Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad
Should I take to worshipping [other] deities beside Him? [But then,] if the Most Gracious should will that harm befall me, their intercession could not in the least avail me, nor could they save me
M. M. Pickthall
Shall I take (other) gods in place of Him when, if the Beneficent should wish me any harm, their intercession will avail me naught, nor can they save
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
"Shall I take (other) gods besides Him? If (Allah) Most Gracious should intend some adversity for me, of no use whatever will be their intercession for me, nor can they deliver me
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab
How could I take besides Him other gods whose intercession would not be of any benefit to me, nor could they save me if the Most Compassionate intended to harm me?
Safi Kaskas
Would I take any gods other than Him? if the Merciful-to-all intends me some harm, their intercession will not help me at all, nor can they save me.
Wahiduddin Khan
Shall I take others besides Him as gods? If the Gracious God should intend me any harm, their intercession will be of no avail, nor can they deliver me
Shakir
What! shall I take besides Him gods whose intercession, If the Beneficent Allah should desire to afflict me with a harm, shall not avail me aught, nor shall they be able to deliver me
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar
Will I take gods to myself other than He when, if The Merciful wants any harm for me, their intercession will not avail me at all nor will they save me.
T.B.Irving
Should I adopt other gods instead of Him? If the Mercy-giving should want any harm [to happen] to me, their intercession would never help me out in any way nor would they rescue me:
Abdul Hye
Shall I take another worthy of worship besides Him? If the Gracious (Allah) intends me no harm, their intercession will avail me nothing, nor can they save me.
The Study Quran
Shall I take gods apart from Him? If the Compassionate desired harm for me, their intercession would avail me naught, nor would they save me
Talal Itani & AI (2024)
Should I take other gods besides Him? If the Merciful intends harm for me, their intercession won’t avail me at all, nor will they save me.
Talal Itani (2012)
Shall I take other gods instead of Him? If the Merciful desires harm for me, their intercession will not avail me at all, nor will they save me
Dr. Kamal Omar
Shall I patronise aaliha (gods) besides Him? If Ar-Rahman intends me any harm, their intercession will not benefit me whatsoever, and they will protect me not (against the wrath of God)
Should I take other gods besides Him? If the Compassionate (Allah) should intend to harm me, their intercession will avail me nothing, nor will they be able to save me
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali
Shall I take to myself, apart from Him, gods whose intercession, in case The All-Merciful wills any adversity to me, will not avail me anything, nor will they rescue me
Muhammad Sarwar
Should I worship other gods besides Him? If the Beneficent God was to afflict me with hardship, the intercession of the idols can be of no benefit to me nor could it rescue me from hardship
Muhammad Taqi Usmani
Shall I adopt those gods besides Him whose intercession, if RaHman (the All-Merciful Allah) intends to do harm to me, cannot help me in the least, nor can they come to my rescue
Shabbir Ahmed
Should I take gods instead of Him? But then, if the Laws of the Beneficent harm me, their intercession cannot help me at all, nor can they save me
Dr. Munir Munshey
"Shall I accept other gods besides Him? Should Rehman decide to harm me, these (false gods) could not rescue me, nor could they intervene to help a bit!"
Syed Vickar Ahamed
"Shall I take (other) gods besides Him? If (Allah, Ar-Rahman) Most Gracious should have some misfortune for me, their pleading for me will not be of any use and they cannot set me free
Should I take other than Him [false] deities [while], if the Most Merciful intends for me some adversity, their intercession will not avail me at all, nor can they save me
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)
"Shall I take gods besides Him If the Almighty intends any harm for me, their intercession cannot help me in the least, nor can they save me."
Abdel Haleem
How could I take besides Him any other gods, whose intercession will not help me and who would not be able to save me if the Lord of Mercy wished to harm me
Abdul Majid Daryabadi
Shall I take beside Him gods when, if the Compassionate should intend me any harm, their intercession will avail me not at all, nor would they save me
Ahmed Ali
Should I take other gods apart from Him, who would neither be able to intercede for me nor save me if Ar-Rahman brings me harm
Aisha Bewley
Am I to take as gods instead of Him those whose intercession, if the All-Merciful desires harm for me, will not help me at all and cannot save me?
Ali Ünal
"Shall I take, apart from Him, deities whose intercession (that you claim they can make on our behalf) will not avail me anything, if the All-Merciful should will a harm for me, nor can they bring deliverance
Ali Quli Qara'i
Shall I take gods besides Him? If the All-beneficent desired to cause me any distress their intercession will not avail me in any way, nor will they rescue me
Hamid S. Aziz
"What! Shall I take besides Him gods whose intercession, if the Beneficent Allah should desire to afflict me with harm, shall not avail me aught, nor shall they be able to deliver me
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad
Should I take gods other than Him? If the beneficent wants any harm for me, their mediation would not be of any use to me at all and they would not save me.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)
“Shall I take gods besides Him? If God, the Merciful Benefactor, should intend some adversity for me, of no use would be their intercession for me, nor can they save me
Musharraf Hussain
Should I take beside Him gods whose intercession would not benefit me in the slightest if the Most Kind wanted to harm me? Nor would they be able to save me.
