Marked words appear in this translation and in no other English translation of this verse. Common small words and older spellings are not marked. The marks show where the wording differs, not where the meaning does.
Talal Itani· published 2012
Thus We made you a moderatecommunity, that you may be witnesses to humanity, and that the Messenger may be a witness to you. We only established the direction of prayer, which you once followed, that We may distinguish those who follow the Messenger from those who turn on their heels. It is indeeddifficult, except for those whom God has guided. But God would never let your faith go to waste. God is Kind towards the people, Merciful.
Translation Talal Itani, ClearQuran·Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall1875–1936 · published 1930
Thus We have appointed you a middle nation, that ye may be witnesses against mankind, and that the messenger may be a witness against you. And We appointed the qiblah which ye formerly observed only that We might know him who followeth the messenger, from him who turneth on his heels. In truth it was a hard (test) save for those whom Allah guided. But it was not Allah'spurpose that your faith should be in vain, for Allah is Full of Pity, Merciful toward mankind
Sources
Translation Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran·Public domain — copyright term expired
Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran·1930 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work
·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Edward Henry Palmer1840–1882 · published 1880
Thus have we made you a middle nation, to be witnesses against men, and that the Apostle may be a witness against you. We have not appointed the qiblah on which thou wert agreed, save that we might know who follows the Apostle from him who turns upon his heels although it is a great thing save to those whom God doth guide. But God will not waste your faith, for verily, God with men is kind and merciful
Sources
Translation Edward Henry Palmer, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired
Thus have we made you a central people, that ye may be witnesses in regard to mankind, and that the apostle may be a witness in regard to you. We appointed the kebla which thou formerly hadst, only that we might know him who followeth the apostle, from him who turneth on his heels: The change is a difficulty, but not to those whom God hath guided. But God will not let your faith be fruitless; for unto man is God Merciful, Gracious
Sources
Translation John Medows Rodwell, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired
Thus have we placed you, OArabians, an intermediate nation, that ye may be witnesses against the rest of mankind, and that the Apostle may be a witness against you. We appointed the Keblah towards which thou didst formerly pray, only that we might know him who followeth the Apostle, from him who turneth back on his heel; though this change seem a great matter, unless unto those whom God hath directed. But God will not render your faith of none effect; for God is gracious and merciful unto man
Sources
Translation George Sale, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired
George Sale, English translation of the Qur'an·1734 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work
·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Other languages (18)Shqip · Albanian
Kështu, Ne ju bëmë bashkësi mesatare (të drejtë), që të jeni dëshmitarë mbi njerëzit dhe që i Dërguari të jetë dëshmitar mbi ju. Ndërkaq, kiblën nga e cila drejtoheshe e kemi bërë vetëm për të dalluar atë që e ndjek të Dërguarin nga ai që shmanget (duke dalë nga feja). Kjo (sprovë) ishte njëmend e rëndë, përveçse për ata që i udhëzoi Allahu. Allahu nuk jua humb asnjëherë besimin (e as namazin që e keni falur në drejtimin e mëparshëm). Në të vërtetë, Allahu është Përdëllimtar e i Mëshirshëm ndaj njerëzve.
