←Prev   Ayah al-An`am (Cattle, Livestock) 6:88   Next→ 

Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
Such is God's guidance: He guides therewith whomever He wills of His servants. And had they ascribed divinity to aught beside Him-in vain, indeed, would have been all [the good] that they ever did
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
This is Allah’s guidance with which He guides whoever He wills of His servants. Had they associated others with Him ˹in worship˺, their ˹good˺ deeds would have been wasted.
Safi Kaskas   
Such is God’s guidance. He guides whomever He wills of his worshipers. Had they ascribed divinity to others besides Him, all their good works would have been in vain.

Listen: 
Did you notice?

 You can SEARCH IslamAwakened: 

Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
ذَ ٰلِكَ هُدَى ٱللَّهِ یَهۡدِی بِهِۦ مَن یَشَاۤءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِۦۚ وَلَوۡ أَشۡرَكُوا۟ لَحَبِطَ عَنۡهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ یَعۡمَلُونَ ۝٨٨
Transliteration (2021)   
dhālika hudā l-lahi yahdī bihi man yashāu min ʿibādihi walaw ashrakū laḥabiṭa ʿanhum mā kānū yaʿmalūn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
That (is the) Guidance (of) Allah, He guides with it whom He wills of His slaves. But if they (had) associated partners (with Allah), surely (would be) worthless for them what they used to do.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
Such is God's guidance: He guides therewith whomever He wills of His servants. And had they ascribed divinity to aught beside Him-in vain, indeed, would have been all [the good] that they ever did
M. M. Pickthall   
Such is the guidance of Allah wherewith He guideth whom He will of His bondmen. But if they had set up (for worship) aught beside Him, (all) that they did would have been vain
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
This is the guidance of Allah: He giveth that guidance to whom He pleaseth, of His worshippers. If they were to join other gods with Him, all that they did would be vain for them
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
This is Allah’s guidance with which He guides whoever He wills of His servants. Had they associated others with Him ˹in worship˺, their ˹good˺ deeds would have been wasted.
Safi Kaskas   
Such is God’s guidance. He guides whomever He wills of his worshipers. Had they ascribed divinity to others besides Him, all their good works would have been in vain.
Wahiduddin Khan   
This is the guidance of God: He gives that guidance to whichever of His servants He pleases. If they had associated other deities with Him, surely all they did would have been of no avail
Shakir   
This is Allah's guidance, He guides thereby whom He pleases of His servants; and if they had set up others (with Him), certainly what they did would have become ineffectual for them
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
That is guidance of God. He guides with it whom He wills of His servants. And if they ascribed partners with Him, what they had been doing was fruitless for them.
T.B.Irving   
Such is God´s guidance: He thereby guides any of His servants He may wish. If they had associated [others with Him], whatever they were doing would have collapsed on them.
Abdul Hye   
This is the guidance of Allah with it He guides whom He wills of His servants. If they had associated others with Allah, rendered vain from them what they used to do (deeds).
The Study Quran   
That is the Guidance of God, with which He guides whomsoever He will among His servants. But were they to ascribe partners unto God, all that they were doing would have come to naught
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
This is God’s guidance; with it, He guides whomever He wills among His servants. If they were to associate others with Him, then all their deeds would be rendered void.
Talal Itani (2012)   
Such is God's guidance. He guides with it whomever He wills of His servants. Had they associated, their deeds would have gone in vain
Dr. Kamal Omar   
This is the Guidance of Allah. He guides therewith whom He thinks proper from His Ibad. And if they indulged in polytheism, surely, became of no benefit to them whatever they were doing (in their deeds)
M. Farook Malik   
This is the guidance from Allah; He bestows it upon whom He pleases of His devotees. If they had committed shirk (worshiped anyone else besides Allah) all their deeds would have become void
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
That is the Guidance of Allah; He guides by it whomever He decides of His bondmen; and if they associated anything (with Him), indeed whatever they were doing would be frustrated for them
Muhammad Sarwar   
Such is the guidance of God by which He guides whichever of His servants He wants. If people worship idols, their deeds will be turned devoid of all virtue
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
That is Allah‘s guidance. He guides with it whomsoever He wills from among His servants. Had they associated partners with Him, all they did would have been nullified for them
Shabbir Ahmed   
This is the Guidance of Allah. He guides His servants according to His Laws (4:88). If they had associated others with Allah, their actions would have been vain
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Such is the guidance of Allah. He guides whom He wants among His servants. Had they, (any of the messengers mentioned above) set up partners (with Allah), all their deeds would have come to nothing
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
This is the Guidance of Allah: He gives that Guidance to whom He pleases, from His worshippers. If they were to join other gods with Him, all that they do will be useless for them
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
That is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whomever He wills of His servants. But if they had associated others with Allah , then worthless for them would be whatever they were doing
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
Such is the guidance of God, He guides with it whom He pleases of His servants. And if they set up partners, then all that they had worked would fall away from them
Abdel Haleem   
Such is God’s guidance, with which He guides whichever of His servants He will. If they had associated other gods with Him, all their deeds would have come to nothing
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
This is the guidance of Allah whereby He guideth whomsoever of His bondmen He listeth. And if they had associated, to naught would have come all that they were wont to work
Ahmed Ali   
This is God's guidance: He gives among His creatures whom He will. If they had associated others with Him, surely vain would have been all they did
Aisha Bewley   
That is Allah´s guidance. He guides by it those of His slaves He wills. If they had associated others with Him, nothing they did would have been of any use
Ali Ünal   
That is God’s guidance with which He guides whomever He wills of His servants. And had they (the ones mentioned above) associated partners with God, then all that they did (of good and the recompense they had earned) would have gone to waste
Ali Quli Qara'i   
That is Allah’s guidance: with it He guides whomever He wishes of His servants. But were they to ascribe any partners [to Allah], what they used to do would not avail them
Hamid S. Aziz   
Such is the Guidance of Allah wherewith He guides those whom He will of His servants; and if they associate (for worship) anything with Him, their works would have been in vain
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
That is God’s guidance, with it He guides any one of His servants He wants, and if they had associated partners (with Him) whatever they were doing would have certainly become useless for them.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
This is the guidance of God. He gives that guidance to whom He pleases among His worshippers. If they were to join other gods with Him, then all that they did would be in vain
Musharraf Hussain   
Such is Allah’s guidance, by which He guides His servants as He pleases. If any of them had associated partners with Allah, then the reward of whatever good deeds they had done would be worthless.
Maududi   
That is Allah´s guidance wherewith He guides those of His servants whom He wills. But if they ever associated others with Allah in His divinity, then all that they had done would have gone to waste
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
Such is the guidance of God, He guides with it whom He pleases of His servants. And if they set up partners, then all that they had worked would fall away from them.
Mohammad Shafi   
This is Allah's guidance. He guides thereby whom He wills of His subjects. And if they worship other gods, certainly, what they did would become useless for them

