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Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
[But,] verily, thou canst not make the dead hear: and [so, too,] thou canst not make the deaf [of heart] hear this call when they turn their backs [on thee] and go away
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
You certainly cannot make the dead hear ˹the truth˺. Nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and walk away.
Safi Kaskas   
You will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf listen to the call when they have turned their backs and gone away,

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ وَلَا تُسۡمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ ٱلدُّعَاۤءَ إِذَا وَلَّوۡا۟ مُدۡبِرِینَ ۝٨٠
Transliteration (2021)   
innaka lā tus'miʿu l-mawtā walā tus'miʿu l-ṣuma l-duʿāa idhā wallaw mud'birīn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
Indeed, you (can) not cause to hear the dead and not can you cause to hear the deaf the call when they turn back retreating.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
[But,] verily, thou canst not make the dead hear: and [so, too,] thou canst not make the deaf [of heart] hear this call when they turn their backs [on thee] and go away
M. M. Pickthall   
Lo! thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call when they have turned to flee
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Truly thou canst not cause the dead to listen, nor canst thou cause the deaf to hear the call, (especially) when they turn back in retreat
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
You certainly cannot make the dead hear ˹the truth˺. Nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and walk away.
Safi Kaskas   
You will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf listen to the call when they have turned their backs and gone away,
Wahiduddin Khan   
You cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear your call, when they turn their backs on it
Shakir   
Surely you do not make the dead to hear, and you do not make the deaf to hear the call when they go back retreating
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
Truly, thou wilt not cause the dead to hear nor wilt thou cause to hear the unwilling to hear the calling to them when they turned as ones who draw back.
T.B.Irving   
You cannot make the dead hear, nor even the deaf hear the Appeal once they turn around to escape.
Abdul Hye   
Surely, you can neither make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they flee turning their backs,
The Study Quran   
Surely thou dost not make the dead hear; nor dost thou make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
You can’t make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they retreat.
Talal Itani (2012)   
You cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call if they turn their backs and flee
Dr. Kamal Omar   
Verily, you do not make the dead to hear, and you do not make the deaf to hear to the call, when they fled turning their backs
M. Farook Malik   
The fact is that you cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear the call especially when they turn their backs and pay no heed
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
Surely you will not make the dead to hear, nor will you make the deaf to hear the call when they turn away, withdrawing
Muhammad Sarwar   
You cannot make the dead listen and the deaf are unable to hear calls. Thus, they turn back on their heels
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
Surely, you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear your call when they turn their backs in retreat
Shabbir Ahmed   
But verily, you cannot make the dead (or the "living-dead") hear, nor can you make the deaf of heart to hear the call when they turn back to retreat
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Surely, you cannot make the dead hear anything. Nor can you get the deaf to heed your call, if they turn their backs and run away
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
Truly, you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can make the deaf to hear the call, especially when they go away in hiding
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
Indeed, you will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf hear the call when they have turned their backs retreating
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
You cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and flee
Abdel Haleem   
You cannot make the dead hear, you cannot make the deaf listen to your call when they turn their backs and leave
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
Verily thou canst not make the dead hear, nor canst thou make the deaf hear the call when they flee turning their backs
Ahmed Ali   
You cannot make the dead to listen, or the deaf to hear the call, when they have turned their backs
Aisha Bewley   
You will not make dead men hear and you will not make deaf men hear the call when they turn their backs in flight.
Ali Ünal   
Indeed you cannot make the dead hear nor can you make the deaf hear the call once they have turned their backs, going away
Ali Quli Qara'i   
Indeed you cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs [upon you]
Hamid S. Aziz   
Verily, you can not make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear the call when they turn to flee
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
Indeed, you cannot make the dead hear, or make the deaf hear the call when they turn back going away.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
Truly you cannot cause the dead to listen, nor can you cause the deaf to hear the call, as they turn back in retreat
Musharraf Hussain   
You can no more make the deaf hear the call than you can the dead, if they turn their backs on you;
Maududi   
Surely you cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear your call if they turn back in flight
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
You cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and flee.
Mohammad Shafi   
You cannot make the dead hear. And you cannot make the deaf to the call hear when they turn their backs and go away

