Quran Ayah al-Qalam (The Pen) 68:28 - 70+ Translation Comparison

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Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
Said the most right-minded among them: "Did I not tell you, 'Will you not extol God's limitless glory?’"
Arthur John Arberry   
Said the most moderate of them, 'Did I not say to you, "Why do you not give glory?"
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Said one of them, more just (than the rest): "Did I not say to you, 'Why not glorify (Allah)?'"

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
قَالَ أَوۡسَطُهُمۡ أَلَمۡ أَقُل لَّكُمۡ لَوۡلَا تُسَبِّحُونَ ۝٢٨
Transliteration (2021)   
qāla awsaṭuhum alam aqul lakum lawlā tusabbiḥūn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more   
Said (the) most moderate of them, "Did not I tell you, 'Why not you glorify (Allah)?'"

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
Said the most right-minded among them: "Did I not tell you, 'Will you not extol God's limitless glory?’"
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
Said one of them, more just (than the rest): "Did I not say to you, 'Why not glorify (Allah)?'"
M. M. Pickthall   
The best among them said: Said I not unto you: Why glorify ye not (Allah)
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
The most sensible of them said, “Did I not urge you to say, ‘Allah willing.’?”
Wahiduddin Khan   
The more upright of the two said, Did I not bid you to glorify God
Safi Kaskas   
The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, that you should praise your Lord’s glory?
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
The most moderate of them said: Say I not to you: Why glorify you not God?
T.B.Irving   
Someone more considerate among them said: "Did I not tell you: ´Why do you not glorify [God]?"´
Shakir   
The best of them said: Did I not say to you, Why do you not glorify (Allah)
Abdul Hye   
The best among them said: “Did I not tell you: why do you not glorify Allah (If Allah wills)?”
Saeed Malik   
Said, the most realistic of them, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not think and live cognizant of God?"
The Study Quran   
The most moderate of them said, “Did I not say to you, why do you not glorify?
Talal Itani & AI (2025)   
The most reasonable among them said, "Did I not tell you, why do you not glorify God?"
Talal Itani (2012)   
The most reasonable of them said, 'Did I not say to you, 'if only you would glorify?''
M. Farook Malik   
The most upright among them said: "Did I not tell you to glorify Allah? Why did you not glorify Him?"
Dr. Kamal Omar   
One more just among them said: “Did I not tell you why don’t you glorify (Allah by adopting the teachings of His Al-Kitab) ?”
Dr. Munir Munshey   
The moderate one among them said, "Did I not tell you? Why did you not chant (your Lord´s) praises?"
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
Said one (person) more just than the rest of them: "Did I not say to you; Why not Glorify [Allah by saying, if Allah so Wills, (or Insha Allah)]?"
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, 'Why do you not exalt [ Allah ]?' "
Muhammad Sarwar   
A reasonable one among them said, "Did I not tell you that you should glorify God?"
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
Said he who was the best among them, .Did I not say to you, ‘Why do you not pronounce tasbiH (Allah‘s purity)?
Shabbir Ahmed   
Said the most balanced among them, "Did I not tell you - why did you not work aright (thinking of the poor)?" ('Sabh' = Swim in strides = Work hard = Labor for a noble cause)
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
Said the most moderate of them, "Did I not say to you: Had you only extolled (Him)!"
Hamid S. Aziz   
The best of them said, "Did I not say to you, ´Why not glorify (Allah)?´"
Abdel Haleem   
The wisest of them said, ‘Did I not say to you, “Will you not glorify God?”’
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
The most moderate of them said: said I not Unto you, wherefore hallow him ye not
Ahmed Ali   
One who was temperate among them, said: "Did I not say: 'Why don't you priase God?'"
Aisha Bewley   
The best of them said, ´Did I not say to you, "Why do you not glorify Allah?"´
Ali Ünal   
The one more equitable among them said: "Did I not say to you: Will you not glorify God?"
Ali Quli Qara'i   
The most moderate among them said, ‘Did I not tell you, ‘‘Why do you not glorify [Allah]?’’ ’
[The Monotheist Group] (2017 Edition)   
The most balanced among them said: "If only you had glorified!"
Musharraf Hussain   
The middle one said, “Didn’t I tell you to glorify Allah?”
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
One of them more just than the others said, “Did I not say to you, ‘Why not praise God?’
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
The fairest of them said: “Did I not tell you: “Why do you not glorify (God)?”?”
Maududi   
The best among them said: "Did I not say to you: why do you not give glory to (your Lord)?"
Mohammad Shafi   
A moderate among them said, "Had I not asked you to invoke divine mercy and blessings?"

