سورة البَقَرَة
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:16
The Cow · Verse 16 of 286
أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ اشْتَرَوُا الضَّلَالَةَ بِالْهُدَىٰ فَمَا رَبِحَتْ تِجَارَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا مُهْتَدِينَ
Abdul Mannan Omar
It is they who have preferred misguidance to guidance, but their bargain has fetched no profit, nor they are rightly guided.
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
These are they who have bartered Guidance for error: But their traffic is profitless, and they have lost true direction,
Ahmed Ali
They are indeed those who bartered away good guidance for error and gained nothing from the deal, nor found the right way.
12 more translations
Ali Unal
Such are the ones who have bought straying in exchange for guidance, but their trade has brought no profit, and they have no way out to escape it.
Daryabadi
These are they who purchased error for guidance, but their traffic profited not, nor have they ever become guided.
Faridul Haque
These are the people who purchased error in exchange of guidance - so their bargain did not profit them, and they did not know how to trade.
Maulana Muhammad Ali
These are they who buy error for guidance, so their bargain brings no gain, nor are they guided.
Maulvi Sher Ali
These are they who have bartered away guidance for error, but their traffic has brought them no gain, nor are they rightly guided.
Muhammad Asad
[for] it is they who have taken error in exchange for guidance; and neither has their bargain brought them gain, nor have they found guidance [elsewhere].
Muhammad Musin Khan
These are they who have purchased error for guidance, so their commerce was profitless. And they were not guided.
Muhammad Pickthall
These are they who purchase error at the price of guidance, so their commerce doth not prosper, neither are they guided.
Muhammad Sarwar
They have traded guidance for error, but their bargain has had no profit and they have missed the true guidance.
Muhammed ali Shakir
These are they who buy error for the right direction, so their bargain shall bring no gain, nor are they the followers of the right direction.
Rashad Khalifa
It is they who bought the straying, at the expense of guidance. Such trade never prospers, nor do they receive any guidance.
Shabbir Ahmed
They have bought straying at the expense of guidance. But their trade will go bankrupt because they have not set their caravan in the right direction.
Commentary 2:16 Ashtraw ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ is derived from shara’a شرء, meaning “giving up one thing and laying hold of another” (Tâj). Here we are told when guidance was shown…
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلضَّلَـٰلَةَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَـٰرَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُهْتَدِينَ
2:16 Ashtraw ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ is derived from shara’a شرء, meaning “giving up one thing and laying hold of another” (Tâj). Here we are told when guidance was shown to the hypocrites they preferred error and renounced guidance, thinking this course would bring them financial and other advantages.” However, فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَـٰرَتُهُمْ “their bargain has fetched no profit”; meaning that the hypocrites will have neither worldly gains nor divine guidance, and that they shall be losers in their worldly affairs and their spiritual lives alike. The statement “but their bargain has fetched no profit” is also an allusion to the fact that many hypocrites are dishonest traders.