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Muhammad Asad   
But as for those who are bent on denying the truth, their [good] deeds are like a mirage in the desert, which the thirsty supposes to be water – until, when he approaches it, he finds that it was nothing: instead, he finds [that] God [has always been present] with him, and [that] He will pay him his account in full - for God is swift in reckoning
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
As for the disbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert, which the thirsty perceive as water, but when they approach it, they find it to be nothing. Instead, they find Allah there ˹in the Hereafter, ready˺ to settle their account. And Allah is swift in reckoning.
Safi Kaskas   
But the unbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert that the thirsty mistake for water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing. Instead, he finds only God there, and God will pay him his full due, for God is quick to take account.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
وَٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوۤا۟ أَعۡمَـٰلُهُمۡ كَسَرَابِۭ بِقِیعَةࣲ یَحۡسَبُهُ ٱلظَّمۡءَانُ مَاۤءً حَتَّىٰۤ إِذَا جَاۤءَهُۥ لَمۡ یَجِدۡهُ شَیۡءࣰا وَوَجَدَ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُۥ فَوَفَّىٰهُ حِسَابَهُۥۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَرِیعُ ٱلۡحِسَابِ ۝٣٩
Transliteration (2021)   
wa-alladhīna kafarū aʿmāluhum kasarābin biqīʿatin yaḥsabuhu l-ẓamānu māan ḥattā idhā jāahu lam yajid'hu shayan wawajada l-laha ʿindahu fawaffāhu ḥisābahu wal-lahu sarīʿu l-ḥisāb
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
But those who disbelieve, their deeds (are) like a mirage in a lowland, thinks it the thirsty one (to be) water, until when he comes to it, not he finds it (to be) anything, but he finds Allah before him, He will pay him in full his due. And Allah (is) swift (in) the account.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
But as for those who are bent on denying the truth, their [good] deeds are like a mirage in the desert, which the thirsty supposes to be water – until, when he approaches it, he finds that it was nothing: instead, he finds [that] God [has always been present] with him, and [that] He will pay him his account in full - for God is swift in reckoning
M. M. Pickthall   
As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one supposeth it to be water till he cometh unto it and findeth it naught, and findeth, in the place thereof, Allah Who payeth him his due; and Allah is swift at reckoning
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
But the Unbelievers,- their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds Allah (ever) with him, and Allah will pay him his account: and Allah is swift in taking account
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
As for the disbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert, which the thirsty perceive as water, but when they approach it, they find it to be nothing. Instead, they find Allah there ˹in the Hereafter, ready˺ to settle their account. And Allah is swift in reckoning.
Safi Kaskas   
But the unbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert that the thirsty mistake for water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing. Instead, he finds only God there, and God will pay him his full due, for God is quick to take account.
Wahiduddin Khan   
As for those who deny the truth, their works are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty traveller thinks it to be water, but when he comes near, he finds it to be nothing. He finds God there, who pays him his account in full. God is swift in His reckoning
Shakir   
And (as for) those who disbelieve, their deeds are like the mirage in a desert, which the thirsty man deems to be water; until when he comes to it he finds it to be naught, and there he finds Allah, so He pays back to him his reckoning in full; and Allah is quick in reckoning
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
As for those who were ungrateful, their actions are like a mirage in a spacious plain. The thirsty one assumes it to be water until he drew near it. He finds it to be nothing. Instead, he found God with him Who paid his account in full, reckoning and God is Swift at reckoning.
T.B.Irving   
Those who disbelieve [will find] their deeds [will disappear] like a mirage on a desert: the thirsty man will reckon it is water till, as he comes up to it, he finds it is nothing. Yet he finds God [stands] beside him and he must render Him his account; God is Prompt in reckoning!
Abdul Hye   
As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one thinks it to be water, until when he comes near it, finds it to be nothing, but finds Allah with him, Who pays (disbeliever’s) due (punishment). And Allah is Swift in taking account.
The Study Quran   
As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage upon a desert plain which a thirsty man supposes is water, till when he comes upon it, he does not find it to be anything, but finds God there. He will then pay him his reckoning in full, and God is swift in reckoning
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
But as for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in the desert. The thirsty thinks it to be water, until, upon reaching it, finds nothing. Instead, he finds God there, to settle his account in full. God is swift in reckoning.
