Sura-15 [Al Hijr mecca 54]

The Quranic Text & Ali’s version:

مَّا تَسْبِقُ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ ﴿٥﴾   

15:5.     Neither can a people anticipate its Term, nor delay it.

C1939. Cf. 7:34. Also see the last note.

Asad’s Version:

15: 5 No community can ever forestall its term – and neither can they delay.

Other versions:

Yusuf Ali Neither can a people anticipate its Term nor delay it.

Pickthall No nation can outstrip its term nor can they lag behind.

Transliteration Ma_ tasbiqu min ummatin ajalaha_ wa ma_ yasta'khiru_n(a).

[ Asad ntoe 5: I.e., every community - and, in the wisest sense of this term, every civilization – has a God-willed, organic span of life resembling in this respect all other living organisms, destined to grow, to reach maturity and ultimately to decay. ……..[see 7;34 and ..note 25]

[Ruby’ note re: the above note: I feel this is too simplistic explanation of this above passage. This term may not be a static term previously fixed or predetermined, but a predetermined divine law of a term which is dynamic and results with the interactions and choices of that people. Our concept of predetermine destinies are erroneous and incomplete with the divine set of laws because of our limited knowledge. ]