سورة النمل، الآية ٦٨
لَقَدْ وُعِدْنَا هَٰذَا نَحْنُ وَءَابَآؤُنَا مِن قَبْلُ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ٦٨
laqad wuʿid'nā hādhā naḥnu waābāunā min qablu in hādhā illā asāṭīru l-awalīna
We have been promised this, we and our forefathers, before. This is not but legends of the former peoples."
Verse 68 of Surah An-Naml (27:68), a Meccan surah, is in juz 20, on page 383 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
79 recitations by 73 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.
We were promised and our fathers were promised before that we will all be raised, but we have not seen that promise come true. This promise we were all made is nothing but lies of the former people who recorded them in their books”.
We and our forefathers have been promised this before; this is nothing but ancient fables!”
"Indeed we were promised this - we and our forefathers before (us), verily, these are nothing but tales of ancients."
We were promised this, forsooth, we and our fathers. (All) this is naught but fables of the men of old.
"It is true we were promised this,- we and our fathers before (us): these are nothing but tales of the ancients."
We have certainly been promised this, we and our fathers before; these are naught but stories of the ancients
Indeed, we have already been promised this, we and our fathers earlier. Decidedly this is (nothing) except myths of the earliest (people)."
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
لَقَدْ وُعِدْنَا نَحْنُ وَءَابَآؤُنَا هَٰذَا مِن قَبْلُ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
We have been promised this, we and our forefathers, before; this is not but legends of the former peoples."
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا وَإِن يَرَوْا۟ كُلَّ ءَايَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِهَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوكَ يُجَٰدِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
And among them are those who listen to you, but We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And if they should see every sign, they will not believe in it. Even when they come to you arguing with you, those who disbelieve say, "This is not but legends of the former peoples."
وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَٰتُنَا قَالُوا۟ قَدْ سَمِعْنَا لَوْ نَشَآءُ لَقُلْنَا مِثْلَ هَٰذَآ إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
And when Our verses are recited to them, they say, "We have heard. If we willed, we could say [something] like this. This is not but legends of the former peoples."
إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا خُلُقُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
This is not but the custom of the former peoples,
إِنْ هَٰذَآ إِلَّا قَوْلُ ٱلْبَشَرِ
This is not but the word of a human being."
وَٱلَّذِى قَالَ لِوَٰلِدَيْهِ أُفٍّ لَّكُمَآ أَتَعِدَانِنِىٓ أَنْ أُخْرَجَ وَقَدْ خَلَتِ ٱلْقُرُونُ مِن قَبْلِى وَهُمَا يَسْتَغِيثَانِ ٱللَّهَ وَيْلَكَ ءَامِنْ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ فَيَقُولُ مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ
But one who says to his parents, "Uff to you; do you promise me that I will be brought forth [from the earth] when generations before me have already passed on [into oblivion]?" while they call to Allāh for help [and to their son], "Woe to you! Believe! Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth." But he says, "This is not but legends of the former peoples" -
