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Muhammad Asad   
And there is, too, among men many a one who worships God on the border-line [of faith]: thus, if good befalls him, he is satisfied with Him; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly, losing [thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] this, indeed, is a loss beyond compare
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
And there are some who worship Allah on the verge ˹of faith˺: if they are blessed with something good, they are content with it; but if they are afflicted with a trial, they relapse ˹into disbelief˺, losing this world and the Hereafter. That is ˹truly˺ the clearest loss.
Safi Kaskas   
And among people you would find one who worships God with shaky faith. If good befalls him, he is reassured by it; but if he is tested, he reverts to his old ways, [thereby] losing both [this] world and the next. That is a manifest loss.

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن یَعۡبُدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ حَرۡفࣲۖ فَإِنۡ أَصَابَهُۥ خَیۡرٌ ٱطۡمَأَنَّ بِهِۦۖ وَإِنۡ أَصَابَتۡهُ فِتۡنَةٌ ٱنقَلَبَ عَلَىٰ وَجۡهِهِۦ خَسِرَ ٱلدُّنۡیَا وَٱلۡءَاخِرَةَۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلۡخُسۡرَانُ ٱلۡمُبِینُ ۝١١
Transliteration (2021)   
wamina l-nāsi man yaʿbudu l-laha ʿalā ḥarfin fa-in aṣābahu khayrun iṭ'ma-anna bihi wa-in aṣābathu fit'natun inqalaba ʿalā wajhihi khasira l-dun'yā wal-ākhirata dhālika huwa l-khus'rānu l-mubīn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
And among the mankind (is he) who worships Allah on an edge. And if befalls him good, he is content with it, and if befalls him a trial he turns on his face. He has lost the world and the Hereafter. That [it] (is) the loss clear.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
And there is, too, among men many a one who worships God on the border-line [of faith]: thus, if good befalls him, he is satisfied with Him; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly, losing [thereby both] this world and the life to come: [and] this, indeed, is a loss beyond compare
M. M. Pickthall   
And among mankind is he who worshippeth Allah upon a narrow marge so that if good befalleth him he is content therewith, but if a trial befalleth him, he falleth away utterly. He loseth both the world and the Hereafter. That is the sheer loss
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
And there are some who worship Allah on the verge ˹of faith˺: if they are blessed with something good, they are content with it; but if they are afflicted with a trial, they relapse ˹into disbelief˺, losing this world and the Hereafter. That is ˹truly˺ the clearest loss.
Safi Kaskas   
And among people you would find one who worships God with shaky faith. If good befalls him, he is reassured by it; but if he is tested, he reverts to his old ways, [thereby] losing both [this] world and the next. That is a manifest loss.
Wahiduddin Khan   
There are some who worship God half-heartedly, then, if some good befalls them, they are content with it, but if an ordeal befalls them, they revert to their former ways. They lose in this world as well in the Hereafter. That is a clear loss
Shakir   
And among men is he who serves Allah (standing) on the verge, so that if good befalls him he is satisfied therewith, but if a trial afflict him he turns back headlong; he loses this world as well as the hereafter; that is a manifest loss
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
And among humanity is he who worships God on the fringes. If good lit on him, he is at rest with it. And if a test lit on him, he turned completely about. He lost the present and the world to come. That, it is the clear loss.
T.B.Irving   
Some men serve God along the fringes: if some good should happen to him, he accepts it calmly, while if some trial should strike him, he turns over on his face [in despair]. He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is such an obvious loss!
Abdul Hye   
And among people there are those who worship Allah on the very edge (in doubt). If good befalls him, he is content with it; but if a trial befalls on him, then he turns back on its face (reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam), thus loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is a clear loss.
The Study Quran   
And among mankind some worship God upon a brink: if good befalls him, he is content thereby, but if a trial befalls him, he is turned over upon his face, losing this world and the Hereafter. That is the manifest loss
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
Among people, there is one who worships God on edge. If good touches him, he is content, but if a trial strikes him, he reverts, losing both this world and the Hereafter. This is the clear loss.
