Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad
O YOU who have attained to faith! Whenever you [intend to] consult the Apostle, offer up something in charity on the occasion of your consultation: this will be for your own good, and more conducive to your [inner] purity. Yet if you are unable to do so, [know that,] verily, God is much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace
M. M. Pickthall
O ye who believe! When ye hold conference with the messenger, offer an alms before your conference. That is better and purer for you. But if ye cannot find (the wherewithal) then lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
O ye who believe! When ye consult the Messenger in private, spend something in charity before your private consultation. That will be best for you, and most conducive to purity (of conduct). But if ye find not (the wherewithal), Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab
O believers! When you consult the Messenger privately, give something in charity before your consultation. That is better and purer for you. But if you lack the means, then Allah is truly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Safi Kaskas
Believers, when you privately converse with the Messenger, proceed by offering something in charity. That is better for you and purer. But if you do not find the means to do so, then God is the Most Forgiving, the Mercy Giver.
Wahiduddin Khan
Believers, when you come to consult the Messenger privately, give something in charity beforehand. That is best for you and most conducive to purity. But if you cannot find anything to give, know that God is Forgiving and Merciful
Shakir
O you who believe! when you consult the Messenger, then offer something in charity before your consultation; that is better for you and purer; but if you do not find, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar
O those who believed! When you consulted with the Messenger, put charity forward in advance of your conversing privately. That is better for you and purer. But if you find not the means , then, truly, God is Forgiving, Compassionate.
T.B.Irving
You who believe, whenever you confer with the Messenger, offer some sort of charity before you confer [with him]; that will be better for you, and purer [besides]. Yet if you do not find anything [to give], God is still Forgiving, Merciful.
Abdul Hye
O you who believe! When you wish to consult the Messenger (Muhammad) in private, spend something in charity before your private consultation. That will be better and purer for you. But if you don’t find (anything), then surely, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
The Study Quran
O you who believe! When you converse in secret with the Messenger, offer charity before your secret converse. That is better for you and purer. But if you do not find [the means], truly God is Forgiving, Merciful
Talal Itani & AI (2024)
O you who believe, when you wish to have a private conversation with the Messenger, offer a charitable donation before your consultation. This is better and purer for you. However, if you lack the means, God is Forgiving and Merciful.
Talal Itani (2012)
O you who believe! When you converse privately with the Messenger, offer something in charity before your conversation. That is better for you, and purer. But if you do not find the means—God is Forgiving and Merciful
Dr. Kamal Omar
O you who have accepted Faith! When you had a private discussion with the Messenger, then arrange in advance between the two hands of your private discussion (i.e., prior to your private discussion) some donation. This is better for you and purer. But if you found not (due to your weak economic position), then certainly Allah is Oft-Forgiving, continuously Merciful
O believers! When you want to consult the Messenger in private, offer something in charity before your consultation, that is best and purest for you. But if you lack the means, know that Allah is Oft- Forgiving, Most Merciful
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali
O you who have believed, when you confer privately with the Messenger, then before (Literally: between the two hands (of) your private conference with him, forward a donation; that is more charitable for you and purer. Yet if you do not find (any means), then surely Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful
Muhammad Sarwar
Believers, whenever you consult the Prophet, offer charity before your consultation. This will be better for you and more pure. However, if you do not find anything to give in charity, then God is All-forgiving and All-merciful
Muhammad Taqi Usmani
O you who believe, when you consult the Messenger in private, then offer something in charity before your consultation. That is better for you and purer. But if you find nothing (to offer), then Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful
Shabbir Ahmed
O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Whenever you wish to confer with the Messenger by yourself, give something in charity to the needy or do an act of benevolence. That will be for your own good and cleanse the imprints of your faults on your 'Self'. But if you have no opportunity, then, behold, Allah is Absolver of faults, Merciful. (He rewards good intentions)
