←Prev   Ayah al-Ahqaf (The Wind-curved Sandhills, The Dunes, The Sandhills) 46:11   Next→ 

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Muhammad Asad   
But they who are bent on denying the truth speak thus of those who have attained to faith: “If this [message] were any good, these [people] would not have preceded us in accepting it!” And since they refuse to be guided by it, they will always say, “This is [but] an ancient falsehood!”
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
The disbelievers say of the believers, “Had it been ˹something˺ good, they would not have beaten us to it.” Now since they reject its guidance, they will say, “˹This is˺ an ancient fabrication!”
Safi Kaskas   
The unbelievers say about the believers, "If it were anything good, they would not have preceded us to it." And since they were not guided by it, they will say, "This is an ancient lie."

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَوْ كَانَ خَيْرًا مَّا سَبَقُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا بِهِ فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَٰذَا إِفْكٌ قَدِيم
Transliteration (2021)   
waqāla alladhīna kafarū lilladhīna āmanū law kāna khayran mā sabaqūnā ilayhi wa-idh lam yahtadū bihi fasayaqūlūna hādhā if'kun qadīmu
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
And say those who disbelieve of those who believe, "If it had been good, not they (would) have preceded us to it." And when not they (are) guided by it, they say, "This (is) a lie ancient."