Maududi
What! Shall I take any deities apart from Him whose intercession will not avail me the least were the Merciful One to bring any adversity upon me, nor will they be able to rescue me
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)
"Shall I take gods besides Him? If the Almighty intends any harm for me, their intercession cannot help me in the least, nor can they save me.
Mohammad Shafi
"Shall I take to worshipping any god besides Him — gods whose intercession, if the Gracious One should desire to afflict me with harm, will avail me naught, and who can save me not?"
Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)
Shall I take, besides Allah, other gods that if the Most Affectionate intends any harm, their intercession shall not be of any use to me and nor would they save me?
"Shall I set up beside Him gods? If the Most Gracious willed any harm for me, their intercession cannot help me one bit, nor can they rescue me.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah
What, shall I take, other than Him, gods whose intercession, if the Merciful desires to afflict me, cannot help me at all, and they will never save me
Maulana Muhammad Ali
Shall I take besides Him gods whose intercession, if the Beneficent should desire to afflict me with harm, will avail me naught, nor can they deliver me
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira
Do I take from other than Him gods, if the merciful wants/intends me with harm, (so) their mediation does not enrich/suffice me from me a thing, and they do not rescue/save me
Bijan Moeinian
“How should I believe in other gods while they cannot make any intercession on my behalf or save me, if God wants to punish me?”
Faridul Haque
“What! Shall I appoint gods other than Allah? So that if the Most Gracious should wish me any harm, their intercession would be of no use to me, nor would they be able to save me?”
Sher Ali
`Shall I take others beside HIM as gods? If the Gracious God should intend me any harm, their intercession will avail me naught, nor can they rescue me
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
Should I take such gods apart from Him (Allah) that if the Most Kind (Lord) intends to do me any harm, their intercession would not bring me any benefit, nor would they be able to rescue me
Amatul Rahman Omar
`Shall I take apart from Him others as gods whose intercession, if the Most Gracious (God) should decide to do me some harm, will be of no avail to me, nor will they be able (even) to rescue me (from that harm)
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali
"Shall I take besides Him aliha (gods), if the Most Beneficent (Allah) intends me any harm, their intercession will be of no use for me whatsoever, nor can they save me
New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame
Should I take any deities besides Him? If The All-merciful intends me harm their intercession will be of no avail to me and they cannot rescue me.
Munir Mezyed
Will I take others besides Him as gods? If the True Merciful (God) was to afflict me with harm, their intercession won’t profit me at all, nor will they be able to save me?
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher
Should I take gods besides Him? If the Merciful wants harm for me, their intercession does not benefit me the least and they don´t save me.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation
Shall I take other gods apart from Him? If the All-Merciful wants harm for me, their intercession does not avail me at all, nor can they rescue me.
Linda “iLHam” Barto
Shall I take gods besides Him? If the Most Gracious should intend some adversity for me, their intercession would do me no good. They could not deliver me.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab
Should I adopt other gods instead of Him? If the Mercy-giving should want any harm [to happen] to me, their intercession would never help me out in any way nor would they rescue me:
Samy Mahdy
Shall I take without Him gods? If Al-Rahman (The Widely merciful) wants harm for me, their intercession will not avail me about a thing, nor will they rescue me.
Sayyid Qutb
Should I worship other deities beside Him? If the Lord of Grace should will that harm befall me, their intercession will avail me nothing, nor will they save me.
Thomas Cleary
"Shall I take to other gods? If the Compassionate One wished me ill, their intercession would avail me nothing, and they would not deliver me.
Ahmed Hulusi
“Shall I take gods besides Him! If the Rahman wills to manifest adversity, their intercession will neither benefit me nor protect me...”
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli
Shall I take (other) gods besides Him, if the Beneficent (Allah) desires affliction for me, their intercession shall not avail me aught, neither can they deliver me?
"Therefore, would I take besides Him gods whose intercession, if ever permitted, is valueless nor can they protect me or save me from harm should He, AL-Rahman, mean to befall me with a misfortune or wed me to a calamity!"
Mir Aneesuddin
What! should I take gods besides Him, whose recommendation will not make me free from anything, if the Beneficent (Allah) intends harm, nor will they save me?
The Wise Quran
Shall I take gods besides Him? If the Merciful desires harm for me, their intercession will not avail me anything, nor can they rescue me.