←Prev   Ayah al-Anbiya` (The Prophets) 21:97   Next→ 

Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
the while the true promise [of resurrection] draws close [to its fulfillment]. But then, lo! the eyes of those who [in their lifetime] were bent on denying the truth will stare in horror, [and they will exclaim:] “Oh, woe unto us! We were indeed heedless of this [promise of resurrection]! - nay, we were [bent on] doing evil!”
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
ushering in the True Promise. Then—behold!—the disbelievers will stare ˹in horror, crying,˺ “Oh, woe to us! We have truly been heedless of this. In fact, we have been wrongdoers.”
Safi Kaskas   
Then, the true promise will approach and the eyes of the unbelievers will stare [in horror, while they say], "Woe to us; we were oblivious to this; rather, we were unjust."

Listen: 
Did you notice?

 You can SEARCH IslamAwakened: 

Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
وَٱقۡتَرَبَ ٱلۡوَعۡدُ ٱلۡحَقُّ فَإِذَا هِیَ شَـٰخِصَةٌ أَبۡصَـٰرُ ٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ یَـٰوَیۡلَنَا قَدۡ كُنَّا فِی غَفۡلَةࣲ مِّنۡ هَـٰذَا بَلۡ كُنَّا ظَـٰلِمِینَ ۝٩٧
Transliteration (2021)   
wa-iq'taraba l-waʿdu l-ḥaqu fa-idhā hiya shākhiṣatun abṣāru alladhīna kafarū yāwaylanā qad kunnā fī ghaflatin min hādhā bal kunnā ẓālimīn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
And has approached the promise [the] true then behold, [it] (are) staring (the) eyes (of) those who disbelieved, "O woe to us! Verily, we had been in heedlessness of this; nay, we were wrongdoers."