Talal Itani (2012)   
And among the people is he who worships God on edge. When something good comes his way, he is content with it. But when an ordeal strikes him, he makes a turnaround. He loses this world and the next. That is the obvious loss
Dr. Kamal Omar   
And among mankind is that who pays obedience to Allah standing at the border — so if good reached him he became content therewith; and if there reached him a test and trial, he took an about-turn on his face (falling into disbelief). He lost the immediate as well as the Hereafter. This one: it is the evident loss
M. Farook Malik   
There are some people who worship Allah standing on the verge of faith (half faith and half disbelief). When such a person is blessed with good fortune he is content; but if he encounters a trial he turns back headlong; thus losing both this world and the Hereafter, which is a clear-cut loss
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
And among mankind is he who worships Allah upon the (very) edge; (Literally: as a child) so in case a charitable gain alights upon (i.e., dies) him he is composed therewith, and in case a temptation afflicts him he turns over his face; he loses the present (life) and the Hereafter; that evidently is the greatest loss
Muhammad Sarwar   
Some people worship God to achieve worldly gains. They are confident when they are prosperous, but when they face hardships they turn away from (worship). They are lost in this life and will be lost in the life to come. Such loss is indeed destructive
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
And among men there is one who worships Allah (standing) on the verge: so if some good thing happens to him, he is satisfied with it, and if a trial befalls him, he turns his face back. He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the manifest loss
Shabbir Ahmed   
And among people there is the one who serves Allah conditionally. If things go his way, he is content. But if some adversity touches him he turns on his face. (4:143). Thus he loses both, in this life and the life to come. That is the sheer loss
Dr. Munir Munshey   
There are some people who worship Allah, but stay on the sidelines. If something good happens to them they are contented. But as soon as they are placed in a situation of trial, they undergo an about face and turn away. They lose out in this world, and also in the next! That, surely is a real loss
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
Among men, there is (one) who worship Allah, as if like being on the edge (of Faith): If (something) nice comes to him, he is well content with it: But if a trial comes near him, he turns on his face (in sorrow and disbelief): He loses both this world and the Hereafter: That is loss for all to see
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
And of the people is he who worships Allah on an edge. If he is touched by good, he is reassured by it; but if he is struck by trial, he turns on his face [to the other direction]. He has lost [this] world and the Hereafter. That is what is the manifest loss
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
And from the people there is he who serves God nervously. So if good comes to him, he is content with it; and if an ordeal comes to him, he makes an about-face. He has lost this world and the Hereafter. Such is the clear loss
Abdel Haleem   
There are also some who serve God with unsteady faith: if something good comes their way, they are satisfied, but if they are tested, they revert to their old ways, losing both this world and the next- that is the clearest loss
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
And of mankind is he who worshippeth Allah as on edge; if there befalleth him good, he in contented therewith, and if there befalleth him a trial, he turneth round on his face; he loseth the world and the Hereafter: that indeed is a loss manifest
Ahmed Ali   
There are some men who worship God only from the margin. If there is some profit they are content; but if calamity befalls them they turn about, thus losing both this world and the next. This is indeed a palpable loss
Aisha Bewley   
Among the people there is one who worships Allah right on the edge. If good befalls him, he is content with it, but if a trial befalls him, he reverts to his former ways, losing both this world and the Next World. That is indeed sheer loss.
Ali Ünal   
Among people are also many a one who worships God on the borderline (of faith) in expectation of only worldly gains. If any good befalls him, he is satisfied with it, but if a trial afflicts him, he turns away utterly, reverting back to unbelief. He (thereby) incurs loss of both this world and the Hereafter. This indeed is the obvious loss
Ali Quli Qara'i   
And among the people are those who worship Allah on the [very] fringe: if good fortune befalls him, he is content with it; but if an ordeal visits him he makes a turnabout, to become a loser in the world and the Hereafter. That is the manifest loss
Hamid S. Aziz   
And amongst men are those who serve Allah wavering on a brink; so that if there befall him good, he is comforted; but if there befall him a trial, he falls away. He loses both this world and the Hereafter - that is an obvious loss
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
And some people serve God on edge (doubtfully), so if any good happens to him, he is content with it, and if misfortune happens to him, he turns on his face (returns to his old ways) losing the world and the Hereafter. That is the clear loss.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
There are among the people some who serve God on the verge. If good befalls them, they are content, but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces. They lose both the present and the hereafter. That is a loss for all to see
Musharraf Hussain   
People who worship Allah doubting Him, are satisfied at the best of times, but at the worst of times they go back to their old ways, losing in both, this world and the next; that is a big loss.