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
This is the guidance of Allah. He gives whom He will of His bondmen, and if they would have committed polytheism, then surely, all that they had already done would have been destroyed
Rashad Khalifa   
Such is GOD's guidance, with which He guides whomever He chooses from among His servants. Had any of them fallen into idolatry, their works would have been nullified.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
Such is the guidance of Allah by it He guides whom He will of His worshipers. Had they associated (others with Him), their labors would have indeed been annulled
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
This is Allah’s guidance wherewith He guides whom He pleases of His servants. And if they had associated others (with Him), all that they did would have been vain
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
That (is) God's guidance, He guides with it whom He wills/wants from His worshippers/slaves, and if they shared/made partners (with God), what they were making/doing/working would have been wasted/invalidated from them
Bijan Moeinian   
This is the favor of God. He chooses to guide, among His worshippers, whoever He decides [and deserve such guidance.] If His worshippers choose to worship others (such as idols, women, children, wealth, any boss or governor, etc.) beside Him, then He will nullify their [good] deeds
Faridul Haque   
This is the guidance of Allah, which He may give to whomever He wills among His bondmen; and had they ascribed partners (to Allah), their deeds would have been wasted
Sher Ali   
That is the guidance of ALLAH. HE guides thereby those of HIS servants whom HE pleases. And if they had worshiped aught beside HIM, surely all they did would have been of no avail to them
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
This is the guidance of Allah whereby He guides those of His servants whom He wills. But, if (supposedly) they had associated partners with Allah, all their (pious) deeds that they performed would have been seized (i.e., become void)
Amatul Rahman Omar   
That is the guidance of Allah, He guides by it such of His servants as He will. But if they has associated partners (with Him in their worship), surely all their deeds would have gone in vain
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
This is the Guidance of Allah with which He guides whomsoever He will of His slaves. But if they had joined in worship others with Allah, all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
That is God's guidance; He guides by it whom He will of His servants; had they been idolaters, it would have failed them, the things they did
George Sale   
That is the guidance of God. He guides thereby those of His servants whom He pleases. And if they had worshiped aught beside Him, surely all they did would have been of no avail to them
Edward Henry Palmer   
That is God's guidance; He guides those whom He will of His servants; and if they associate aught with Him,- vain is that which they have worked
John Medows Rodwell   
This is God's guidance: He guideth by it such of his servants as he will: But if they join others god with Him, vain assuredly shall be all their works
N J Dawood (2014)   
Such is God‘s guidance; He guides those of His servants whom He chooses. Had they served other gods besides Him, their labours would have been vain indeed