Translated by the team of Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.5
বাংলা · Bengali
আর এভাবে আমি তোমাদেরকে একটি মধ্যপন্থী (৩) উম্মাহ বানিয়েছি- যাতে তোমরা মানবজাতির উপর সাক্ষী হতে পার এবং রাসূল তোমাদের উপর সাক্ষী হতে পারে। আর তুমি এ যাবত যে কিবলা অনুসরণ করছিলে সেটাকে আমি এ উদ্দেশ্যে কিবলা হিসেবে নির্ধারণ করেছিলাম, যাতে আমি জানতে পারি যে, কে রাসূলের অনুসরণ করে, আর কে (তাঁর ধর্ম থেকে) পিছনে ফিরে যায়? নি:সন্দেহে আল্লাহ যাদেরকে হিদায়াত করেছেন তারা ব্যতীত অন্যদের ওপর এটা (পরিবর্তিত কিবলা মেনে নেয়া) বড় কঠিন বিষয় ছিলো। আল্লাহ এরূপ নন যে, তোমাদের ঈমানকে বিনষ্ট করে দিবেন।(৪) নিশ্চয় আল্লাহ মানুষের প্রতি অত্যন্ত স্নেহশীল, পরম দয়ালু।
Translated by the team of Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Dawah Association in Rabwah, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.1.2
Bosanski · Bosnian
Tako smo vas učinili najboljom zajednicom sredine, kako biste svjedočili o drugim ljudima i kako bi Poslanik o vama svjedočio. I Mi smo promijenili kiblu prema kojoj si se okretao samo da bismo znali one koji slijede Poslanika naspram onih koji ne vjeruju [1], jer to je, doista, teško bilo svima, izuzev onima koje je Allah uputio na Pravi put. Allah neće dozvoliti da propadne vjerovanje vaše – a doista je Allah prema ljudima milosrdan i milostiv.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 2.0.4
Hrvatski · Croatian
Tako smo vas učinili najboljom – zajednicom sredine, kako biste svjedočili o drugim ljudima, i kako bi Poslanik o vama svjedočio. I Mi smo promijenili kiblu prema kojoj si se okretao samo da bismo znali one koji slijede Poslanika naspram onih koji ne vjeruju, jer to je doista teško bilo svima, izuzev onim koje je Allah uputio na Pravi put. Allah neće dozvoliti da propadne vjerovanje vaše – a doista je Allah prema ljudima milosrdan i milostiv.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.1
Fulfulde · Fulani
Ko wano nii min mbaɗiri on leñol kakindiingol fii yo on laato seedoytooɓe e dow yimɓe ɓen, Nulaaɗo oo seeditoyoo e dow mon. Min mbaɗiraani ndee hoccotirde nde ngonndo-ɗaa he mayre si wonaa min
ngannda oon jokkoowo Nulaaɗo oo e oon ruttotooɗo batte bonnere mu'un, hay si tawii ɗum laatike ko sattu-ɗum, si wanaa e dow ɓeen ɓe Allah feewni. Woodanaani Alla yeebaade liimanaaku mooɗon .Pellet, Allah ko Hinnotooɗo yimɓe ɓee jurmotooɗo.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.2
ქართული · Georgian
და ასევე ჩვენ გაგხადეთ თქვენ (ო, მორწმუნენო) საშუალო საზოგადოებად, რათა თქვენ (სამსჯავროს დღეს) იყოთ მოწმენი ადამიანების მიმართ, და რათა მოციქული (მუჰამმადი) იყოს მოწმე თქვენზე. და ჩვენ დავადგინეთ ის ყიბლა, რომლისკენაც შენ [მოციქული] ადრე იყავი მიმართული [იერუსალიმისკენ], მხოლოდ იმისთვის, რათა (შემდგომ) გამოვავლინოთ, ვინ გაჰყვება მოციქულს და ვინ შებრუნდება უკან. და ეს, უეჭველად, მძიმეა [ლოცვის მიმართულების შეცვლასთან შეგუება], გარდა იმათთვის, ვინც ალლაჰმა სწორ გზაზე დააყენა. და ალლაჰი ნამდვილად არ არის ისეთი, რომ გააფუჭოს თქვენი რწმენა [ალლაჰი არ გააუქმებს იმ ლოცვებს, რომლებიც იერუსალიმის მიმართულებით სრულდებოდა]. ჭეშმარიტად, ალლაჰი ადამიანების მიმართ მოწყალე, შემწყალებელია!