Talal Itani (2012)   
As for those who disbelieve, their works are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty assumes it is to be water. Until, when he has reached it, he finds it to be nothing, but there he finds God, Who settles his account in full. God is swift in reckoning
Dr. Kamal Omar   
As for those who have disbelieved, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one thinks it (to be) water, until when he approached it, he does not find it to be anything but he found Allah all along with him so He paid him in full his account. And Allah is Swift in reckoning
M. Farook Malik   
As for the unbelievers, their deeds will disappear like a mirage in a sandy desert, which the thirsty traveller thinks to be water, but when he comes near, he finds it to be nothing, instead he finds Allah to settle his account - Allah is swift in settling accounts
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
And the ones who have disbelieved, their deeds are as a mirage in a low land, which the man all-athirst reckons to be water, till when he comes to it, he finds it nothing, and at it he finds Allah. Then He pays him his reckoning in full; and Allah is swift at the reckoning
Muhammad Sarwar   
The deeds of the unbelievers are like a mirage which a thirsty man thinks is water until he goes near and finds nothing. Instead he finds God who gives him his due recompense. God's reckoning is swift
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert plain, which a thirsty person deems to be water, until when he comes to it, he finds it nothing, and finds (the decree of) Allah with him, so He pays him his account in full. Allah is swift at reckoning
Shabbir Ahmed   
But as for those who reject the Message, their deeds are like a mirage in the desert. The thirsty one supposes it to be water till he comes unto it and finds nothing. However, he does meet Allah's Law of Requital to compensate for his deeds. And Allah is Swift at taking account
Dr. Munir Munshey   
The deeds of the unbelievers are like a mirage in a sandy desert. The thirsty believes he sees water, but finds nothing there when he comes closer. There, he does find Allah, Who will let him have his due. Allah is very swift in reckoning
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
As for those who disbelieved (in this life)— Their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which a thirsty one mistakes it to be water; And when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But (instead) he finds Allah (always) with him, and Allah will pay him his account that is due: And Allah is swift in taking account (Hasib)
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
But those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is water until, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing but finds Allah before Him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allah is swift in account
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
As for those who reject, their works are like a mirage in the desert. A thirsty person thinks it is water, until he reaches it, he finds it is nothing; and he finds God there and He pays him his due, and God is swift in judgment
Abdel Haleem   
But the deeds of those who disbelieve are like a mirage in a desert: the thirsty person thinks there will be water but, when he gets there, he finds only God, who pays him his account in full- God is swift in reckoning
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
And those who disbelieve--their works are like a mirage in a desert which the thirsty deemeth to be water, until when he cometh thereto he findeth not aught, and findeth Allahs with himself, and He payeth him his account in full; and Allah is swift at reckoning
Ahmed Ali   
As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in the desert which the thirsty takes for water till he reaches it to find that there was nothing, and finds God with him who settles his account, for God is swift at the reckoning
Aisha Bewley   
But the actions of those who are kafir are like a mirage in the desert. A thirsty man thinks it is water but when he reaches it, he finds it to be nothing at all, but he finds Allah there. He will pay him his account in full. Allah is swift at reckoning.
Ali Ünal   
As for the unbelievers, all their deeds are like a mirage in the desert, which the thirsty one supposes to be water until he comes up to it, only to find that it was nothing; instead he finds God near it, and He settles his account in full. God is swift at settling the account
Ali Quli Qara'i   
As for the faithless, their works are like a mirage in a plain, which the thirsty man supposes to be water. When he comes to it, he finds it to be nothing; but there he finds Allah, who will pay him his full account, and Allah is swift at reckoning
Hamid S. Aziz   
But those who disbelieve, their works are like the mirage in a desert, the thirsty suppose it to be water till when he comes to it he finds nothing, but he finds, instead, Allah is with him; and He will pay him his account, for Allah is quick to take acc
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
Those who disbelieve, their works are like a mirage in a desert that a thirsty person imagines it as water until he gets to it and finds it to be nothing, and he finds God with him, and He pays back his account (in full), and God is quick in reckoning.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
But the unbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts which the person parched with thirst mistakes for water, until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing, but he finds God with him, and God will pay him his account, and God is swift in taking account
Musharraf Hussain   
However, the disbelievers deeds are like a mirage in a desert: the thirsty traveller imagines it to be water until he reaches it, only to find nothing there; but finds Allah before him, settling his account in full. Allah is swift in calculating accounts.
