Surah Al-Qaşaş (The Stories) in English

1. ولما توجه تلقاء مدين قال عسى ربي أن يهديني سواء السبيل

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   And when he turned his face toward Midian, he said, ‘Maybe my Lord will show me the right way.’

   wa-lammā tawajjaha tilqāʾa madyana qāla ʿasā rabbī ʾan yahdiyanī sawāʾa s-sabīli

2. ولما ورد ماء مدين وجد عليه أمة من الناس يسقون ووجد من دونهم امرأتين تذودان قال ما خطبكما قالتا لا نسقي حتى يصدر الرعاء وأبونا شيخ كبير

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   When he arrived at the well of Midian, he found there a throng of people watering [their flocks], and he found, besides them, two women holding back [their flock]. He said, ‘What is your business?’ They said, ‘We do not water [our flock] until the shepherds have driven out [their flocks], and our father is an aged man.’

   wa-lammā warada māʾa madyana wajada ʿalayhi ʾummatan mina n-nāsi yasqūna wa-wajada min dūnihimu mraʾatayni tadhūdāni qāla mā khaṭbukumā qālatā lā nasqī ḥattā yuṣdira r-riʿāʾu wa-ʾabūnā shaykhun kabīrun

3. فسقى لهما ثم تولى إلى الظل فقال رب إني لما أنزلت إلي من خير فقير

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   So he watered [their flock] for them. Then he withdrew toward the shade and said, ‘My Lord! I am indeed in need of any good You may send down to me!’

   fa-saqā lahumā thumma tawallā ʾilā ẓ-ẓilli fa-qāla rabbi ʾinnī li-mā ʾanzalta ʾilayya min khayrin faqīrun

4. فجاءته إحداهما تمشي على استحياء قالت إن أبي يدعوك ليجزيك أجر ما سقيت لنا فلما جاءه وقص عليه القصص قال لا تخف نجوت من القوم الظالمين

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   Then one of the two women approached him, walking bashfully. She said, ‘Indeed my father invites you to pay you the wages for watering [our flock] for us.’ So when he came to him and recounted the story to him, he said, ‘Do not be afraid. You have been delivered from the wrongdoing lot.’

   fa-jāʾathu ʾiḥdāhumā tamshī ʿalā stiḥyāʾin qālat ʾinna ʾabī yadʿūka li-yajziyaka ʾajra mā saqayta lanā fa-lammā jāʾahū wa-qaṣṣa ʿalayhi l-qaṣaṣa qāla lā takhaf najawta mina l-qawmi ẓ-ẓālimīna

5. قالت إحداهما يا أبت استأجره إن خير من استأجرت القوي الأمين

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   One of the two women said, ‘Father, hire him. Indeed the best you can hire is a powerful and trustworthy man.’

   qālat ʾiḥdāhumā yā-ʾabati staʾjirhu ʾinna khayra mani staʾjarta l-qawiyyu l-ʾamīnu

6. قال إني أريد أن أنكحك إحدى ابنتي هاتين على أن تأجرني ثماني حجج فإن أتممت عشرا فمن عندك وما أريد أن أشق عليك ستجدني إن شاء الله من الصالحين

   27

   He said, ‘Indeed I desire to marry you to one of these two daughters of mine, on condition that you hire yourself to me for eight years. And if you complete ten, that will be up to you, and I do not want to be hard on you. God willing, you will find me to a righteous person.’

   qāla ʾinnī ʾurīdu ʾan ʾunkiḥaka ʾiḥdā bnatayya hātayni ʿalā ʾan taʾjuranī thamāniya ḥijajin fa-ʾin ʾatmamta ʿashran fa-min ʿindika wa-mā ʾurīdu ʾan ʾashuqqa ʿalayka sa-tajidunī ʾin shāʾa llāhu mina ṣ-ṣāliḥīna

7. قال ذلك بيني وبينك أيما الأجلين قضيت فلا عدوان علي والله على ما نقول وكيل

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   He said, ‘This will be [by consent] between you and me. Whichever of the two terms I complete, there shall be no imposition upon me, and Allah is witness over what we say.’

   qāla dhālika baynī wa-baynaka ʾayyamā l-ʾajalayni qaḍaytu fa-lā ʿudwāna ʿalayya wa-llāhu ʿalā mā naqūlu wakīlun