20 Sura Taha

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:



قَالَ رَبِّ لِمَ حَشَرْتَنِي أَعْمَى وَقَدْ كُنتُ بَصِيرًا ﴿١٢٥﴾

20: 125. He will say: "O my Lord! why hast thou raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)?"

C2649. Because Allah gave him physical sight in this life for trial, he thinks he should be favoured in the real world, the world that matters! He misused his physical sight and made himself blind for the other world.

قَالَ كَذَلِكَ أَتَتْكَ آيَاتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا...

20: 126. (Allah) will say:

"Thus didst thou, when Our Signs came unto thee, disregard them:

...وَكَذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ تُنسَى ﴿١٢٦﴾

so wilt thou, this day, be disregarded."

C2650. 'You were deliberately blind to Allah's Signs: now you will not see Allah's favours, and will be excluded from His Grace.

وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي مَنْ أَسْرَفَ وَلَمْ يُؤْمِن بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِ...   

20: 127. And thus do We recompense him who transgresses beyond bounds and believes not in the Signs of his Lord:

...وَلَعَذَابُ الْآخِرَةِ أَشَدُّ وَأَبْقَى ﴿١٢٧﴾

and the Penalty of the Hereafter is far more grievous and more enduring.

C2651. Blindness in the world of enduring Reality is far worse than physical blindness in the world of probation.

أَفَلَمْ يَهْدِ لَهُمْ كَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا قَبْلَهُم مِّنَ الْقُرُونِ...   

20: 128. It is not a warning to such men (to call to mind) how many generations before them We destroyed,

...يَمْشُونَ فِي مَسَاكِنِهِمْ...

in whose haunts they (now) move?

...إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي النُّهَى ﴿١٢٨﴾

Verily, in this are Signs for men endued with understanding.

C2652. Cf. 20:54.

This phrase concluded the argument of Moses with Pharaoh about Pharaoh's blindness to Allah and the Signs of Allah.

Now it concludes the more general argument about men, concerning whom the saying arose: 'none are so blind as those who will not see.'


Other versions:


20:125 [Ta’ha, Mecca 45]

Qala rabbi lima hashartanee aAAma waqad kuntu baseeran

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Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning

Muhammad Asad

 

[And so, on Resurrection Day, the sinner] will ask: "O my Sustainer! Why hast Thou raised me up blind, whereas [on earth] I was endowed with sight?"

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M. M. Pickthall

 

He will say: My Lord! Wherefor hast Thou gathered me (hither) blind, when I was wont to see?

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Shakir

 

He shall say: My Lord! why hast Thou raised me blind and I was a seeing one indeed?

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Yusuf Ali

 

He will say: "O my Lord! why hast Thou raised me up blind, while I had sight (before)?"

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Wahiduddin Khan

 

and he will ask, ‘Lord, why have You raised me up blind, while I possessed sight before?’

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[Al-Muntakhab]

 

Then shall he say: "O Allah, my Creator, wherefore You thronged me blind when in life I was able to see and to argue and defend myself!"

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[Progressive Muslims]

 

He said: "My Lord, you have raised me blind while I used to be able to see






(20:126) [Taha, Mecca 45]


Qala kathalika atatka ayatuna fanaseetaha wakathalika alyawma tunsa

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Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning


Muhammad Asad

 

[God] will reply: "Thus it is: there came unto thee Our messages, but thou wert oblivious of them; and thus shalt thou be today consigned to oblivion!"

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M. M. Pickthall

 

He will say: So (it must be). Our revelations came unto thee but thou didst forget them. In like manner thou art forgotten this Day.

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Shakir

 

He will say: Even so, Our communications came to you but you neglected them; even thus shall you be forsaken this day.

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Yusuf Ali

 

(Allah) will say: "Thus didst Thou, when Our Signs came unto thee, disregard them: so wilt thou, this day, be disregarded."

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Wahiduddin Khan

 

God will say, ‘Just as Our signs came to you and you ignored them, so will you on this Day be ignored.’

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[Al-Muntakhab]

 

"Like this", Allah says, "you blinded yourself and closed your heart's ears and mind's eyes to Our revelations and authoritative signs and you consigned them to oblivion and by consequence you are, this Day, forgotten, neglected and disregarded".

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[Progressive Muslims]

 

He said: "It was the same when Our revelations came to you, you forgot them, and similarly today you will be forgotten."






20:127


For, thus shall We recompense him who wastes his own self... and does not believe in his Sustainer's messages: and, indeed, the suffering [of such sinners] in the life to come shall be most severe and most enduring!


20:128


CAN, THEN, they [who reject the truth] learn no lesson by recalling how many a generation We have destroyed before their time? 1 " - [people] in whose dwelling-places they [themselves now] walk about? In this, behold, there are messages indeed for those who are endowed with reason!


Afalam yahdi lahum kam ahlakna qablahum mina alqurooni yamshoona fee masakinihim inna fee thalika laayatin li-olee alnnuha

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Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning


Muhammad Asad

 

CAN, THEN, they [who reject the truth] learn no lesson by recalling how many a generation We have destroyed before their time? - [people] in whose dwelling-places they [themselves now] walk about? In this, behold, there are messages indeed for those who are endowed with reason!

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M. M. Pickthall

 

Is it not a guidance for them (to know) how many a generation We destroyed before them, amid whose dwellings they walk? Lo! therein verily are signs for men of thought.

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Shakir

 

Does it not then direct them aright how many of the generations In whose dwelling-places they go about We destroyed before them? Most surely there are signs in this for those endowed with understanding.

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Yusuf Ali

 

Is it not a warning to such men (to call to mind) how many generations before them We destroyed, in whose haunts they (now) move? Verily, in this are Signs for men endued with understanding.

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Wahiduddin Khan

 

Do they not learn a lesson from Our destruction of many generations before them in whose dwelling-places they walk about? Surely in this are signs for men of understanding.

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[Al-Muntakhab]

 

Do they not perceive O Muhammad mentally and by sight the significance of Allah's penalties! and have they failed to realize how many generations before them did We reduce to a useless form? They tread their dwellings they once occupied and they see with their own eyes the consequence of disobeying Allah. Indeed such outcome is emblematic of Allah's signs recognized by people of insight.

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[Progressive Muslims]

 

Is it not a guide to them how many generations We had destroyed before them, which they are walking now in their homes In that are signs for the people of understanding.