The Quran

سورة النّحل

Surah Al-Nahl 16:92

The Bee · Verse 92 of 128

وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّتِي نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنْكَاثًا تَتَّخِذُونَ أَيْمَانَكُمْ دَخَلًا بَيْنَكُمْ أَنْ تَكُونَ أُمَّةٌ هِيَ أَرْبَىٰ مِنْ أُمَّةٍ ۚ إِنَّمَا يَبْلُوكُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ ۚ وَلَيُبَيِّنَنَّ لَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ مَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

Abdul Mannan Omar

And be not like the woman who breaks her yarn after spinning it strong with hard labour into thread. You use your oaths to deceive one another (for fear) lest one nation should become more powerful than the other nation. Surely, Allâh tries you thereby and on the Day of Resurrection will make clear to you all the things about which you had been differing (from one another).

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And be not like a woman who breaks into untwisted strands the yarn which she has spun, after it has become strong. Nor take your oaths to practise deception between yourselves, lest one party should be more numerous than another: for Allah will test you by this; and on the Day of Judgment He will certainly make clear to you (the truth of) that wherein ye disagree.

Ahmed Ali

And do not be like her who untwists her yarn having spun it into durable thread. Do not use your oaths deceitfully because one party has ascendency over you. God surely tries you in this way: He will make it clear to you on the Day of Resurrection what you were differing about.

12 more translations

Ali Unal

And do not be like her who destroys her yarn that she herself made strong, betraying (thereby her own effort) – by making your oaths a means of deception among yourselves in order that you may be a community greater in numbers (in power and other worldly things) than another community. In this God is only testing you, and on the Day of Resurrection, He will certainly make clear to you all that on which you used to differ.

Daryabadi

And be not like unto her who unravelleth her yarn into strands after its strength, holding your oaths a means of discord amongst you that a community may be more numerous than anot her community; Allah only proveth you there by; and He will surely manifest unto you on the Judgment Day that wherein ye have been differing.

Faridul Haque

And do not be like the woman broke her thread into bits after she had manufactured it; you make your oaths a phoney excuse between yourselves lest one nation may not be more than the other; Allah just tries you with it; and He will surely clarify for you on the Day of Resurrection, the matters in which you differed.

Maulana Muhammad Ali

And be not like her who unravels her yarn, disintegrating it into pieces, after she has spun it strongly. You make your oaths to be means of deceit between you because (one) nation is more numerous than (another) nation. Allah only tries you by this. And He will certainly make clear to you on the day of Resurrection that wherein you differed.

Maulvi Sher Ali

And be not like unto her who cuts up her yarn into pieces after having spun it strong by making your oaths a means of deceit between you, for fear lest one people become more powerful than another people. Surely, ALLAH tries you therewith, and on the Day of Resurrection HE will make clear to you that wherein you differed.

Muhammad Asad

Hence, be not like her who breaks and completely untwists the yarn which she [herself] has spun and made strong - [be not like this by] using your oaths as a means of deceiving one another, simply because some of you may be more powerful than others.

Muhammad Musin Khan

And be not like her who undoes the thread which she has spun after it has become strong, by taking your oaths a means of deception among yourselves, lest a nation may be more numerous than another nation. Allah only tests you by this [i.e who obeys Allah and fulfills Allah's Covenant and who disobeys Allah and breaks Allah's Covenant]. And on the Day of Resurrection, He will certainly make clear to you that wherein you used to differ [i.e. a believer confesses and believes in the Oneness of Allah and in the Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad SAW which the disbeliever denies it and that was their difference amongst them in the life of this world].

Muhammad Pickthall

And be not like unto her who unravelleth the thread, after she hath made it strong, to thin filaments, making your oaths a deceit between you because of a nation being more numerous than (another) nation. Allah only trieth you thereby, and He verily will explain to you on the Day of Resurrection that wherein ye differed.

Muhammad Sarwar

Do not be like the lady behind the spinning wheel who has broken the yarn by pulling it with unnecessary force. You must not consider your oaths as means of deceit to benefit one party and incur loss upon the other. God tests your faith by your oaths. He will make clear to you who was right and who was wrong on the Day of Judgment.

Muhammed ali Shakir

And be not like her who unravels her yarn, disintegrating it into pieces after she has spun it strongly. You make your oaths to be means of deceit between you because (one) nation is more numerous than (another) nation. Allah only tries you by this; and He will most certainly make clear to you on the resurrection day that about which you differed.

Rashad Khalifa

Do not be like the knitter who unravels her strong knitting into piles of flimsy yarn. This is your example if you abuse the oaths to take advantage of one another. Whether one group is larger than the other, GOD thus puts you to the tombarr_test. He will surely show you on the Day of Resurrection everything you had disputed.

Shabbir Ahmed

Do not be like a woman who breaks apart the yarn which she herself has spun and made strong, by using your oaths as a means of deceiving one another, only because one party is more numerous than another. Thus, God lets you test yourselves (in character). He will certainly explain to you on the Day of Resurrection wherein you differed.