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
the while the true promise [of resurrection] draws close [to its fulfillment]. But then, lo! the eyes of those who [in their lifetime] were bent on denying the truth will stare in horror, [and they will exclaim:] “Oh, woe unto us! We were indeed heedless of this [promise of resurrection]! - nay, we were [bent on] doing evil!”
M. M. Pickthall   
And the True Promise draweth nigh; then behold them, staring wide (in terror), the eyes of those who disbelieve! (They say): Alas for us! We (lived) in forgetfulness of this. Ah, but we were wrong-doers
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Then will the true promise draw nigh (of fulfilment): then behold! the eyes of the Unbelievers will fixedly stare in horror: "Ah! Woe to us! we were indeed heedless of this; nay, we truly did wrong!"
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
ushering in the True Promise. Then—behold!—the disbelievers will stare ˹in horror, crying,˺ “Oh, woe to us! We have truly been heedless of this. In fact, we have been wrongdoers.”
Safi Kaskas   
Then, the true promise will approach and the eyes of the unbelievers will stare [in horror, while they say], "Woe to us; we were oblivious to this; rather, we were unjust."
Wahiduddin Khan   
when the true promise of God draws near, those who denied the truth will stare in amazement, crying, Woe to us! We have been so heedless of this. Indeed, we were wrongdoers
Shakir   
And the true promise shall draw nigh, then lo! the eyes of those who disbelieved shall be fixedly open: O woe to us! surely we were in a state of heedlessness as to this; nay, we were unjust
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
And the true promise will be near. That is when the sight will be that which fixed in horror of those who were ungrateful! O woe to us. Surely, we had been in heedlessness of this. Nay! We had been ones who were unjust.
T.B.Irving   
and the true Promise is approaching: then behold it will be staring into the eyes of those who have disbelieved: ´Alas for us! We have been so heedless concerning this. Indeed we were wrongdoers."
Abdul Hye   
and the true Promise (Day of Resurrection) shall draw near (of fulfillment). Then it will be fixed gazes (staring with horror) of the disbelievers. (They will say): “Woe to us! Indeed we were heedless from this; nay we were wrongdoers.”
The Study Quran   
and the true promise draws nigh. And, behold, there shall be the fixed stare of those who disbelieved, “Oh, woe unto us! We have certainly been heedless of this! Indeed, we have been wrongdoers.
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
And when the true promise has approached, then behold, the eyes of those who disbelieved will be staring in horror: “Alas for us! We were oblivious to this; indeed, we were wrongdoers.”
Talal Itani (2012)   
The promise of truth has drawn near. The eyes of those who disbelieved will stare in horror: 'Woe to us. We were oblivious to this. In fact, we were wrongdoers.'
Dr. Kamal Omar   
The True Promise (about the Last and the Final Day) came very, very near. Then, behold! It — the fixedly staring eyes of those who disbelieved (and their comments): “Woe to us! We were indeed heedless of this. Nay, we were transgressors.”
M. Farook Malik   
and the time of fulfillment for the True Promise will draw near, then behold! The eyes of the unbelievers will fixedly stare in horror: "O woe to us! We were indeed heedless of this warning; nay we were wrongdoers."
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
And the True Promise has drawn near; so, only then, do the beholdings of the ones who disbelieved (keep) glazing (i.e., eyesights) over. "O woe to us! We were already in (a state of) heedlessness of this; no indeed, we were unjust."
Muhammad Sarwar   
The Day of Judgment will then draw near and the unbelievers will stare amazedly and cry, "Woe to us! We had neglected this day. We have done wrong"
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
and the True Promise draws near, then it will so happen that the eyes of the disbelievers shall remain upraised (in terror, and they will say,) .Alas to us! We were in negligence about this; rather we were transgressors
Shabbir Ahmed   
The time of the True Promise is coming closer. The eyes of the rejecters will stare in horror, "Oh, woe unto us! We lived in slumber. Nay, we were only hurting our 'Self'."
Dr. Munir Munshey   
As the promise of that certainty _ (the reckoning) _ looms closer, the eyes of the unbelievers will be glazed and agape (with horror). They will cry out, "Oh misery to us, we stayed unmindful of this. Rather, we were the evil doers."
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
And the true Promise will draw near (to coming true): Then look! The eyes of the disbelievers will (only) constantly look on with fear: "Oh! Misery to us! Truly, we were careless of this; No, truly we did wrong!"
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
And [when] the true promise has approached; then suddenly the eyes of those who disbelieved will be staring [in horror, while they say], "O woe to us; we had been unmindful of this; rather, we were wrongdoers."
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
And the promise of truth draws near. Then, when it is seen by the eyes of those who rejected: "Woe to us, we have been oblivious to this. Indeed, we were wicked!"
Abdel Haleem   
when the True Promise draws near, the disbelievers’ eyes will stare in terror, and they will say, ‘Woe to us! We were not aware of this at all. We were wrong.’
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
And there shall approach the true promise; and lo! the eyes of those who disbelieved shall be staring: woe unto us! surely we have been in neglect thereof; aye! we have been the wrong-doers
Ahmed Ali   
And the certain promise (of Doom) comes near. Then the eyes of unbelievers will be fixed in horror, (and they will cry:) "Ah, woe betide, we were indeed heedless of this, and were oppressors and unjust."
Aisha Bewley   
and the True Promise is very close, the eyes of those who were kafir will be transfixed: ´Alas for us! We were unmindful of this! No, rather we were definitely wrongdoers.´
Ali Ünal   
And the true promise of the Last Hour has been close at hand, and look, the eyes of those who stubbornly disbelieve stare in horror fixedly, exclaiming: "Woe to us! Indeed we have lived in heedlessness and forgetfulness of this. Ah! We truly have been wrongdoers (who have, most of all, wronged our own selves)!"
Ali Quli Qara'i   
and the true promise draws near [to its fulfillment], behold, the faithless will look on with a fixed gaze: ‘Woe to us! We have certainly been oblivious of this! Rather we have been wrongdoers!’
Hamid S. Aziz   
And the True Promise draws nigh, and lo! They are staring, wide-eyed are those who disbelieve, saying, "O, woe is us! We were heedless of this, aye, we were wrong-doers!"
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
And the true promise is getting close, then when the eyes of those who disbelieved gaze (they would say:) “Woe to us, we were definitely ignorant of this, rather we were wrongdoers.”
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
Then will the true promise draw near. Then behold, the eyes of the unbelievers will stare in horror, “Woe to us, we were indeed heedless of this. No, we truly did wrong.
Musharraf Hussain   
the true promise will draw near, then the disbelievers will watch in horror and say, “Woe to us, we were not aware of this; in fact, we were wrong.”
Maududi   
and the time for the fulfilment of the true promise of Allah draws near, whereupon the eyes of those who disbelieved will stare in fear, and they will say: "Woe to us, we were indeed heedless of this; nay, we were wrongdoers."
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
Andthe promise of truth draws near. Then, when it is seen by the eyes of those who rejected: "Woe to us, we have been oblivious to this. Indeed, we were wicked!"
Mohammad Shafi   
And the true promise (of Resurrection) shall draw nigh. Then lo! The eyes of those who suppressed the Truth shall open wide in fear. They shall say, "O woe to us! We certainly were heedless of this; nay, we were wicked."

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
And the true promise drew near, then the eyes of the infidels will remain staring (saying that) Woe to us, undoubtedly, we were heedless of this rather we were unjust
Rashad Khalifa   
That is when the inevitable prophecy will come to pass, and the disbelievers will stare in horror: "Woe to us; we have been oblivious. Indeed, we have been wicked."
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
when the true promise draws near; the eyes of the unbelievers will stare (and they will say): 'Alas for us! Of this we have been heedless. We have beenharmdoers.
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
And the True Promise draws nigh, then lo! the eyes of those who disbelieve will be fixedly open: O woe to us! Surely we were heedless of this; nay, we were unjust
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
And the promise, the truth , neared/approached, so then those who disbelieved's eye sights it is (are) staring at . "Oh our calamity , we had been in negligence/disregard from this, rather we were unjust/oppressors."
Bijan Moeinian   
Then it will be very close for the true promise of God (the Day of Resurrection) to take place. You will see the horrified eyes of the disbelievers while saying: “Pity on us! We never took this seriously; indeed we were so unjust to ourselves.”
Faridul Haque   
And the True Promise has come near - thereupon the eyes of the disbelievers will become fixed, staring wide; saying "Woe to us - we were in neglect of this, but in fact we were unjust."
Sher Ali   
And the fulfillment of God's promise draws nigh; then behold, the eyes of those who disbelieve will fixedly stare and they will exclaim `Alas for us ! we were indeed heedless of this; nay, we were wrongdoers.
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
And the true promise (of the Day of Resurrection) will draw near, then the eyes of the disbelievers will suddenly fix staring (and they will cry out:) ‘Woe to us! We were indeed oblivious of (the arrival of) this (Day); in fact, we were unjust.
Amatul Rahman Omar   
And when the time (of the fulfillment) of the true promise (about the destruction of the forces of falsehood and materialism as represented by Gog and Magog) draws near, behold! the eyes of those who do not believe (in the triumph of truth), will be transfixed (and they will exclaim), `Ah, woe to us! we were really forgetful of this (day), nay, we were of course unjust.
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
And the true promise (Day of Resurrection) shall draw near (of fulfillment). Then (when mankind is resurrected from their graves), you shall see the eyes of the disbelievers fixedly stare in horror. (They will say): "Woe to us! We were indeed heedless of this; nay, but we were Zalimoon (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)."

