisha Bewley   
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and argue with them in the kindest way. Your Lord knows best who is misguided from His way. And He knows best who are guided.
Ali Ünal   
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and argue with them in the best way possible. Your Lord surely knows best who has gone astray from His way, and He knows best who are the rightly guided
Ali Quli Qara'i   
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good advice and dispute with them in a manner that is best. Indeed your Lord knows best those who stray from His way, and He knows best those who are guided
Hamid S. Aziz   
Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and reason with them in the best (kindest, most gracious, elegant, persuasive) way; verily, your Lord He knows best who has erred from His way, and He is best aware of those who receive g
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
Invite (people) to your Master’s way with the wisdom and the good advice, and debate with them in the best manner. Your Master knows best those who lost his way, and He knows best who the guided ones are
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
Invite all to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful teaching, and converse with them in ways that are best and most gracious, for your Lord knows best who have strayed from His path, and who have received guidance
Musharraf Hussain   
Invite to your Lord’s way wisely: teaching in a pleasant manner, and debating with courtesy; Your Lord knows the one who strayed from His way and the one guided.
Maududi   
(O Prophet), call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and reason with them in the best manner possible. Surely your Lord knows best who has strayed away from His path, and He also knows well those who are guided to the Right Way
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
Invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and good advice, and argue with them in that which is better. Your Lord is fully aware of who is misguided from His path, and He is fully aware of the guided ones
Mohammad Shafi   
Call people to the Path of your Lord with wisdom and good counsel, and argue with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord does indeed know who go astray from His path, and who follow it

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good admonition and argue with them in a way that is best. No doubt. Your Lord knows well who has strayed from His way and He knows well those who are guided.
Rashad Khalifa   
You shall invite to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kind enlightenment, and debate with them in the best possible manner. Your Lord knows best who has strayed from His path, and He knows best who are the guided ones.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
Call to the Path of your Lord with wisdom and fine admonition. Dispute with them in the best manner. Your Lord is well aware of those who have gone astray from His Path and He is well aware of those who are guided
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
Call to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the best manner. Surely thy Lord knows best him who strays from His path, and He knows best those who go aright
Muhammad Ahmed - Samira   
Call to your Lord's way/path with the wisdom, and the good sermon/advise/warning, and argue/dispute with them with which it is best , that your Lord He is more knowledgeable with (of) who misguided from His path/way , and He is more knowledgeable with the guided
Bijan Moeinian   
Invite people to the way of your Lord with wisdom and effective speeches. Debate with them in the most civilized manner. Rest assured that God knows who is wondering in the wrong path and who is following the right path
Faridul Haque   
Call towards the path of your Lord with sound planning and good advice, and debate with them in the best possible way; indeed your Lord well knows him who has strayed from His path, and He well knows the guided
Sher Ali   
Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation and argue with them in a way that is best. Surely, thy Lord knows best who has strayed from HIS way; and HE also knows those who are rightly guided
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
(O Glorious Messenger!) Invite towards the path of your Lord with wisdom and refined exhortation and (also) argue with them in a most decent manner. Surely, your Lord knows well the one who strayed away from His path, and He also knows well the rightly guided
Amatul Rahman Omar   
(Prophet!) call the people to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly and kind exhortation, and argue with them in the most pleasant and best manner. Surely, your Lord knows very well who has gone astray from His path, and He knows very well the guided ones to the right path
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
Invite (mankind, O Muhammad SAW) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Quran) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
Call thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and good admonition, and dispute with them in the better way. Surely thy Lord knows very well those who have gone astray from His way, and He knows very well those who are guided
George Sale   
Invite men unto the way of thy Lord, by wisdom, and mild exhortation; and dispute with them in the most condescending manner: For thy Lord well knoweth him who strayeth from his path, and He well knoweth those who are rightly directed
Edward Henry Palmer   
Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly warning; and wrangle with them in the kindest way; verily, thy Lord He knows best who has erred from His way, for He knows best the guided ones
John Medows Rodwell   
Summon thou to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and with kindly warning: dispute with them in the kindest manner: thy Lord best knoweth those who stray from his way, and He best knoweth those who have yielded to his guidance
N J Dawood (2014)   
Call people to the path of your Lord with wisdom and kindly exhortation. Reason with them in a manner most courteous. Your Lord best knows those who stray from His path and He best knows the rightly guided

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
Invite all to the way of your Lord by using wisdom and beautiful witnessing. Make your persuasion in ways most gracious. Your Lord knows who has strayed from His path and who has received guidance.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Invite [people] to your Lord's way with discretion and kindly instruction, and discuss [things] with them in the politest manner. Your Lord is All-Knowing as to who has strayed from His path, just as He is All-Knowing of those who have consented to be guided.
Sayyid Qutb   
Call people to the path of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner. Your Lord knows best who strays from His path and who are rightly guided.
Ahmed Hulusi   
Invite to the way of your Rabb with wisdom and good advice... And struggle with them in the best way... Indeed, HU, your Rabb, knows better who goes astray... And HU knows better who is guided!
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
(O' Prophet!) Call (mankind) to the path of your Lord with wisdom and good admonition, and dispute with them in the better way. Verily your Lord knows better of him who has gone astray from His path, and He knows best those who are guided.
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim   
Invite people O Muhammad graciously to the path of Allah, the path of righteousness, with wise, graceful and appropriate inducements meeting them on their own ground and propitiating them, each in his own capacity, to open their hearts' ears and their minds' eyes. Reason with them in a logical, peaceable and gracious manner; Allah, your Creator, knows best those who have wandered from His path of righteousness and He knows best those who steer a straight course and Providence their guide
Mir Aneesuddin   
Invite to the way of your Fosterer with wisdom and good admonition and dispute with them in (a manner) which is the best. Your Fosterer certainly knows best about him who goes astray from His path and He knows best those who are guided.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance
OLD Literal Word for Word   
Call to (the) way (of) your Lord with the wisdom and the instruction the good, and discuss with them in that which (is) best. Indeed, your Lord, He (is) most knowing of who has strayed from His way, And He (is) most knowing of the guided ones