Dr. Munir Munshey
Oh those of you who believe, whenever you seek a private audience with the messenger, present something in charity (to the poor) prior to the consultation. This is better for you _ and purer. (Yet) if you are unable (to offer charity), then Allah is the most Forgiving and the most Kind
Syed Vickar Ahamed
O you who believe! When you speak with the Messenger in private, spend something in charity before the consultation. That will be best for you, and most helpful towards purity (of conduct). But if you do not find, (the means to spend in charity), then verily, Allah is Often Forgiving (Ghafoor), Most Merciful (Raheem)
O you who have believed, when you [wish to] privately consult the Messenger, present before your consultation a charity. That is better for you and purer. But if you find not [the means] - then indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)
O you who believe, if you wish to hold a private meeting with the messenger, you shall offer a charity before you do so. This is better for you, and purer. If you cannot afford it, then God is Forgiver, Merciful
Abdel Haleem
You who believe, when you come to speak privately with the Messenger, offer something in charity before your conversation: that is better for you and purer. If you do not have the means, God is most forgiving and merciful
Abdul Majid Daryabadi
O ye who believe! when ye go to whisper with the apostle, offer alms before your whispering; that is better for you and purer. Then if ye find not the wherewith, then verily Allah is Forgiving, Merciful
Ahmed Ali
O you who believe, if you confer with the Prophet in private, give alms in the name of God before you go to confer. This is better for you and becoming. If you do not have the means, then surely God is forgiving and kind
Aisha Bewley
You who have iman! when you consult the Messenger privately precede your private consultation by giving sadaqa — that is better for you and purer. But if you cannot find the means, Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Ali Ünal
O you who believe! When you intend to consult the Messenger in private, offer something in alms (to the needy) before your consultation. That is better for you and purer. Yet if you do not find (means to do so), then God is surely All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate
Ali Quli Qara'i
O you who have faith! When you talk secretly to the Apostle, offer a charity before your secret talk. That is better for you and purer. But if you cannot afford [to make the offering], then Allah is indeed all-forgiving, all-merciful
Hamid S. Aziz
O you who believe! When you consult the Messenger, then offer something in charity before your consultation; that is better for you and purer; but if you find not the means, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad
You who believe, when you (want to) talk privately with the messenger, then give to charity before your private talk. This is better and purer for you. And if you do not find (it affordable), then indeed God is forgiving and merciful.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)
O you who believe, when you consult the messenger in private, give something in charity before your private consultation. That will be best for you, and most conducive to refinement. But if you cannot, God is Forgiving, Redeeming
Musharraf Hussain
Believers, before you consult the Messenger privately, offer charity for the consultation. That’s a good practice and purification for you. If you can’t offer anything, then you will still find Allah Most Forgiving, Most Kind
Maududi
Believers, when you come to the Messenger for private consultation, offer some charity before your consultation with him. That is better for you and more conducive to purity. But if you find nothing to offer in charity, then know that Allah is Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)
O you who believe, if you wish to hold a private meeting with the messenger, you shall offer a charity before you do so. This is better for you, and purer. If you cannot do so, then God is Forgiver, Merciful
Mohammad Shafi
O you who believe! When you hold a private talk with the Messenger, give a tax [sadaqah ] before your talk. That is better and purer for you. But if you do not have the means, then Allah is indeed Forgiving, Merciful
Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)
'O believers! When you desire to say anything secretly to the Messenger, then give some alms before your submission. This is better for you and purer. But if you are unable to give anything then Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
O you who believe, when you wish to confer with the messenger, you shall offer a charity (to the poor) before you do so. This is better for you, and purer. If you cannot afford it, then GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah
Believers, when you consult with the Messenger, present before your consultation a free will offering. That is best and purest for you. But if you lack themeans, Allah is the Forgiver and the Most Merciful
Maulana Muhammad Ali
O you who believe, when you consult the Messenger, offer something in charity before your consultation. That is better for you and purer. But if you have not (the means), then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira
