Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) in English

1. فلما فصل طالوت بالجنود قال إن الله مبتليكم بنهر فمن شرب منه فليس مني ومن لم يطعمه فإنه مني إلا من اغترف غرفة بيده فشربوا منه إلا قليلا منهم فلما جاوزه هو والذين آمنوا معه قالوا لا طاقة لنا اليوم بجالوت وجنوده قال الذين يظنون أنهم ملاقو الله كم من فئة قليلة غلبت فئة كثيرة بإذن الله والله مع الصابرين

   249

   As Saul set out with the troops, he said, ‘Allah will test you with a stream: anyone who drinks from it will not belong to me, but those who do not drink from it will belong to me, barring someone who draws a scoop with his hand.’ But they drank from it, [all] except a few of them. So when he crossed it along with the faithful who were with him, they said, ‘We have no strength today against Goliath and his troops.’ Those who were certain that they would encounter Allah said, ‘How many a small party has overcome a larger party by Allah’s will! And Allah is with the patient.’

   fa-lammā faṣala ṭālūtu bi-l-junūdi qāla ʾinna llāha mubtalīkum bi-naharin fa-man shariba minhu fa-laysa minnī wa-man lam yaṭʿamhu fa-ʾinnahū minnī ʾillā mani ghtarafa ghurfatan bi-yadihī fa-sharibū minhu ʾillā qalīlan minhum fa-lammā jāwazahū huwa wa-lladhīna ʾāmanū maʿahū qālū lā ṭāqata lanā l-yawma bi-jālūta wa-junūdihī qāla lladhīna yaẓunnūna ʾannahum mulāqū llāhi kam min fiʾatin qalīlatin ghalabat fiʾatan kathīratan bi-ʾidhni llāhi wa-llāhu maʿa ṣ-ṣābirīna

2. ولما برزوا لجالوت وجنوده قالوا ربنا أفرغ علينا صبرا وثبت أقدامنا وانصرنا على القوم الكافرين

   250

   So when they marched out for [encounter with] Goliath and his troops, they said, ‘Our Lord, pour patience upon us, make our feet steady, and assist us against the faithless lot.’

   wa-lammā barazū li-jālūta wa-junūdihī qālū rabbanā ʾafrigh ʿalaynā ṣabran wa-thabbit ʾaqdāmanā wa-nṣurnā ʿalā l-qawmi l-kāfirīna

3. فهزموهم بإذن الله وقتل داوود جالوت وآتاه الله الملك والحكمة وعلمه مما يشاء ولولا دفع الله الناس بعضهم ببعض لفسدت الأرض ولكن الله ذو فضل على العالمين

   251

   Thus they routed them with Allah’s will, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him kingdom and wisdom and taught him whatever He liked. Were it not for Allah’s repelling the people by means of one another, the earth would surely have been corrupted; but Allah is gracious to the world’s people.

   fa-hazamūhum bi-ʾidhni llāhi wa-qatala dāwūdu jālūta wa-ʾātāhu llāhu l-mulka wa-l-ḥikmata wa-ʿallamahū mimmā yashāʾu wa-law-lā dafʿu llāhi n-nāsa baʿḍahum bi-baʿḍin la-fasadati l-ʾarḍu wa-lākinna llāha dhū faḍlin ʿalā l-ʿālamīna

4. تلك آيات الله نتلوها عليك بالحق وإنك لمن المرسلين

   252

   These are the signs of Allah, which We recite for you in truth, and you are indeed one of the apostles.

   tilka ʾāyātu llāhi natlūhā ʿalayka bi-l-ḥaqqi wa-ʾinnaka la-mina l-mursalīna