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.7
Deutsch · German
Und so haben Wir euch zu einer Gemeinschaft der Mitte gemacht, auf dass ihr Zeugen über die (anderen) Menschen seiet und damit der Gesandte über euch Zeuge sei. Und Wir hatten die Gebetsrichtung, die du einhieltest, nur bestimmt, um zu wissen, wer dem Gesandten folgt und wer sich auf seinen Fersen umkehrt. Und es ist fürwahr schwer außer für diejenigen, die Allah rechtgeleitet hat. Und nimmer lässt Allah zu, dass euer Glaube verloren geht. Wahrlich, Allah ist zu den Menschen gnadenvoll, (und) barmherzig.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.15
Ελληνικά · Greek
Επίσης, σας κάναμε έναν λαό μετριοπαθή και δίκαιο, για να είστε μάρτυρες στους ανθρώπους (ότι οι Προφήτες τους τους μετέδωσαν το Θείο Μήνυμα) και να είναι ο Απόστολος (Μωχάμμαντ) μάρτυρας σ' εσάς (ότι σας μετέδωσε το Θείο Μήνυμα). Και δεν ορίσαμε την Κίμπλα (κατεύθυνση της προσευχής) όπου στρεφόσουν (ω, Μωχάμμαντ), παρά για να ξέρουμε (-αυτό που ήδη ξέρουμε-, δηλ. να εμφανιστεί σε σας και να διακρίνουμε με αυτή την αλλαγή της Κίμπλας) ποιος θα ακολουθούσε τον Αγγελιαφόρο και ποιος θα γύριζε την πλάτη του (στην πίστη) (και σ' αυτό βασίζεται η αμοιβή και η τιμωρία). Και στ’ αλήθεια, ήταν μεγάλο θέμα (στις ψυχές), αλλά όχι γι' αυτούς που καθοδήγησε ο Αλλάχ. Και ποτέ ο Αλλάχ δεν θα έκανε την πίστη σας άκαρπη (δηλ. δεν θα χάσετε τις αμοιβές των προηγούμενων προσευχών σας που ήταν προς την προηγούμενη Κίμπλα). Στ’ αλήθεια, ο Αλλάχ είναι για όλους τους ανθρώπους Πολυεπιεικής και Πολυεύσπλαχνος.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.2
हिन्दी · Hindi
और इसी प्रकार हमने तुम्हें सबसे बेहतर उम्मत (समुदाय) बनाया; ताकि तुम लोगों पर गवाही देने[72] वाले बनो और रसूल तुमपर गवाही देने वाला बने। और हमने वह क़िबला जिसपर तुम थे, इसलिए निर्धारित किया था, ताकि हम जान लें कि कौन (इस) रसूल का अनुसरण करता है, उससे (अलग करके) जो अपनी ऐड़ियों पर फिर जाता है। और निःसंदेह यह बात निश्चय बहुत बड़ी थी, परंतु उन लोगों पर (नहीं) जिन्हें अल्लाह ने हिदायत दी और अल्लाह कभी ऐसा नहीं कि तुम्हारा ईमान (अर्थात् क़िबला बदलने से पहले पढ़ी गई नमाज़ों) को व्यर्थ कर दे।[73] निःसंदेह अल्लाह लोगों पर अत्यंत करुणा करने वाला, अत्यंत दयावान् है।
Translated by Azizul Haq Al-Omari
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.1.5
Italiano · Italian
E così abbiamo fatto di voi un popolo di mezzo, così che possiate essere testimoni davanti ai popoli, e il Profeta sarà testimone per voi. E non abbiamo stabilito la direzione di preghiera che hai seguito solo perché vogliamo distinguere chi segue il Profeta da chi si sarebbe tirato indietro – ed era così gravoso, tranne per quelli che Allāh ha messo sulla retta via – e Allāh non voleva farvi perdere la vostra fede[15]: in verità Allāh è Benevolo e Misericordioso con gli uomini.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.2
Lietuvių · Lithuanian
143. Taigi Mes padarėme jus [tikrus musulmonus – teisingai tikinčius islamiškuoju monoteizmu, teisingus Pranašo Muchammedo ﷺ ir jo Sunnos (teisinių papročių) pasekėjus] teisinga (ir geriausia) tauta tam, kad jūs būtumėte liudytojai žmonijai, o Pasiuntinys (Muchammedas ﷺ) būtų liudytojas jums. Ir Mes padarėme Kiblą (maldos kryptį į Jeruzalės pusę), į kurią jūs gręždavotės, tam, kad atskirtume tuos, kurie sekė Pasiuntiniu (Muchammedu ﷺ), nuo tų, kurie nusisuks (t. y. nepaklus Pasiuntiniui). Iš tiesų tai buvo sunku, išskyrus tiems, kuriuos Allahas vedė teisingai. Ir Allahas niekada neleis jums prarasti tikėjimo (t. y. tų maldų, kurios buvo atliktos į Jeruzalės pusę). Iš tiesų, Allahas yra pilnas Geranoriškumo, Gailestingiausiasis žmonijai.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.8
Afaan Oromoo · Oromo