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
and nigh has drawn the true promise, and behold, the eyes of the unbelievers staring: 'Alas for us! We were heedless of this; 'nay, we were evildoers.
George Sale   
and the certain promise shall draw near to be fulfilled: And behold, the eyes of the infidels shall be fixed with astonishment, and they shall say, alas for us! We were formerly regardless of this day; yea, we were wicked doers
Edward Henry Palmer   
And the true promise draws nigh, and lo! they are staring - the eyes of those who misbelieve! O, woe is us! we were heedless of this, nay, we were wrong-doers
John Medows Rodwell   
And this sure promise shall draw on. And lo! the eyes of the infidels shall stare amazedly; and they shall say, "Oh, our misery! of this were we careless! yea, we were impious persons."
N J Dawood (2014)   
when the true promise nears its fulfilment; the unbeliever‘s eyes shall stare in amazement: ‘Woe betide us! Of this we have been heedless. We have assuredly done wrong.‘

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
And the true promise has now drawn near thereupon the gaze of those who disbelieved is fixed in a stare and they say, “Woe unto us we indeed were oblivious about this. Nay we were of those who used to wrong their own souls.”
Munir Mezyed   
And the true promise - (Judgment Day)- is coming closer. Then all of a sudden the eyes of those who live in spiritual darkness are fixedly staring in horror, (yelling): "Ah! Woe betide us! We were certainly wholly inattentive to this. In fact, we have voluntarily and consciously abandoned the Full Knowledge of the Truth in favour of our own whims.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
And the true promise has come close, then the eyes of those who reject (the truth) will be glazed over: woe to us, we were careless about this, but we were wrongdoers.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
The true promise will then draw near. Watch! The eyes of the unbelievers will stare. “Woe to us! We were certainly heedless of this. We certainly were sinners.”
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
and the true promise has drawn near— then, the sight(s) of those who denied glaze over: “Woe to us. We have been oblivious to this. Rather, we were unjust.”
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
and the true Promise (the Resurrection Day) is approaching: then the eyes of those who have disbelieved will be staring [in terror]: 'Alas for us! We have been so heedless concerning this. Indeed we were wrongdoers."
Samy Mahdy   
And the right promise has neared. So, those who disbelieved, their eyes are staring: “Woe to us. We were already inattentive from this. Nay, but we were oppressors.”
Sayyid Qutb   
when the true promise draws close [to its fulfilment], staring in horror shall be the eyes of the unbelievers, [and they will exclaim:] 'Oh, woe to us! Of this we were indeed heedless. We have assuredly done wrong.'
Ahmed Hulusi   
When death draws near, behold, those who denied the knowledge of the reality will stare in horror! Woe to us! We were indeed living in our cocoon world (unaware of this reality)! No, we were indeed wrongdoers.”
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
And the true promise has drawn nigh; then behold, staring wide (in terror), the eyes of those who disbelieve! (They say:) �Alas for us! We were heedless of this (Day); nay; we were unjust ones�
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
And the promised Event approaches, there and then shall the infidels' eyes be wide open gazing fixedly in horror and they express their thoughts in words, thus: "Woe betide us ", they shall say, "we were not only oblivious of this event but We were also wrongful of actions"
Mir Aneesuddin   
until when Yajooj and Majooj are opened (or are made to conquer) and they set (themselves) free (or fall) from every elevated place.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
Then will the true promise draw nigh (of fulfilment): then behold! the eyes of the Unbelievers will fixedly stare in horror: "Ah! Woe to us! we were indeed heedless of this; nay, we truly did wrong!"
OLD Literal Word for Word   
And has approached the promise [the] true then behold, [it] (are) staring (the) eyes (of) those who disbelieved, "O woe to us! Verily, we had been in heedlessness of this; nay, we were wrongdoers.
OLD Transliteration   
Waiqtaraba alwaAAdu alhaqqu fa-itha hiya shakhisatun absaru allatheena kafaroo ya waylana qad kunna fee ghaflatin min hatha bal kunna thalimeena