Surah Sad 38:26 — translation and meaning

ص · Verse 26 / 88 · Page 454

ۚ يَا دَاوُودُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَى فَيُضِلَّكَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا نَسُوا يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ

Word by Word

ۚ
يَا دَاوُودُ
yadawudu
O Dawood!
إِنَّا
inna
Indeed We
جَعَلْنَاكَ
ja'alnaka
[We] have made you
خَلِيفَةً
khalifatan
a vicegerent
فِي
fi
in
الْأَرْضِ
al-ardi
the earth
فَاحْكُم
fa-uh'kum
so judge
بَيْنَ
bayna
between
النَّاسِ
al-nasi
[the] men
بِالْحَقِّ
bil-haqi
in truth
وَلَا
wala
and (do) not
تَتَّبِعِ
tattabi'i
follow
الْهَوَى
al-hawa
the desire
فَيُضِلَّكَ
fayudillaka
for it will lead you stray
عَن
an
from
سَبِيلِ
sabili
(the) way
اللَّهِ
al-lahi
(of) Allah
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
الَّذِينَ
alladhina
those who
يَضِلُّونَ
yadilluna
go astray
عَن
an
from
سَبِيلِ
sabili
(the) way
اللَّهِ
al-lahi
(of) Allah
لَهُمْ
lahum
for them
عَذَابٌ
adhabun
(is) a punishment
شَدِيدٌ
shadidun
severe
بِمَا
bima
because
نَسُوا
nasu
they forgot
يَوْمَ
yawma
(the) Day
الْحِسَابِ
al-hisabi
(of) Account

Transliteration

Yaa Daawoodu innaa ja'alnaaka khaleefatan fil ardi fahkum bainan naasi bilhaqqi wa laa tattabi'il hawaa fayudillaka 'an sabeelil laah; innal lazeena yadilloona 'an sabeelil laah; lahum 'azaabun shadeedum bimaa nasoo Yawmal Hisaab

Translation

[We said], "O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the way of Allah." Indeed, those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Account.

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

O David, I made you a deputy on earth to execute worldly and religious rulings and judgments, so judge between people with justice. And do not follow desires in your judgement between people, by inclining towards one of the disputants due to relationship or friendship, or by turning away from him due to enmity, whereby desires will misguide you from Allah’s straight path. Those who go astray from Allah’s straight path will have a severe punishment due to their forgetting the day of reckoning, because if they were to remember it and fear it they would not incline to their desires.

Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

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