Quran Ayah al-Qalam (The Pen) 68:31 - 70+ Translation Comparison

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Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
[In the end] they said: "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we did behave outrageously
Arthur John Arberry   
They said, 'Woe, alas for us! Truly, we were insolent
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
They said: "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
قَالُوا۟ یَـٰوَیۡلَنَاۤ إِنَّا كُنَّا طَـٰغِینَ ۝٣١
Transliteration (2021)   
qālū yāwaylanā innā kunnā ṭāghīn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more   
They said, "O woe to us! Indeed, we [we] were transgressors.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
[In the end] they said: "Oh, woe unto us! Verily, we did behave outrageously
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
They said: "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed
M. M. Pickthall   
They said: Alas for us! In truth we were outrageous
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
They said, “Woe to us! We have certainly been transgressors.
Wahiduddin Khan   
They said, Alas for us, our behaviour was beyond the pale
Safi Kaskas   
They said, "How terrible for us; we were aggressors.
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
They said: O woe be to us! Truly, we had been ones who are defiant.
T.B.Irving   
they said: "It´s too bad for us; we have been so arrogant.
Shakir   
Said they: O woe to us! surely we were inordinate
Abdul Hye   
(Later) they said: “Woe to us! Surely, we had become transgressors.
Saeed Malik   
They said, "O our woe. We were unrestrained usurpers.
The Study Quran   
saying, “Oh, woe unto us! Truly we were rebellious
Talal Itani & AI (2025)   
They said, "Woe to us. We were transgressors."
Talal Itani (2012)   
They said, 'Woe to us—we were indeed domineering
M. Farook Malik   
Finally they said: "Woe to us! Surely we had become rebellious
Dr. Kamal Omar   
They said: “Oh, woe to us! Surely we, we (ourselves) had been disobedient arrogants
Dr. Munir Munshey   
They said, "Indeed, we had certainly acted arrogantly."
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
They said: "Woe be unto us! We have indeed exceeded our limits
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
They said, "O woe to us; indeed we were transgressors
Muhammad Sarwar   
They said, "Woe to us. We have been arrogant
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
(and at last,) they said, .Woe to us! In fact, we (all) were outrageous
Shabbir Ahmed   
They said, "Oh, woe unto us! We were trespassers of goodness."
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
They said, "O woe to us! Surely we were inordinate
Hamid S. Aziz   
Said they, "O woe to us! Surely we were outrageous transgressors
Abdel Haleem   
They said, ‘Alas for us! We have done terrible wrong
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
They said: woe Unto us! verily we! we have been arrogant
Ahmed Ali   
Saying: "Alas the woe, we were iniquitous
Aisha Bewley   
They said, ´Woe to us! We were indeed inordinate.
Ali Ünal   
They said: "Oh, woe to us! We were habituated to arrogance and rebellion
Ali Quli Qara'i   
They said, ‘Woe to us! Indeed we have been rebellious
[The Monotheist Group] (2017 Edition)   
They said: "Woe to us. We sinned."
Musharraf Hussain   
They cried, “Woe to us! We were shamelessly disobedient,
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
They said, “Unfortunately for us, we have indeed transgressed
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
They said: “Woe to us, indeed we were rebellious,
Maududi   
They said: "Woe to us! We had indeed transgressed
Mohammad Shafi   
They said, "Alas for us, we did indeed transgress!"

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
They said, 'Ah! Woe to us, undoubtedly, we were contumacious.
Rashad Khalifa   
They said, "Woe to us. We sinned.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
They said 'Woe to us, truly we were insolent!
Faridul Haque   
They said, “Woe to us - we were indeed rebellious.”
Bijan Moeinian   
They said: Shame and pity on us as we sinned.”
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
Said they: O woe to us! Surely we were inordinate -
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
They said: "Oh, our calamity , we (E), we were tyrannizing/arrogant ."
Sher Ali   
They said, `Woe to us ! We were indeed, rebellious
Edip Yuksel   
They said, "Woe to us. We sinned."
Amatul Rahman Omar   
They said, `O Woe to us! we have been, indeed, transgressors
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
They said: ‘Woe to us! No doubt it is we who were disobedient and rebellious
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
They said: "Woe to us! Verily, we were Taghoon (transgressors and disobedient, etc.

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
N J Dawood (2014)   
Woe betide us!‘ they said. ‘We have been great transgressors
Arthur John Arberry   
They said, 'Woe, alas for us! Truly, we were insolent
Edward Henry Palmer   
Said they, 'O woe to us! verily, we have been outrageous
George Sale   
and they said, woe be unto us! Verily we have been transgressors
John Medows Rodwell   
They said, "Oh woe to us! we have indeed transgressed

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Shuaib Abdullahi   
they said (Qaalu'), "O (Yaa) woe to us (Wai'la-naa); indeed (Innaa), we were (Kunnaa) transgressors (Toagiin).
Fode Drame   
They said, “Woe unto us. We indeed were transgressors.
Munir Mezyed   
They said: "Woe betide us! Surely we were transgressors:
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
They said: woe to us, we did wrong.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
They said, “O woe to us! We have indeed sinned.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
They said, “Woe to us; indeed, we have exceeded all limits.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
they said: "It's too bad for us; we have been so arrogant.
Samy Mahdy   
They said, "O woe to us; surely we were tyrants.
Ali Quli Qarai   
They said, ‘Woe to us! Indeed, we have been rebellious.
Ahmed Hulusi   
They said, “Woe to us! Indeed, we have been insolent!”
Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri   
They said: "Woe to us! Verily, we were Taghin."
A. S. Mohamed   
They said, "Woe to us! Indeed, we have been transgressors.
Mir Aneesuddin   
They said, “Sorrowful is our state, we were rebellious,
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
"How denunciated shall we be" they said. "We went beyond the limits prescribed by Allah and offended against the poor and it serves us right"
The Wise Quran Project   
They said, 'O woe to us! Indeed, we were immoderate.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
They said: "Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
They said: "Woe to us. We sinned."
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
They said: "Woe to us. We sinned."
OLD Literal Word for Word   
They said, "O woe to us! Indeed, we [we] were transgressors
OLD Transliteration   
Qaloo ya waylana inna kunna tagheena