You, you those who believed, if you interchanged pleasurable conversation (with) the messenger, so advance/present between your confidential talk's/secret conversation's hand, (give) charity, that is better for you, and purer , so if you did not find, so then God (is) forgiving, merciful
Bijan Moeinian
Those who believe should engage in an act of charity before any consultation with the Prophet [meaning that Mohammad will not charge you money for talking to you and be happy that you devote the cost of his consultation to a charity]. This purifies you and makes you to feel better. Do not mind, if you cannot afford a charity as God is All-Forgiving and the Most Merciful
Faridul Haque
O People who Believe! When you wish to humbly consult with the Noble Messenger, give some charity before you consult; that is much better and much purer for you; so if you do not have the means, then (know that) Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful
Sher Ali
O ye who believe ! when you consult the Messenger in private, give alms before your consultation. That is better for you and purer. But if you find not anything to give then ALLAH is Most Forgiving, Merciful
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
O believers! When you seek to submit some secret to the Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) in private, give something in charity before you submit your secret. This (action) is better and purer for you. But if you do not find anything (to offer in charity), then Allah is Most Forgiving, Ever-Merciful
Amatul Rahman Omar
O you who believe! when you want to consult the Messenger in private then advance a charity (for the needy) before your (such) consultations. This is best for you and will help you to better standards of purity. But if you cannot afford it then (never mind) remember that Allah is Great Protector, Ever Merciful
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali
O you who believe! When you (want to) consult the Messenger (Muhammad SAW) in private, spend something in charity before your private consultation. That will be better and purer for you. But if you find not (the means for it), then verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful
New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame
O you who believe! When you take counsel with the messenger, then do offer alms ahead of your counsel. That is better for you and purer. But if you do not find the means then truly Allah is Oft-Forgiving, All-merciful.
Munir Mezyed
O’ you who Live by Faith! When you seek to consult privately the Messenger, offer an alms before your consultation. That is better for you and purer. However, if it happens that you do not find anything to give, (then be sure that) Allâh is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher
Oh you believers, when you have a private meeting with the messenger, give charity in advance of your private meetings, that is better and purer for you, and if you don´t find (the means), then Allah is forgiving and merciful.
Linda “iLHam” Barto
O Believers, when you consult the messenger, invest something in charity before your private consultation. That would be good for you and most appropriate. If you don’t have [anything to donate], Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation
O you who have attained faith, when you converse privately with the Messenger, give a donation ahead of your private conversation. That is better for you and cleaner. But if you do not find the means, then Allah is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Bestowing of mercy.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab
You who believe, whenever you confer with the Messenger, offer some sort of charity before you confer [with him]; that will be better for you, and purer [besides]. Yet if you do not find anything [to give], Allah (God) is still Forgiving, Merciful.
Samy Mahdy
O you who believed! When you secretly consult, the Messenger, so present between hands of your secret consulting, alms. That is goodness for you, and purer. So, if you do not find (the means), so surely Allah is Forgiver, Merciful.
Ahmed Hulusi
O believers! Give charity before you engage in a private consultation with the Rasul. This is better and purer for you... But if you do not have the means, then indeed Allah is the Ghafur, the Rahim.
Mir Aneesuddin
O you who believe! when you secretly consult the messenger, then give charity in advance, before your secret consultation (with him). That is better for you and cleaner, but if you do not find (anything to give in charity) then Allah is certainly Protectively Forgiving, Merciful.
O you whose hearts have been touched with the Divine hand: when you wish to take counsel with the Messenger, let the occasion be preceded by an act of charity; this is commendable in you and fits you so purified to receive Allah's blessings but if you do not have the means; Allah is Ghafurun and Rahimun
The Wise Quran
O those who believed! When you hold secret discourse with the messenger, then send forward charity before your secret discourse; that is better for you and more pure. Then if you do not find, then indeed, God is forgiving, compassionate.