Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad
And never have We destroyed any community [for its wrongdoing] unless a divine writ had (previously] been made known to it
M. M. Pickthall
And We destroyed no township but there was a known decree for it
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
Never did We destroy a population that had not a term decreed and assigned beforehand
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab
We have never destroyed a society without a destined term.
Safi Kaskas
We have never destroyed a town unless it had a known decree.
Wahiduddin Khan
We have never destroyed a township without a definite decree having been issued
Shakir
And never did We destroy a town but it had a term made known
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar
And We caused not a town to perish but there was for it a known prescription.
T.B.Irving
We have never wiped out any town unless it had [received] a known term;
Abdul Hye
And Allah did not destroy a town but there was a known decree for it.
The Study Quran
Never did We destroy a town, but that it had a known decree
Talal Itani & AI (2024)
We’ve never destroyed a community that didn’t have a known term.
Talal Itani (2012)
We have never destroyed a town unless it had a set time
Dr. Kamal Omar
And we have not destroyed any of the town but (there is available) for it Kitâbun M‘auloomun
Never did We destroy a town whose term of life was not ordained beforehand
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali
And in no way did We cause any town to perish except that it had a known (prescribed) Book
Muhammad Sarwar
We never destroyed any town without pre-ordaining the fate of its people
Muhammad Taqi Usmani
We did not destroy any town without having a pre-determined time for it
Shabbir Ahmed
And Our Law of Requital annihilated no community or township before the period of respite was over (13:38)
Dr. Munir Munshey
We never destroy any locality except in accordance with a preordained scheme and time-plan
Syed Vickar Ahamed
And We never destroyed a population that did not have a term already decided (written) and allocated
And We did not destroy any city but that for it was a known decree
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)
We have not destroyed any town except that it had an appointed time
Abdel Haleem
Never have We destroyed a community that did not have a set time
Abdul Majid Daryabadi
And We have not destroyed a town but there was therefor a decree known
Ahmed Ali
Not one habitation have We destroyed but at the time determined for it
Aisha Bewley
We did not destroy any city without it having a set time.
Ali Ünal
And We did not destroy any township unless it had a known and recorded decree
Ali Quli Qara'i
We did not destroy any town but that it had a known term
Hamid S. Aziz
We never did destroy a community but there was a fixed term decreed for it
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad
We did not destroy any town unless there was a known writing/verdict for it.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)
Never did We destroy a population that did not have a term decreed that We did not assign beforehand
Musharraf Hussain
We have never destroyed a town until its appointed time;
Maududi
Whenever We destroyed a town, a definite term had previously been decreed for it
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)
Wehave not destroyed any town except that it had an appointed time.
Mohammad Shafi
And never did We destroy any population, but only when it had reached its known destiny
Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)
And the town We destroyed it had a writing known
We never annihilated any community, except in accordance with a specific, predetermined time.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah
We never destroyed a village whose term had not already been decreed
Maulana Muhammad Ali
And never did We destroy a town but it had a decree made known
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira
And We did not destroy from a village/urban city , except and for it (is) a known Book
Bijan Moeinian
Every town which God destroyed, was given a prescribed time for re-thinking and repentance (as a sign of God’s mercy.
Faridul Haque
And every dwelling that We destroyed, had a known decree for it
Sher Ali
And never a town have WE destroyed but there was for it a known decree
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
And never have We destroyed any township, except that there was for them a known inscription (law, which they violated and met their fate)
Amatul Rahman Omar
And never did We destroy a township but it had a decree made known
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali
And never did We destroy a township but there was a known decree for it
New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame
And We never destroyed any township except that there was an appointed book for it.
Munir Mezyed
And never did We destroy a town but there was a known decree for it.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher
Whenever We destroyed a town, there was a known decree for it.
Linda “iLHam” Barto
We never destroyed a population that did not have a set time.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation
For in no way did We annihilate any town except that it had a known written decree.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab
We have never wiped out any town unless it had [received] a known term;
Samy Mahdy
And none among a village We destroy it except and for it a known book.
Sayyid Qutb
Never have We destroyed any community unless divine revelations have been made known to it.
Ahmed Hulusi
And We did not destroy any region that was not already decreed.
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli
And never did We destroy a township, but it had a known decree.
We never destroyed a city, a people or a nation arbitrarily but according to a justified act. There and then their end is being predetermined and unalterably decreed
Mir Aneesuddin
And We did not destroy any city but at the known prescription (of the time which was destined) for it (earlier).
The Wise Quran
And We did not destroy any city but there was a known decree for it.