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
Undoubtedly you can not make the dead hear, and nor you can make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn showing their backs.
Rashad Khalifa   
You cannot make the dead, nor the deaf, hear the call, if they turn away.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
You do not make the dead hear, nor do you make the deaf hear you call when they turn about, retreating
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
Certainly thou canst not make the dead to hear the call, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear, when they go back retreating
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
That you do not make the deads hear/listen, and you do not make the deaf hear/listen (to) the call/prayer if they turned away giving their backs
Bijan Moeinian   
You can not deliver the message to the dead person nor can you make the deaf to hear you; especially when they turn away from you
Faridul Haque   
Indeed the dead * do not listen to your call nor do the deaf * listen to your call, when they flee turning back. (The dead and deaf implies the disbelievers.
Sher Ali   
Verily, thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they retreat turning their backs
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
(O Beloved!) Surely, you make neither the dead (i.e., the disbelievers deprived of the vitality of faith) hear your call nor the deaf (i.e., deprived of hearing the call of truth) while they are getting away (from you) turning their backs.
Amatul Rahman Omar   
Of course you cannot make the dead hear nor can you make the deaf hear (your) call when they retreat turning their backs (on you)
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
Verily, you cannot make the dead to hear (i.e. benefit them and similarly the disbelievers), nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they flee, turning their backs

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
Thou shalt not make the dead to hear, neither shalt thou make the deaf to hear the call when they turn about, retreating
George Sale   
Verily thou shalt not make the dead to hear, neither shalt thou make the deaf to hear thy call to the true faith, when they retire and turn their backs
Edward Henry Palmer   
Verily, thou canst not make the dead to hear, and thou canst not make the deaf to hear the call when they turn their backs on thee
John Medows Rodwell   
Thou shalt not make the dead to hear; neither shalt thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn away backward
N J Dawood (2014)   
You cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear your call if they turn their backs and pay no heed

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
Truly you cannot make the dead hear and you cannot make the deaf hear the call when they turn their back away.
Munir Mezyed   
Surely you cannot make the one who is (spiritually) dead hear the truth. Nor can you make those who are deaf hear the call, (mostly) when they go back retreating.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
For you cannot make the dead hear and cannot make the deaf hear when they turn away.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
Truly, you cannot cause the [spiritually] dead to listen or cause the [spiritually] deaf to hear the call if they insist on retreating.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
Indeed, yousg cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call if they withdraw and turn their backs.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
You cannot make the dead hear [the truth], nor even the deaf hear the Appeal once they turn around to escape.
Samy Mahdy   
You will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf hear the calling if they turned away in back retreat.
Sayyid Qutb   
Indeed you cannot make the dead hear; and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and go away.
Ahmed Hulusi   
Indeed, you cannot make the dead (those who live unconsciously) hear; when they turn their backs (to the Truth) and go, you cannot make the deaf hear!
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
Verily you cannot make the dead to listen nor can you make the deaf to hear the call when they turn away backward
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
But you shall not be able to make your voice reach the spiritually dead nor shall you be able to make it reach the worthless who counsel deaf nor do they open their hearts' ears when they turn their backs
Mir Aneesuddin   
You cannot make the dead to hear nor can you make the deaf to hear the call when they return retreating,

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
Truly thou canst not cause the dead to listen, nor canst thou cause the deaf to hear the call, (especially) when they turn back in retreat
OLD Literal Word for Word   
Indeed, you (can) not cause to hear the dead and not can you cause to hear the deaf the call when they turn back retreating
OLD Transliteration   
Innaka la tusmiAAu almawta wala tusmiAAu alssumma aldduAAaa itha wallaw mudbireena