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
But they who are bent on denying the truth speak thus of those who have attained to faith: “If this [message] were any good, these [people] would not have preceded us in accepting it!” And since they refuse to be guided by it, they will always say, “This is [but] an ancient falsehood!”
M. M. Pickthall   
And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: If it had been (any) good, they would not have been before us in attaining it. And since they will not be guided by it, they say: This is an ancient lie
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
The Unbelievers say of those who believe: "If (this Message) were a good thing, (such men) would not have gone to it first, before us!" And seeing that they guide not themselves thereby, they will say, "this is an (old,) falsehood!"
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
The disbelievers say of the believers, “Had it been ˹something˺ good, they would not have beaten us to it.” Now since they reject its guidance, they will say, “˹This is˺ an ancient fabrication!”
Safi Kaskas   
The unbelievers say about the believers, "If it were anything good, they would not have preceded us to it." And since they were not guided by it, they will say, "This is an ancient lie."
Wahiduddin Khan   
Those who deny the truth say of the believers, If there were any good in this Quran, they would not have believed in it before we did.And since they refuse to be guided by it, they say, This is an ancient fabrication
Shakir   
And those who disbelieve say concerning those who believe: If it had been a good, they would not have gone ahead of us therein. And as they do not seek to be rightly directed thereby, they say: It is an old lie
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
Those who were ungrateful said of those who believed: If it had been good, they would not have preceded us towards it. And when they are not truly guided by it, they say: This is a ripe, aged calumny.
T.B.Irving   
The ones who disbelieve tell the ones who believe: "If it were any good, they would not have gotten so far ahead of us on the way toward it." Yet since they are not guided by it, they will say: "This is an old swindle!"
Abdul Hye   
And those who disbelieve (strong and wealthy) say to those who believe (weak and poor): “Had it (the Qur’an) been a good thing, they (believers) would not have believed in it before us!” Since they did not accept its guidance (this Qur’an), they say: “This is an ancient lie!”
The Study Quran   
And those who disbelieve say of those who believe, “Had it been good, they would not have outstripped us in [attaining] it.” Since they will not be guided by it, they will say, “This is an ancient perversion.
Dr. Kamal Omar   
And those who disbelieved said about those who had Believed: “Had it been something good, they would not have preceded us thereto.” And when they did not get guidance through it, then soon they will utter: “This is a lie (quite) ancient.
Farook Malik   
The unbelievers say about the believers: "Had there been any good to believe in the message of the Qur’an, they would not have believed in it before us (because the unbelievers were strong and wealthy whereas believers were weak and poor)." And since they reject its guidance, they say: "This is an ancient falsehood."
Talal A. Itani (new translation)   
Those who disbelieve say to those who believe, 'If it were anything good, they would not have preceded us to it.' And since they were not guided by it, they will say, 'This is an ancient lie.'
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
And the ones who have disbelieved have said to the ones who have believed, "If it had been of any charity, (i.e. benefit) in no way would they have outstripped us to it." (i.e., received it before us) And as they have not been guided by it, then they will soon say, "This is an old falsehood."
Muhammad Sarwar   
The disbelievers have said about the believers, "Had there been anything good in it (Quran), they could not have accepted it before us" Since they do not benefit from its guidance, they say, "It (Quran) is only a fabricated legend"
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
The disbelievers say about the believers, .Had it (Islamic faith) been a good thing, these (weak and poor) people would not have preceded us (in proceeding) towards it. Since they did not accept guidance through it (the Qur‘an), they will say, .This is a classical lie
Shabbir Ahmed   
And the deniers speak thus of the believers, "If this Message were any good, these people would not have accepted it before us." But since they choose not to be guided by it, they say, "This has been a fabrication since ancient times."
Dr. Munir Munshey   
The unbelievers say about those who believe, "Had it been the truth, they could not have surpassed us in faith. "Since they did not gain any guidance from it (the Qur´an), the unbelievers say, "It is the same old trumped up lie!"
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
And the unbelievers say about those who believe: "If (this Message) were a good thing, (the believers) would not have gone to it first, before us!" And by seeing that they do not guide themselves, they will say: "This is an old lie!"
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
And those who disbelieve say of those who believe, "If it had [truly] been good, they would not have preceded us to it." And when they are not guided by it, they will say, "This is an ancient falsehood."
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
And those who had rejected said regarding those who had believed: "If it were any good, they would not have beaten us to it." And when they are not able to be guided by it, they will Say: "This is an old fabrication!"
Abdel Haleem   
Those who disbelieve say of the believers, ‘If there were any good in this Quran, they would not have believed in it before we did,’and, since they refuse to be guided by it, they say, ‘This is an ancient fabrication.’
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: had it been good, they would not have preceded us thereto. And when they have not let themselves be guided thereby, they say: this is an ancient falsehood
Ahmed Ali   
Those who deny say of those who believe: "Had there been any good in it they would not have preceded us in coming to it." Since they have not taken guidance from it, they will say: "This is the same old lie."
Aisha Bewley   
Those who are kafir say of those who have iman, ´If there was any good in it, they would not have beaten us to it.´ And since they have not been guided by it, they are bound to say, ´This is an antiquated falsehood.´
Ali Ünal   
Those who disbelieve say of those who believe (as another pretext for their rejection of faith in the Qur’an): "If it (the Qur’an) had been something good and useful, those people would not have preceded us in accepting it." And as they (having refused it) have not found guidance through it, they say: "This is a fabrication from ancient times."
Ali Quli Qara'i   
The faithless say about the faithful, ‘Had it been [anything] good, they would not have taken the lead over us toward [accepting] it.’ And since they could not find the way to it, they will say, ‘It is an ancient lie.’
Hamid S. Aziz   
And those who disbelieve say concerning those who believe, "If it had been good, they would not have accepted it ahead of us." And as they do not seek to be rightly directed thereby, they say, "It is an old lie"
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
And those who disbelieved said to those who believed: if it was good, no one would be ahead of us (in believing) to it. And when they were not guided by it, then they are going to say: this is an old lie
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
The unbelievers say about those who believe, “If this message were a good thing, such people would not have gone to it first before us.” And seeing that they do not guide themselves by it they will say, “This is a fake.
Musharraf Hussain   
The disbelievers say to the believers, “If this religion was good, then you couldn’t have believed it before we did.” Since they didn’t get any guidance from the Quran, they say, “This is an old lie,”
Maududi   
The unbelievers say to the believers: If there was any good in this Book, others would not have beaten us to its acceptance." But since they have not been guided to it, they will certainly say: "This is an old fabrication."
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
And those who had rejected said regarding those who had believed: "If it were any good, they would not have beaten us to it." And when they are not able to be guided by it, they will say: "This is an old fabrication!"
Mohammad Shafi   
And those who refuse to believe say of those who believe, "Had it [the Qur'aanic revelations] been (any) good, they would not have preceded us to it." And since they would not be guided by it, they say, "This is an ancient lie."h

