Popular Translations
Muhammad Asad
Unto Him [alone] is due all prayer aiming at the Ultimate Truth, since those [other beings or powers] whom men invoke instead of God cannot respond to them in any way - [so that he who invokes them is] but like one who stretches his open hands towards water, [hoping] that it will reach his mouth, the while it never reaches him. Hence, the prayer of those who deny the truth amounts to no more than losing oneself in grievous error
Arthur John Arberry
To Him is the call of truth; and those upon whom they call, apart from Him, answer them nothing, but it is as a man who stretches out his hands to water that it may reach his mouth, and it reaches it not. The prayer of the unbelievers goes only astray
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
For Him (alone) is prayer in Truth: any others that they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouths but it reaches them not: for the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but (futile) wandering (in the mind)
Arabic
لَهُۥ دَعۡوَةُ ٱلۡحَقِّۚ وَٱلَّذِینَ یَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا یَسۡتَجِیبُونَ لَهُم بِشَیۡءٍ إِلَّا كَبَـٰسِطِ كَفَّیۡهِ إِلَى ٱلۡمَاۤءِ لِیَبۡلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦۚ وَمَا دُعَاۤءُ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِینَ إِلَّا فِی ضَلَـٰلࣲ ١٤
Transliteration (2021)
lahu daʿwatu l-ḥaqi wa-alladhīna yadʿūna min dūnihi lā yastajībūna lahum bishayin illā kabāsiṭi kaffayhi ilā l-māi liyablugha fāhu wamā huwa bibālighihi wamā duʿāu l-kāfirīna illā fī ḍalāli