Maududi   
And among people is he who worships Allah on the borderline; if any good befalls him, he is satisfied; but if a trial afflicts him, he utterly turns away. He will incur the loss of this world and the Hereafter. That indeed is a clear loss
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
Andfrom the people there is he who serves God nervously. So if good comes to him, he is content with it; and if an ordeal comes to him, he makes an about-face. He has lost this world and the Hereafter. Such is the clear loss
Mohammad Shafi   
And among mankind is he who worships Allah sitting on the fence. Then if anything good happens to him he is satisfied with that. But if he is put to trial with some adversity he turns his face away in disgust. He is doomed here and he is doomed in the Hereafter. That is the doom manifest

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
And some men worship Allah on an edge, then if any good reaches him, then he is content therewith and if trial befalls, turn round on his face; there is loss of the world and the Hereafter both. This is a manifest loss.
Rashad Khalifa   
Among the people there is the one who worships GOD conditionally. If things go his way, he is content. But if some adversity befalls him, he makes an about-face. Thus, he loses both this life and the Hereafter. Such is the real loss.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
There are among the people such who worship Allah and (yet stand) on the very edge. When goodness comes to him, he is content, but if a trial befalls him he falls upon his face, he loses this world and the Everlasting Life; that is indeed a clear loss
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
And among men is he who serves Allah, (standing) on the verge, so that if good befalls him he is satisfied therewith, but if a trial afflicts him he turns back headlong. He loses this world and the Hereafter. That is a manifest loss
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
And from the people who worships God on edge, so if goodness struck/marked him he became assured/secured with it, and if test/betrayal/torture struck/marked him, he returned on his face/front , he lost the present world and the end (other life), that (is) the loss/misguidance and punishment, the clear/evident
Bijan Moeinian   
Some people worship God conditionally! If things go their way, they are satisfied with their belief. If they are put through the test of hardship, they will loose their faith. Such people have lost both this world and the Hereafter; what losers they are
Faridul Haque   
And there are some men who worship Allah whilst upon an edge; then if some good occurs to them, they are content; and if some trial comes, they turn way upon their faces; a loss of this world and the Hereafter; and this is the complete loss
Sher Ali   
And among men is he who serves ALLAH, standing, as it were, on the verge. Then if good befalls him, he is content therewith; and if there befalls him a trial, he returns to his former way. He loses both this world as well as the Hereafter. That indeed is a manifest loss
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
And amongst people there is also one who worships Allah (keeping just) on the border-line (of Din [Religion]). So if some (worldly) benefit reaches him, he feels contented with this (Din [Religion]), and if some trial befalls him, he turns about on his face away (from Din [Religion]). He met a loss in this world (as well as) in the Hereafter. It is this that is conspicuously a heavy loss
Amatul Rahman Omar   
And among people there is such a one who worships Allah (as it were) on the very verge (in a wavering state of mind). If any good befalls him he is satisfied with it, but if there befalls a trial he returns to his (former) ways. He has lost both this world as well as the next. That indeed is the obvious loss
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
And among men there is such a one as serves God upon the very edge -- if good befalls him he is at rest in it, but if a trial befalls him he turns completely over; he loses this world and the world to come; that is indeed the manifest loss
George Sale   
There are some men who serve God in a wavering manner, standing, as it were, on the verge of the true religion. If good befall one of them, he resteth satisfied therein; but if any tribulation befall him, he turneth himself round, with the loss both of this world, and of the life to come. This is manifest perdition
Edward Henry Palmer   
And amongst men is one who serves God (wavering) on a brink; and if there befall him good, he is comforted; but if there befall him a trial, he turns round again, and loses this world and the next - that is an obvious loss
John Medows Rodwell   
There are some who serve God in a single point. If good come upon one of them, he resteth in it; but if trial come upon him, he turneth him round (to infidelity) with the loss both of this world and of the next! This same is the clear ruin
N J Dawood (2014)   
And among people there are some who profess to serve God and yet stand on the very fringe of the true faith. When blessed with good fortune they are content, but when an ordeal befalls them they turn upon their heels, forfeiting this life and the Hereafter. That way true perdition lies

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
Among men there are such who worship Allah on one side. If good happens to him, his heart is at rest thereby but if trial befalls him, he falls back on his face thus he loses the life of this world and the hereafter. That is the most obvious loss.