Maududi   
(On the other hand,) the deeds of those who disbelieved, maybe likened to a mirage in a waterless desert, which the thirsty one took for water; but when he reached there he found nothing to drink; nay, he found there Allah Who settled his full account, and Allah is very swift at reckoning
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
As for those who reject, their works are like a mirage in the desert. A thirsty person thinks it is water, until he reaches it, he finds it is nothing; and he finds God there and He pays him his due, and God is swift in judgment
Mohammad Shafi   
And those who suppress the Truth — their deeds are like the mirage in a desert. The thirsty man deems it to be water until when he comes to it he finds it not! And there he finds Allah paying back to him his account in full; and Allah is quick in keeping accounts

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
And those who disbelieved, their works are-like a mirage in a desert that the thirsty one thinks it to be water until when he came up to it, he found it to be nothing and found Allah near him, then He paid him his account in full. And He is Swift in reckoning.
Rashad Khalifa   
As for those who disbelieve, their works are like a mirage in the desert. A thirsty person thinks that it is water. But when he reaches it, he finds that it is nothing, and he finds GOD there instead, to requite him fully for his works. GOD is the most efficient reckoner.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
As for the unbelievers, their works are like a mirage in the wilderness. The thirsty person thinks it is water, but when he comes near he finds that it is nothing. He finds Allah there, who pays him his account in full. Allah is Swift in reckoning
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
And those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert, which the thirsty man deems to be water, until, when he comes to it, he finds it naught, and he finds Allah with him, so He pays him his due. And Allah is Swift at reckoning -
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
And those who disbelieved their deeds (are) as a mirage at a plain land (desert) the thirsty thinks/supposes it (is) water, until when he came to it, he did not find it a thing, and he found God at it, so He fulfilled/completed him his account/calculation, and God (is) fast/quick (in) the counting/calculating
Bijan Moeinian   
As for those who rejected (this Qur’an,) their deeds are like a mirage. It gives them the allusion of water in a desert; but when they reach there, instead of water, they will find the Lord ready to question the figures in their accounts. God is the Most Efficient in Accounting
Faridul Haque   
And those who disbelieved - their deeds are like a mirage in the wasteland, so the thirsty may believe it to be water; to the extent that when he came close to it, he found it is nothing and found Allah close to him, so He filled his account; and Allah is Swift At Taking Account
Sher Ali   
And as to those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one imagines it to be water until, when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing. And he finds ALLAH near him, WHO then pays him his account in full; And ALLAH is swift in reckoning
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
And the deeds of the disbelievers are like a mirage in a vast barren field which the thirsty one deems to be water, until when he gets near it he finds it to be nothing. (Likewise, in the Hereafter) he will find Allah near him, but Allah fully paid him back (in the world). And Allah is Swift in taking account
Amatul Rahman Omar   
And (as to) those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert, the thirsty man assumes it to be water until he comes up to it and finds it is nothing at all. And (instead of water by his side) he finds (that) Allah (has always been present) with him, and He then pays him his account in full, and Allah is Swift at reckoning
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one thinks it to be water, until he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing, but he finds Allah with him, Who will pay him his due (Hell). And Allah is Swift in taking account

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
And as for the unbelievers, their works are as a mirage in a spacious plain which the man athirst supposes to be water, till, when he comes to it, he finds it is nothing; there indeed he finds God, and He pays him his account in full; (and God is swift at the reckoning.
George Sale   
But as to the unbelievers, their works are like the vapour in a plain, which the thirsty traveller thinketh to be water, until, when he cometh thereto, he findeth it to be nothing; but he findeth God with him, and he will fully pay him his account; and God is swift in taking an account
Edward Henry Palmer   
But those who misbelieve, their works are like the mirage in a plain, the thirsty counts it water till when he comes to it he finds nothing, but he finds that God is with him; and He will pay him his account, for God is quick to take account
John Medows Rodwell   
But as to the infidels, their works are like the vapour in a plain which the thirsty dreameth to be water, until when he cometh unto it, he findeth it not aught, but findeth that God is with him; and He fully payeth him his account: for swift to take account is God
N J Dawood (2014)   
As for the unbelievers, their works are like a mirage in a desert. The thirsty traveller thinks it is water, but when he comes near he finds that it is nothing. He finds God there, who pays him back in full. Swift is God‘s reckoning

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
And those who disbelieve, their deeds are like a mirage in a desert which the thirsty takes to be water until when he comes to it, he does not find it to be anything but he finds Allah with him, thereupon He gives him his reckoning in full and Allah is Swift in the reckoning.