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
The most moderate of them said, "Did I not say to you, why do you not glorify Allah? "
Rashad Khalifa   
The righteous among them said, "If only you had glorified (God)!"
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
(Whereupon) the best among them said: 'Did I not say to you to exalt (Allah)?
Faridul Haque   
The best among them said, “Did I not tell you, ‘Why do you not proclaim His purity?’ ”
Bijan Moeinian   
The more just one said: “We forgot to worship/ thank the Lord.”
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
The best of them said: Said I not to you, Why do you not glorify (Allah)
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
Their most honoured/moderate said: "Did I not say to you if only you praise/glorify?"
Sher Ali   
The best among them said, `Did I not say to you, why do you not glorify God?
Edip Yuksel   
The best among them said, "If only you had glorified!"
Amatul Rahman Omar   
The most upright (man) among them said, `Did I not say to you why do you not give glory (to God)?
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
One of them, wise and inclined to the balanced judgment, said: ‘Did I not say to you: Why do you not glorify and remember Allah?
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
The best among them said: "Did I not tell you: why do you not say: Insha Allah (If Allah will)."

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
N J Dawood (2014)   
The most upright among them said: ‘Did I not bid you give praise?‘
Arthur John Arberry   
Said the most moderate of them, 'Did I not say to you, "Why do you not give glory?"
Edward Henry Palmer   
Said the most moderate of them, 'Said I not to you, "unless ye celebrate God's praises!"
George Sale   
The worthier of them said, did I not say unto you, will ye not give praise unto God
John Medows Rodwell   
The most rightminded of them said, "Did I not say to you, Will ye not give praise to God?"

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Shuaib Abdullahi   
The mediate of them (Aw'satu-hum') said (Qaala), "Did I not (Alam') say (Aqul) to you (Lakum'), ‘Why (Law') do you not (Laa) glorify (Tusabbihuun)?’ "
Fode Drame   
The righteous among them said, “Did I not tell you ‘why do you not glorify Allah?’”
Munir Mezyed   
The most moderate one of them said: "Did I not tell you that you should celebrate the praise of your Lord and declare His absolute majesty and glory?"
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
The most level-headed amongst them said: did I not tell you to glorify (Allah)?
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
One of the most righteous among them said, “Did I not say to you, ‘Why do you not give glory [to Allah]?’”
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
The most reasonable of them said, “Did I not tell youpl, ‘if only you would highly exalt (God)?’”
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Someone more considerate among them said: "Did I not tell you: 'Why do you not glorify [Allah (God)]?"'
Samy Mahdy   
The most moderate of them said, “Did I not say for you, ‘if only you would glorify?’”
Ali Quli Qarai   
The most upright among them said, ‘Did I not tell you, ‘‘Why do you not glorify [Allah]?’’ ’
Ahmed Hulusi   
The most reasonable one among them said, “Did I not tell you to exalt (tasbih; fulfill your servitude to your Rabb)?”
Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri   
The Awsat among them said; "Did I not tell you, `Why do you not Tusabbihun."'
A. S. Mohamed   
The most moderate among them said, "Did I not say to you, 'If only you would glorify?' "
Mir Aneesuddin   
One balanced among them said, “Did I not tell you? Had you glorified (by regarding Allah above all, this would not have happened).”
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
The moderate among them said : "Would it not have been befitting, as I advised, had we praised Allah and rendered thanks for the benefits that to us, He has given?"
The Wise Quran Project   
The most moderate of them said, 'Did I not say to you, "Why do you not give glory?"'

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
Said one of them, more just (than the rest): "Did I not say to you, 'Why not glorify (God)?'"
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
The best among them said: "If only you had glorified!
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
The best among them said: "If only you had glorified!"
OLD Literal Word for Word   
Said (the) most moderate of them, "Did not I tell you, 'Why not you glorify (Allah)?'
OLD Transliteration   
Qala awsatuhum alam aqul lakum lawla tusabbihoona