Munir Mezyed   
And of the people is he who worships Allâh upon the very edge. If it happens that good thing befalls him, he is satisfied therewith. But if an ordeal befalls him, he turns completely over. So He loses both this worldly life and the Hereafter. That is indeed the irreparable loss.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
And amongst people is he who serves Allah borderline, so if good befalls him, he is content with it, and if a trial befalls him, he turns away; he has lost the world and the hereafter - that is the clear loss.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
There are among people such as one who serves Allah, but just on the edge [of faith]. If good befalls him/her, he/she is content; but, if a trial comes to him/her, he/she turns impetuously. He/she is lost both to this world and the hereafter. That is a loss for all to see.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
And of mankind is one who worships Allah on edge, so that if something good befalls him, he is reassured by it; but if a trial befalls him, he turns about-face, losing the Earlier (Life) and the hereafter; that is the evident loss.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Some men serve Allah (God) along the fringes: if some good should happen to him, he accepts it calmly, while if some trial should strike him, he turns over on his face [in despair]. He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is such an obvious loss!
Samy Mahdy   
And among the people is he who worships Allah upon edge. So, if he is inflicted with goodness, he is tranquil with it. And if he is inflicted with an infatuation, he turns over upon his face. He has lost [The Dunya] world and the Hereafter. That is the obvious loss.
Sayyid Qutb   
Some people worship God on the border-line [of faith]. If good befalls such a person, he is content; but if a trial assails him, he turns away utterly; thus losing this world and the life to come. This is, indeed, a loss beyond compare.
Ahmed Hulusi   
And there are some among the people who accept his servitude to Allah in one aspect (in respect of what suits him). When he is touched by good he is made joyful by it... But if he is touched by an affliction he turns his back (and denies his servitude)... Such are the ones whose lives in this world and the next are lost. This is a clear loss indeed!
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
And among people there is such a one who worships Allah only by tongue, so that if good befalls him he is satisfied therewith, and if a trial afflicts him he turns back his face; he losses this world and (also) the Hereafter; that is indeed the manifest loss
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
And among people are some who serve Allah conditionally, standing on the brink or border, as it were, between faith without and infidelity within. If all goes well with any of them and he makes worldly gains he is gratified and he advances without and to his heart's content. And should he be tested for true belief and inclination and he is consequently befallen with a misfortune or wedded to a calamity he retracts and retreats within, he tumbles down on his face and turns renegade wherefore he loses both worlds, here and Hereafter, And this is indeed the utmost loss
Mir Aneesuddin   
And among mankind is he who serves Allah (standing) on the verge, so that, if good befalls him he is satisfied with it but if a trial afflicts him he turns away his attention (from the service of Allah). He loses this world as well as the hereafter, that is a clear loss.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
There are among men some who serve God, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see
OLD Literal Word for Word   
And among the mankind (is he) who worships Allah on an edge. And if befalls him good, he is content with it, and if befalls him a trial he turns on his face. He has lost the world and the Hereafter. That [it] (is) the loss clear
OLD Transliteration   
Wamina alnnasi man yaAAbudu Allaha AAala harfin fa-in asabahu khayrun itmaanna bihi wa-in asabat-hu fitnatun inqalaba AAala wajhihi khasira alddunya waal-akhirata thalika huwa alkhusranu almubeenu