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
That is the guidance of Allah, He guide with it whoever He pleases from among His slaves. And had they ascribed partners to him, then surely all that they used to do would have fallen away from them.
Munir Mezyed   
This is the Word of Allâh- a Light for the path of Truth- with which He inspires whoever He wills of His servants. Had they associated others with Him in worship, their good deeds would have been nullified.
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
This is the guidance of Allah by which He guides whom He pleases from amongst His servants. And if they had been idolaters, all they did would have been lost to them.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
This indicates the guidance of Allah. He gives guidance to whom He pleases among His worshipers. If any were to acknowledge other gods with Him, however, all the good they did would have been in vain.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
Such is Allah’s guidance; He guides with it whomever He wills of His servants. But had they associated (others with God)—whatever they used to do would have been nullified.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
Such is Allah (God)'s guidance: He thereby guides any of His servants He may wish. If they had associated [others with Him], whatever they were doing would have collapsed on them.
Samy Mahdy   
That is Allah’s guidance with which He guides whoever He wills among His slaves. And if they did polytheistic, it would be inhibited from them, what they were working.
Sayyid Qutb   
Such is God's guidance; He bestows it on whomever He wills of His servants. Had they associated partners with Him, in vain would certainly have been all that they ever did.
Ahmed Hulusi   
This is Allah’s guidance... He guides (enables the realization of the innermost reality of) whom he wills among His servants... If they had associated others with Allah (duality) then surely all of their earnings would have become vain.
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
Such is the guidance of Allah; He guides by it whom He pleases of His servants; and if they were to associate others (with Him) , certainly what theywere doing would be vain for them
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
This is the true accord of Allah - the union of His will and affections - attuned to the spirit of truth guiding whom He will of His servants into all truth. Had they incorporated with Him other deities they would have been denied the prerogative of Prophethood besides the loss incurred. Their hopes would have been doomed to disappointment and their deeds to worthlessness
Mir Aneesuddin   
That's the guidance of Allah, He guides thereby whom He wills of His servants, and if they associate partners (with Allah), all that they used to do would become fruitless for them.
The Wise Quran   
That is God's guidance; He guides with it whom He wills of His servants; and had they associated partners, surely what they used to do would have been voided from them.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
This is the guidance of God: He giveth that guidance to whom He pleaseth, of His worshippers. If they were to join other gods with Him, all that they did would be vain for them
OLD Literal Word for Word   
That (is the) Guidance (of) Allah, He guides with it whom He wills of His slaves. But if they (had) associated partners surely (would be) worthless for them what they used to do
OLD Transliteration   
Thalika huda Allahi yahdee bihi man yashao min AAibadihi walaw ashrakoo lahabita AAanhum ma kanoo yaAAmaloona