39. Surah al Zumar

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

قَدْ قَالَهَا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ...

39:50. Thus did the (generations) before them say!

... فَمَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ﴿٥٠﴾

But all that they did was of no profit to them.

فَأَصَابَهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُوا...

39:51. Nay,

the evil results of their deeds overtook them.

C4321. Cf. 16:34.

... وَالَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْ هَؤُلَاء سَيُصِيبُهُمْ سَيِّئَاتُ مَا كَسَبُوا...

And the wrongdoers of this (generation) -- the evil results of their deeds will soon overtake them (too),

C4322. It is the same story through the ages. People laugh at Truth, persecute Truth, and try to destroy Truth. But Allah's Plan is never to be frustrated. It will be carried out, and only the enemies of Truth will accomplish their own undoing. So it happened in Arabia: so will it happen always and everywhere.

... وَمَا هُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ ﴿٥١﴾

and they will never be able to frustrate (Our Plan)!

Asad’s Version:

39:50 The same did say [to themselves many of] those who lived before their time; but of no avail to them was all that they had ever achieved:

(39:51) for all the evil deeds that they had wrought fell [back] upon them. And [the same will happen to] people of the present time who are bent on wrongdoing: 56 all the evil deeds that they have ever wrought will fall [back] upon them, and never will they be able to elude [God] !