←Prev   Ayah az-Zumar (The Troops, Throngs, The Companies) 39:25   Next→ 

Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
Those who lived before them did [too] give the lie to the truth - whereupon suffering befell them without their having perceived whence it came
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Those before them ˹also˺ rejected ˹the truth˺, then the torment came upon them from where they least expected.
Safi Kaskas   
Those before them also denied the truth, and punishment came upon them before they realize what is happening.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
كَذَّبَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَأَتَاهُمُ الْعَذَابُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَشْعُرُون
Transliteration (2021)   
kadhaba alladhīna min qablihim fa-atāhumu l-ʿadhābu min ḥaythu lā yashʿurūn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
Denied those who (were) from before them, so came upon them the punishment from where not they perceive.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
Those who lived before them did [too] give the lie to the truth - whereupon suffering befell them without their having perceived whence it came
M. M. Pickthall   
Those before them denied, and so the doom came on them whence they knew not
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Those before them (also) rejected (revelation), and so the Punishment came to them from directions they did not perceive
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
Those before them ˹also˺ rejected ˹the truth˺, then the torment came upon them from where they least expected.
Safi Kaskas   
Those before them also denied the truth, and punishment came upon them before they realize what is happening.
Wahiduddin Khan   
Those before them also denied the truth, and the punishment fell on them from where they did not expect
Shakir   
Those before them rejected (prophets), therefore there came to them the chastisement from whence they perceived not
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
Those before them denied and so the punishment approached them from where they are not aware.
T.B.Irving   
The ones who preceded them denied it, so torment came at them from somewhere they did not notice.
Abdul Hye   
Those who also denied before them, the punishment came on them from where they did not perceive.
The Study Quran   
Those before them denied, and the punishment came upon them whence they were not aware
Dr. Kamal Omar   
Those before them belied, so the torment came on them from directions and sites they do not perceive
Farook Malik   
Those who have gone before them also disbelieved, consequently, the punishment overtook them from the directions they least expected
Talal A. Itani (new translation)   
Those before them also denied the truth, so the penalty came upon them from where they did not perceive
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
The ones before them cried lies; then the torment came up to them from where they were not aware
Muhammad Sarwar   
Those who lived before them had also rejected Our revelations. Thus, the torment struck them and they did not even realize where it came from
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
Those before them had also rejected (the messengers) and consequently, the punishment came upon them in a way that they had never imagined
Shabbir Ahmed   
Those who lived before their times, also denied the Truth. So the punishment befell them from directions they could have not imagined
Dr. Munir Munshey   
The earlier people had rejected. As a result, punishment came to them from where they least expected
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
(There were) those who rejected (the Message) before them and so (for them) the punishment came to them from directions they did not expect
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
Those before them denied, and punishment came upon them from where they did not perceive
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
Those before them have denied, and thus the retribution came to them from where they did not perceive
Abdel Haleem   
Others before them also disbelieved, and the punishment fell on them unawares
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
Those before them belied, wherefore the torment came on them whence they knew not
Ahmed Ali   
Those before them had denied, then punishment had overtaken them is from a quarter they did not suspect
Aisha Bewley   
Those before them also denied the truth and the punishment came upon them from where they did not expect.
Ali Ünal   
Those before them denied (the Revelation), and so the punishment came upon them without their having perceived from where it came
Ali Quli Qara'i   
Those who were before them impugned [the apostles], whereat the punishment overtook them whence they were not aware
Hamid S. Aziz   
Those before them (also) denied (the prophets or the revelation, the message), therefore there came to them the chastisement from whence they perceived not
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
Those before them (also) denied, so the punishment came upon them from where they did not realize
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
Those before them also rejected it, and so the punishment came to them from directions they did not perceive
Musharraf Hussain   
Others before them also disbelieved, and they were unaware of where the punishment came from.
Maududi   
Their predecessors gave the lie to the Truth and then chastisement came upon them from whence they could not imagine
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
Those before them have denied, and thus the retribution came to them from where they did not perceive.
Mohammad Shafi   
The peoples that lived before them denied the Truth. Then the punishment came upon them from where they knew not

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
Those before them belied so torment came upon them whence they knew not.
Rashad Khalifa   
Others before them have disbelieved and, consequently, the retribution afflicted them whence they never expected.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
Those who went before them also belied, then Our punishment overtook them from where they were unaware
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
Those before them denied, so the chastisement came to them from whence they perceived not
Muhammad Ahmed - Samira   
Those from before them lied/denied/falsified, so the torture came to them from where/when they do not feel/know/sense
Bijan Moeinian   
Many a people before them also chose to disobey. They got what they deserved when they least expect it
Faridul Haque   
Those before them had denied, therefore the punishment came to them from a place they did not know
Sher Ali   
Those, who were before them, rejected Our Messengers, so the punishment came upon them whence they knew not
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
The people who passed before them rejected (the Messengers), so the torment came upon them whence they had no perception
Amatul Rahman Omar   
Their predecessors also cried lies (to their Messengers of God,) so that (Our) punishment came upon them from quarters they little perceived
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
Those before them belied, and so the torment came on them from directions they perceived not

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
Those that were before them cried lies, then the chastisement came upon them from whence they were not aware
George Sale   
Those who were before them, accused their apostles of imposture; wherefore a punishment came upon them from whence they expected it not
Edward Henry Palmer   
Those before them called the (prophets) liars, and the torment came to them from whence they perceived it not
John Medows Rodwell   
They who were before them said it was a lie; but a punishment came upon them whence they looked not for it
N J Dawood (2014)   
Those who have gone before them also disbelieved, so that the scourge overtook them unawares

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
Those before them rejected, and so the punishment came to them from directions they did not perceive.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
The ones who preceded them denied it, so torment came at them from somewhere they did not notice.
Sayyid Qutb   
Those who lived before them also disbelieved, and so suffering befell them from where they could not perceive.
Ahmed Hulusi   
Those before them denied and suffering came to them from a place of which they were not aware.
Mir Aneesuddin   
Those before them (had also) denied, so they did not perceive from where the punishment came to them.
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim   
Similarly behaved those who preceded them and they were seized with a ruinous punishment they neither knew how it happened nor whence it came

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
Those before them (also) rejected (revelation), and so the Punishment came to them from directions they did not perceive
OLD Literal Word for Word   
Denied those who (were) before them, so came upon them the punishment from where not they perceive