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
And the infidels said about, Muslims, 'if there had been some good in it, they could not have reached to it ahead of us. And since they have not been guided thereby, now, therefore, they will say, this is an old calumny.
Rashad Khalifa   
Those who disbelieved said about those who believed, "If it were anything good, they would not have accepted it before us." Because they were not guided to it, they said, "This is an old fabrication!"
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
The unbelievers say of the believers: 'Had it been any good they would not have believed in it before us. ' And because they are not guided by it they say: 'This is an ancient falsehood.
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
And those who disbelieve say of those who believe: If it had been a good, they would not have attained it before us. And as they are not guided thereby, they say: It is an old lie
Muhammad Ahmed - Samira   
And those who disbelieved said to those who believed: "If (it) was good , they would not have preceded us to it." And if they not be guided with it, so they will say: "That (is) old lies/falsehood."
Bijan Moeinian   
The disbelievers say to the believers: “If Qur’an was any good, they [a bunch of young and poor converse] would not be at the forefront [our leaders and “noblemen” would have accepted it first].” As disbelievers are not guided by Qur’an, they refer to it as “a fabrication like the false ones before.”
Faridul Haque   
And the disbelievers said regarding the Muslims, “If there were any good in it, the Muslims would not have surpassed us in achieving it!”; and since they did not receive guidance with it, they will now say, “This is an old slander.”
Sher Ali   
And those who disbelieve say of those who believe, If the Qur'an were any good, they could not have been ahead of us in believing in it.' And since they have not been guided thereby, they will say, `It is an old lie.
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
And the disbelievers said to the believers: ‘Had it (the Din of Muhammad [blessings and peace be upon him]) been a better (religion), these people would not have advanced towards it taking the lead over us. (We would have accepted it before anyone else.)’ And when they (the disbelievers) have not taken guidance from it (themselves), now they say: ‘This is an old lie (and a fabrication).
Amatul Rahman Omar   
And those who disbelieve say of those who believe, `If these (- the Qur'anic doctrines) were any good they would not have taken precedence over us in believing in it.' Since they themselves have received no guidance from it they say (out of malice), `It is an old lie.
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
And those who disbelieve (strong and wealthy) say of those who believe (weak and poor): "Had it (Islamic Monotheism to which Muhammad SAW is inviting mankind) been a good thing, they (weak and poor) would not have preceded us thereto!" And when they have not let themselves be guided by it (this Quran), they say: "This is an ancient lie!"

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
The unbelievers say, as regards the believers, 'If it had been aught good, they had not outstripped us to it.' And since they are not guided by it, certainly they will say, 'This is an old calumny!
George Sale   
But those who believe not, say of the true believers, if the doctrine of the Koran had been good, they had not embraced the same before us. And when they are not guided thereby, they say, this is an antiquated lie
Edward Henry Palmer   
And those who misbelieve say of those who believe, 'If it had been good, they would not have been beforehand with us therein;' and when they are not guided thereby, then will they say, 'This is an old-fashioned lie.
John Medows Rodwell   
But the infidels say of the believers, "If it were a good Book they would not have been before us in believing it:" And not having submitted to guidance, they proceed to say, "It is an old lying legend!"
N J Dawood (2014)   
The unbelievers say of the faithful: ‘Had there been any good in it they would not have believed in it before us.‘ And since they reject its guidance, they say: ‘This is an ancient falsehood.‘

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
The unbelievers say of the believers, “If this [message] were a good thing, such people would not have gone to it first, before us!” If they are not guided by it, they will say, “This is an old fabrication.”
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
The ones who disbelieve tell the ones who believe: "If it were any good, they would not have gotten so far ahead of us on the way toward it." Yet since they are not guided by it, they will say: "This is an old swindle!"
Ahmed Hulusi   
Those who deny the knowledge of the reality said to the believers, “If it was a good thing they could not have surpassed us in attaining it”... Just because they cannot find guidance by it, they say, “This is an old lie.”
Mir Aneesuddin   
And those who do not believe say regarding those who believe, “If the (Quran) were good they would not have preceded us in (accepting) it.” And when they do not receive guidance through it, then they say, “This is an old lie.”
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur'an al-Karim   
And those who deny Allah speak of those who sincerely believed in Him, and say: "If it -the Quran- were good and has a quality in a sufficient degree, we would have been the first to take it as a matter of choice;" and so, since they respond to the Quran with careless disinterested spirit and disfavour, they will label it: "fables of old."

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
The Unbelievers say of those who believe: "If (this Message) were a good thing, (such men) would not have gone to it first, before us!" And seeing that they guide not themselves thereby, they will say, "this is an (old,) falsehood!"
OLD Literal Word for Word   
And say those who disbelieve of those who believe, "If it had been good, not they (would) have preceded us to it." And when not they (are) guided by it, they say, "This (is) a lie ancient.