Akkuma kana (akkuma isin qajeelchinetti) filatamtuu ummataa isin taasifne, ilma namaa irratti (guyyaa qiyaamaa) ragaalee akka taataniifi, ergamtichis (muhammad s.a.w.) ragaa isin irratti ta’uuf jecha. Nuti qiblaa ati irra turtes nama ergamaa hordofuufi nama (amantii irraa) duubatti deebi’u eenyu akka ta’e beekuuf malee hin taasifne. Dhugumatti (jirjiiramni qiblaa) sun warra Rabbiin qajeelche irratti malee ulfaattuu turte. Rabbiin iimaana keessan kan balleessu hin taane. Rabbiin namootaaf mararfataa, rahmata godhaadha. [52]
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.0
Русский · Russian
Так Мы сделали вас срединной общиной, чтобы вы были свидетелями в отношении людей, а Посланник — свидетелем в отношении вас. И Мы сделали киблу, к которой ты обращался, лишь для того, чтобы выявить тех, кто последует за Посланником, [и отличить их] от обращающихся вспять. Это было тяжело, кроме как для тех, которых Аллах наставил на верный путь. Аллах не таков, чтобы дать пропасть вашей вере. Воистину, Аллах к людям — сострадательный, милующий.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.1
Српски · Serbian
И тако смо вас учинили умереном заједницом, како бисте сведочили о другим људима, и како би Посланик о вама сведочио. И Ми смо променили правац према којем си се током молитве окретао само да бисмо знали оне који следе Посланика у односу на оне који не верују, јер то је заиста било тешко свима, осим онима које је Аллах упутио на Прави пут. А Аллах неће да дозволи да пропадну ваше молитве. Аллах је, заиста, према људима милосрдан и милостив.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.4
Kiswahili · Swahili
Na vivyo hivyo tumewafanya muwe Umma wa wastani, ili muwe mashahidi juu ya watu, na Mtume awe shahidi juu yenu. Na hatukukifanya kibla ulichokuwa juu yake isipokuwa ili tupate kumjua yule anayemfuata Mtume, na yule anayegeuka akarejea kwa visigino vyake. Na kwa yakini, hilo lilikuwa jambo kubwa isipokuwa kwa wale aliowaongoa Mwenyezi Mungu. Na Mwenyezi Mungu hakuwa mwenye kuipoteza Imani yenu. Kwa hakika, Mwenyezi Mungu kwa watu ni Mpole, Mwenye kuwarehemu mno.
Issued by the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.5
Svenska · Swedish
Likaså har vi gjort er till ett rättvist och balanserat samfund, för att ni ska stå som vittnen mot människorna och för att sändebudet ska stå som vittne mot er. Vi gjorde endast [bytet av] böneriktningen som du brukade följa för att särskilja de som följer sändebudet från de som vänder honom ryggen. Detta var verkligen en svår prövning, förutom för dem som Gud vägledde. Gud skulle aldrig låta er trosutövning förgås. Gud är sannerligen förbarmande och barmhärtig mot människorna.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.2
Türkçe · Turkish
Böylece, sizler insanlara birer şahit olasınız ve Peygamber de size şahit olsun diye, sizi orta yollu bir ümmet kıldık. Her ne kadar Allah’ın doğru yolu gösterdiği kimselerden başkasına bu ağır gelse de biz, yönelmekte olduğun kıbleyi ancak; Peygamber’e uyanlarla, yüz çevirip geri dönenleri ayırt edelim diye kıble yaptık. Allah, imanınızı (namazınızı) boşa çıkaracak değildir. Şüphesiz Allah, insanlara karşı çok şefkatli ve çok merhametlidir.
Translated by the team of the Rowwad Translation Center, in cooperation with the Rabwah Dawah Association, the Islamic Content Service Association in Languages, and the IslamHouse.com website.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.0.4
اردو · Urdu
ہم نے اسی طرح تمہیں عادل امت بنایا ہے[1] تاکہ تم لوگوں پر گواه ہوجاؤ اور رسول (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) تم پر گواه ہوجائیں، جس قبلہ پر تم پہلے سے تھے اسے ہم نے صرف اس لئے مقرر کیا تھا کہ ہم جان لیں کہ رسول کا سچا تابعدار کون ہے اور کون ہے جو اپنی ایڑیوں کے بل پلٹ جاتا ہے[2] گو یہ کام مشکل ہے، مگر جنہیں اللہ نے ہدایت دی ہے (ان پر کوئی مشکل نہیں) اللہ تعالیٰ تمہارے ایمان ضائع نہ کرے گا[3] اللہ تعالیٰ لوگوں کے ساتھ شفقت اور مہربانی کرنے واﻻ ہے
Translated by Muhammad Ibrahim Junagarhi, developed under the supervision of the Rowwad Translation Center. The original translation is available for the purpose of expressing opinion, evaluation, and continuous development.