Munir Mezyed   
As for those who persistently refuse to Yield to the Truth, all their deeds are like a mirage in a lowland. The thirsty one supposes to be water until he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing, instead, he finds Allâh before Him. So He pays him in full his due. And Allâh is Swift in taking account.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
And those who reject (the truth), their deeds are like a mirage on empty flat land which the thirsty thinks is water, until when he reaches it he finds nothing and finds Allah present who pays him his account in full, and Allah is swift in counting.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
But those who have denied—their deeds are like a mirage in a desert: the thirsty one thinks it is water until when he has reached it he finds it to be nothing, but there he finds Allah, Who settles his account in full. For Allah is Swift in reckoning.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
The nonbelievers’ deeds are like a mirage in the desert. It is mistaken for water by the person parched with thirst. When he comes to it, he finds it to be nothing, but he finds Allah with him. (Allah) will pay him in full account. Allah is swift in taking account.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Those who disbelieve [will find] their deeds [will disappear] like a mirage on a desert: the thirsty man will think it is water till, as he comes up to it, he finds it is nothing. Yet he finds Allah (God) there and he must render Him his account; Allah (God) is Prompt in reckoning!
Samy Mahdy   
And those who disbelieved, their works are like a mirage in a lowland. The thirsty considers it water. Until, when he comes to it, he does not find it a thing, and he finds Allah with him, so He fulfilled his reckoning. And Allah is swift in reckoning.
Sayyid Qutb   
As for the unbelievers, their deeds are like a mirage in the desert, which the thirsty traveller supposes to be water, but when he comes near to it, he finds that it is nothing. But he finds that God [has always been present] with him, and that He will pay him his account in full; for God is swift in reckoning.
Thomas Cleary   
As for the ungrateful who do not have faith, their works are like a mirage on a plain, which the thirsty man thinks to be water until he comes to it and finds nothing there- but he finds God in his presence, and God pays him his earnings; and God is swift
Ahmed Hulusi   
As for those who deny the knowledge of the reality, their works are like a mirage in the desert! When finally he reaches it (the mirage; his works, through death) he finds nothing! He will find Allah with him (in his own essence and realize He comprises his essential reality with His Names, but alas, he will be at a point of no return to evaluate this)! So Allah will make him live the consequences of his past life in full! Allah is swift at reckoning!
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
And (for) those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert, which the thirsty one supposes to be water until when he comes unto it he finds it naught, and finds Allah with him Who pays him his reckoning in full; and Allah is swift in taking account
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
As for those who deny Allah and do not acknowledge His Messengers' missions, their hopes shall be doomed to disappointment. Their deeds shall avail them nothing but the frustration or non-fulfillment of expectation, a situation standing similitude exact of a mirage* falsely viewed by the parched and thirsty traveler as water, and when he reaches the spot in question his hopes are doomed to disappointment. He finds what is known to be at variance with fact, an optical illusion. But he finds Allah, the Omnipresent, the truth personified, Who requites him with what is commensurate with his deeds, and Allah is swift indeed in putting the law in execution
Mir Aneesuddin   
(and hope) that Allah will reward them with (something) better than that which they did and increase their (reward) out of His grace; and Allah provides without measure to whom He wills.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
But the Unbelievers,- their deeds are like a mirage in sandy deserts, which the man parched with thirst mistakes for water; until when he comes up to it, he finds it to be nothing: But he finds God (ever) with him, and God will pay him his acco unt: and God is swift in taking account
OLD Literal Word for Word   
But those who disbelieve, their deeds (are) like a mirage in a lowland, thinks it the thirsty one (to be) water, until when he comes to it, not he finds it (to be) anything, but he finds Allah before him, He will pay him in full his due. And Allah (is) swift (in) the account
OLD Transliteration   
Waallatheena kafaroo aAAmaluhum kasarabin biqeeAAatin yahsabuhu alththam-anu maan hatta itha jaahu lam yajidhu shay-an wawajada Allaha AAindahu fawaffahu hisabahu waAllahu sareeAAu alhisabi