The Quran

سورة الاٴنبیَاء

Surah Al-Anbiyâ’ 21:97

The Prophets · Verse 97 of 112

وَاقْتَرَبَ الْوَعْدُ الْحَقُّ فَإِذَا هِيَ شَاخِصَةٌ أَبْصَارُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا قَدْ كُنَّا فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِنْ هَٰذَا بَلْ كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ

Abdul Mannan Omar

And when the time (of the fulfillment) of the true promise (about the destruction of the forces of falsehood and materialism as represented by Gog and Magog) draws near, behold! the eyes of those who do not believe (in the triumph of truth), will be transfixed (and they will exclaim), `Ah, woe to us! we were really forgetful of this (day), nay, we were of course unjust.´

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Then will the true promise draw nigh (of fulfilment): then behold! the eyes of the Unbelievers will fixedly stare in horror: "Ah! Woe to us! we were indeed heedless of this; nay, we truly did wrong!

Ahmed Ali

And the certain promise (of Doom) comes near. Then the eyes of unbelievers will be fixed in horror, (and they will cry:) "Ah, woe betide, we were indeed heedless of this, and were oppressors and unjust."

12 more translations

Ali Unal

And the true promise of the Last Hour has been close at hand, and look, the eyes of those who stubbornly disbelieve stare in horror fixedly, exclaiming: "Woe to us! Indeed we have lived in heedlessness and forgetfulness of this. Ah! We truly have been wrongdoers (who have, most of all, wronged our own selves)!"

Daryabadi

And there shall approach the true promise; and lo! the eyes of those who disbelieved shall be staring: woe unto us! surely we have been in neglect thereof; aye! we have been the wrong-doers.

Faridul Haque

And the True Promise has come near - thereupon the eyes of the disbelievers will become fixed, staring wide; saying "Woe to us - we were in neglect of this, but in fact we were unjust."

Maulana Muhammad Ali

And the True Promise draws nigh, then lo! the eyes of those who disbelieve will be fixedly open: O woe to us! Surely we were heedless of this; nay, we were unjust.

Maulvi Sher Ali

And the fulfillment of God's promise draws nigh; then behold, the eyes of those who disbelieve will fixedly stare and they will exclaim `Alas for us ! we were indeed heedless of this; nay, we were wrongdoers.'

Muhammad Asad

the while the true promise [of resurrection] draws close [to its fulfilment].

Muhammad Musin Khan

And the true promise (Day of Resurrection) shall draw near (of fulfillment). Then (when mankind is resurrected from their graves), you shall see the eyes of the disbelievers fixedly stare in horror. (They will say): "Woe to us! We were indeed heedless of this; nay, but we were Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers, etc.)."

Muhammad Pickthall

And the True Promise draweth nigh; then behold them, staring wide (in terror), the eyes of those who disbelieve! (They say): Alas for us! We (lived) in forgetfulness of this. Ah, but we were wrong-doers!

Muhammad Sarwar

The Day of Judgment will then draw near and the unbelievers will stare amazedly and cry, "Woe to us! We had neglected this day. We have done wrong".

Muhammed ali Shakir

And the true promise shall draw nigh, then lo! the eyes of those who disbelieved shall be fixedly open: O woe to us! surely we were m a state of heedlessness as to this; nay, we were unjust.

Rashad Khalifa

That is when the inevitable prophecy will come to pass, and the disbelievers will stare in horror: "Woe to us; we have been oblivious. Indeed, we have been wicked."

Shabbir Ahmed

When the True Promise draws near, the eyes of the deniers will stare in horror, “Oh, woe to us! We were oblivious of this. Nay, we were only hurting our own ‘self’.”

Commentary 21:97 This verse again contains a great prophecy about the destruction of the forces of “falsehood” in later days. That is, the forces of “Gog and Magog” will…

وَاقْتَرَبَ الْوَعْدُ الْحَقُّ فَإِذَا هِيَ شَاخِصَةٌ أَبْصَارُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يَا وَيْلَنَا قَدْ كُنَّا فِي غَفْلَةٍ مِّنْ هَـٰذَا بَلْ كُنَّا ظَالِمِينَ

21:97 This verse again contains a great prophecy about the destruction of the forces of “falsehood” in later days. That is, the forces of “Gog and Magog” will lose their power. Gog and Magog symbolize “those powers that are let loose”, and who “will come crashing down from every height” with their air power, and “from the crest of every wave” with their trading ships and warships in the oceans (cf. 18:99-100; 21:96).