From QuranEnc.com, version 1.1.3
About these translations
5 cleared translations, newest first, by year of publication, so the modern English comes before the historical ones. That is an ordering by date, not a judgement. Each is shown complete — this platform never excerpts a translation — and each renders under its translator's name. No translation here is marked as the correct one.
Which translations appear here is set by copyright: they are the ones whose rights could be documented and cleared. The selection is not a judgement that these are the best.
About easy-read
Easy-read
Easy-read is a simplified pronunciation,
not authoritative — a rule-by-rule romanisation, not a reading.
Each verse ends in its pause form, as it is said when you stop there. Pauses inside a verse and other tajwid rules are not shown. It is derived from the Tanzil
Simple edition, while the Arabic above is the
Uthmani edition; both are cleared, but they are not the
same edition and their orthography differs.
Easy-read (simplified)tilka ummatun qad khalat lahaa maa kasabat walakum maa kasabtum walaa tus'aloona 'ammaa kaanoo ya'maloon
DIN 31635tilka ʾummatun qad ḫalat lahā mā kasabat walakum mā kasabtum walā tusʾalūna ʿammā kānū yaʿmalūna
Talal Itani2012 That was a community that has passed. To them is what they have earned, and to you is what you have earned. And you will not be questioned about what they used to do.
Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall1930 Those are a people who have passed away; theirs is that which they earned and yours that which ye earn. And ye will not be asked of what they used to do
Edward Henry Palmer1880 That is a nation that has passed away; theirs is what they gained, and yours shall be what ye have gained; ye shall not be questioned as to that which they have done
John Medows Rodwell1861 That people have now passed away: they have the reward of their deeds, and for you is the meed of yours; but of their doings ye shall not be questioned
George Sale1734 That people are passed away, they have what they have gained, and ye shall have what ye gain, nor shall ye be questioned concerning that which they have done
Easy-read (simplified)sayaqoolu s-sufahaa'u mina n-naasi maa wallaahum 'an qiblatihimu llatee kaanoo 'alayhaa qul lillaahi l-mashriqu wal-maghribu yahdee man yashaa'u ilaa siraatin mustaqeem
DIN 31635sayaqūlu s-sufahāʾu mina n-nāsi mā wallāhum ʿan qiblatihimu llatī kānū ʿalayhā qul lillāhi l-mašriqu wal-maġribu yahdī man yašāʾu ʾilā ṣirāṭin mustaqīmin
Talal Itani2012 The ignorant among the people will say, "What has turned them away from the direction of prayer they once followed?" Say, "To God belong the East and the West. He guides whom He wills to a straight path."
Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall1930 The foolish of the people will say: What hath turned them from the qiblah which they formerly observed? Say: Unto Allah belong the East and the West. He guideth whom He will unto a straight path
Edward Henry Palmer1880 The fools among men will say, 'What has turned them from their qiblah, on which they were agreed?' Say, 'God's is the east and the west, He guides whom He will unto the right path
John Medows Rodwell1861 The foolish ones will say, "What hath turned them from the kebla which they used?" SAY: The East and the West are God's. He guideth whom he will into the right path
George Sale1734 The foolish men will say, what hath turned them from their Keblah, towards which they formerly prayed? Say, unto God belongeth the east and the west: He directeth whom he pleaseth into the right way
Talal Itani2012 We have seen your face turned towards the heaven. So We will turn you towards a direction that will satisfy you. So turn your face towards the Sacred Mosque. And wherever you may be, turn your faces towards it. Those who were given the Book know that it is the Truth from their Lord; and God is not unaware of what they do.
Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall1930 We have seen the turning of thy face to heaven (for guidance, O Muhammad). And now verily We shall make thee turn (in prayer) toward a qiblah which is dear to thee. So turn thy face toward the Inviolable Place of Worship, and ye (O Muslims), wheresoever ye may be, turn your faces (when ye pray) toward it. Lo! Those who have received the Scripture know that (this revelation) is the Truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do
Edward Henry Palmer1880 We see thee often turn about thy face in the heavens, but we will surely turn thee to a qiblah thou shalt like. Turn then thy face towards the Sacred Mosque; wherever ye be, turn your faces towards it; for verily, those who have the Book know that it is the truth from their Lord;- God is not careless of that which ye do
John Medows Rodwell1861 We have seen thee turning thy face towards every part of Heaven; but we will have thee turn to a kebla which shall please thee. Turn then thy face towards the sacred Mosque, and wherever ye be, turn your faces towards that part. They, verily, to whom "the Book" hath been given, know this to be the truth from their Lord: and God is not regardless of what ye do
George Sale1734 We have seen thee turn about thy face towards heaven with uncertainty, but we will cause thee to turn thy self towards a Keblah that will please thee. Turn therefore thy face towards the holy temple of Mecca; and wherever ye be, turn your faces towards that place. They to whom the scripture hath been given, know this to be truth from their Lord. God is not regardless of that which ye do
Talal Itani2012 Even if you were to bring to those who were given the Book every proof, they would not follow your direction, nor are you to follow their direction, nor do they follow the direction of one another. And if you were to follow their desires, after the knowledge that has come to you, you would be in that case one of the wrongdoers.
Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall1930 And even if thou broughtest unto those who have received the Scripture all kinds of portents, they would not follow thy qiblah, nor canst thou be a follower of their qiblah; nor are some of them followers of the qiblah of others. And if thou shouldst follow their desires after the knowledge which hath come unto thee, then surely wert thou of the evil-doers
Edward Henry Palmer1880 And if thou shouldst bring to those who have been given the Book every sign, they would not follow your qiblah; and thou art not to follow their qiblah; nor do some of them follow the qiblah of the others: and if thou followest their lusts after the knowledge that has come to thee then art thou of the evildoers
John Medows Rodwell1861 Even though thou shouldest bring every kind of sign to those who have received the Scriptures, yet thy kebla they will not adopt; nor shalt thou adopt their kebla; nor will one part of them adopt the kebla of the other. And if, after the knowledge which hath come to thee, thou follow their wishes, verily then wilt thou become of the unrighteous
George Sale1734 Verily although thou shouldest shew unto those to whom the scripture hath been given, all kinds of signs, yet they will not follow thy Keblah, neither shalt thou follow their Keblah; nor will one part of them follow the Keblah of the other. And if thou follow their desires, after the knowledge which hath been given thee, verily thou wilt become one of the ungodly
These figures count the words the translations share. They measure wording, not meaning, and they do not say which translation is right.
Derived measure: mean pairwise Jaccard distance over the
lowercased word sets of the 5 renderings above —
0.59 on a scale
where 0 means identical wording and 1 means no shared words. It is
computed, not judged.
The page says a verse is worded differently only above the cut below. The cut is a stated convention, not a property of the text, and it can be changed.
The cut
0.644
Share of measured verses above it
33%
Verses above it
2,079
Verses measured
6,236
Talal Itani · George Sale0.73
Talal Itani · Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall0.67
Talal Itani · Edward Henry Palmer0.64
Talal Itani · John Medows Rodwell0.63
Edward Henry Palmer · George Sale0.59
Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · George Sale0.57
Edward Henry Palmer · Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall0.54
Edward Henry Palmer · John Medows Rodwell0.53
Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall · John Medows Rodwell0.51
John Medows Rodwell · George Sale0.46
One bar per pair of renderings, longest bar for the pair
sharing fewest words. Every pair is shown; none is singled out.
Method Wording differences — derived 13 September 2026
Method
Mean pairwise Jaccard distance over the lowercased word sets of the cleared translations of each verse. A verse is marked as worded differently when its score falls in the top third of the corpus — the cut set out in Analysis details.
As at
13 September 2026, 10:56 UTC
Gate
verify/divergence_gate.py re-derives and fails on drift
The platform does not say which is right, and does not
characterise what the difference means. The renderings are placed
together so the difference is visible; reading it is the reader's work.
7 sources
stand behind this page. Each is listed once, in the order the page first
cites it, with the licence it was cleared under and what was actually read.
Nothing on this page rests on a source that is not here.
Source Tanzil Qur'an text (Uthmani) · Uthmani, Version 1.1
Hafs/Kufan verse numbering, 6236 ayahs. The bismillah is delivered as a separate `bismillah` attribute on ayah 1 and is NOT fused into the ayah text. 112 surahs carry one: every surah except al-Fatiha, where the bismillah is ayah 1:1 itself, and at-Tawba, which has none. Sourced from the XML output; the plain-text output of the same release DOES fuse it, which is defect D1.
CLEARED. Licence read verbatim from the block embedded in this very file. Ingested exactly as shipped: no normalisation, no stripping of marks, no Unicode recomposition.
Parsed structurally from the EPUB: an h3 names the surah, one p per verse with its number in its own span. An unnumbered p is the basmala and is not a verse, except in surah 1 where the basmala IS verse 1. 112 unnumbered paragraphs were found, which is 114 surahs less surah 1 and surah 9. Text is stored VERBATIM: NFC normalisation and XML entity unescaping only, because CC BY-ND forbids modification.
CLEARED on a licence read first-hand from the translator's own download page, not from an aggregator. Tanzil also hosts this translation, but under a blanket "non-commercial purposes only" term that directs the user to the translator or publisher for permission - a hosting disclaimer, not a grant - so the grant was taken from the licensor directly. The "God" edition was ingested; ClearQuran also publishes an "Allah" edition, differing in how the divine name is rendered, which is not ingested.
CLEARED ON THE WORK, WITH TWO RECORDED CAVEATS ON THIS COPY. (1) Rights basis is the expired copyright term, NOT the redistributing repository's licence. That repository dedicates its contents to the public domain under the Unlicense while also redistributing plainly in-copyright translations (Abdel Haleem, Saheeh International, The Study Quran), so it is dedicating rights it cannot hold and its blanket grant is not relied upon here. (2) The file declares its own upstream as tanzil.net, and Tanzil attaches a non-commercial condition to its TRANSLATION distributions, though not to its Qur'anic text. Since Pickthall's copyright has expired, nobody holds rights in these words and no licence is required from anyone; Tanzil's terms are a contract binding those who download from Tanzil, which we did not. The chain is nonetheless not spotless and Anwar may prefer a clean digitisation of the 1930 printing. NOT VERIFIED: that this digital text matches the 1930 first printing rather than a later revised edition. No page images were collated. Recorded as unverified rather than presented as established. SERVED TEXT DIFFERS FROM THE CITED FILE AT ONE VERSE, 37:97: the file reads "red-hotfire" (a glued token, also in Gutenberg #16955); the served row reads "red-hot fire", restored 2026-09-13 from Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (London: George Allen & Unwin, printed for Alfred A. Knopf; 1930), p. 460, XXXVII 97 - scan archive.org in.ernet.dli.2015.216140, PDF page 475; banked data/derivation-sources/pickthall-1930-dli-2015.216140-text.pdf (sha256 70e81146c97fa3a590243a82e04e349108546074787e2551a78c616202138870) on Anwar Malik's grant.
Hafs/Kufan verse numbering, 6236 verses, keyed to mushaf order. The
bismillah is not fused into ayah 1: 1:1 carries it and no other verse
does. Verified against content check C3 at ingest.
CLEARED ON THE WORK. Term expired by every measure. The digital edition's upstream is not stated by the redistributor and the printing is unverified. No statement of purpose is recorded for Palmer because none was sourced from his own preface in this pass; nothing is asserted on his behalf.
Hafs/Kufan verse numbering, 6236 verses, keyed to mushaf order. The
bismillah is not fused into ayah 1: 1:1 carries it and no other verse
does. Verified against content check C3 at ingest.
CLEARED ON THE WORK. Term expired by every measure. TWO edition caveats. (1) The upstream is not stated by the redistributor. (2) Rodwell's own edition PRESENTS THE SURAHS IN HIS OWN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, not the mushaf order — he says so in his preface. This digital text is keyed to mushaf order, so it derives from a restored-order printing (such as the Everyman edition) rather than from Rodwell's own arrangement. Which printing is not stated and has not been established.
Hafs/Kufan verse numbering, 6236 verses, keyed to mushaf order. The
bismillah is not fused into ayah 1: 1:1 carries it and no other verse
does. Verified against content check C3 at ingest.
CLEARED ON THE WORK. Term expired by every measure. The digital edition's upstream is NOT STATED by the redistributor, so the printing it represents is unverified; Sale's text was reprinted and re-edited many times between 1734 and 1900. Recorded as unverified rather than assumed to be the first edition.
Hafs/Kufan verse numbering, 6236 ayahs. The bismillah is delivered as a separate `bismillah` attribute on ayah 1 and is NOT fused into the ayah text. 112 surahs carry one: every surah except al-Fatiha, where the bismillah is ayah 1:1 itself, and at-Tawba, which has none. Sourced from the XML output; the plain-text output of the same release DOES fuse it, which is defect D1.
CLEARED. Parallel edition, held in ayah_text_variants. It sits alongside the Uthmani spine for search normalisation and is never used to correct it.