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Popular and/or Featured Works
Muhammad Asad   
And, verily, thou canst not make the dead hear: and [so, too,] thou canst not make the deaf [of heart] hear this call when they turn their backs [on thee] and go away
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
So you ˹O Prophet˺ certainly cannot make the dead hear ˹the truth˺. Nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and walk away.
Safi Kaskas   
Truly, you cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and go away,

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Source Arabic and Literal tools
Arabic   
فَإِنَّكَ لَا تُسۡمِعُ ٱلۡمَوۡتَىٰ وَلَا تُسۡمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ ٱلدُّعَاۤءَ إِذَا وَلَّوۡا۟ مُدۡبِرِینَ ۝٥٢
Transliteration (2021)   
fa-innaka lā tus'miʿu l-mawtā walā tus'miʿu l-ṣuma l-duʿāa idhā wallaw mud'birīn
Word for Word
Dr. Shehnaz Shaikh, Ms. Kauser Katri, and more
  
So indeed, you (can) not make hear the dead and not make hear the dead the call when they turn, retreating.

Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad   
And, verily, thou canst not make the dead hear: and [so, too,] thou canst not make the deaf [of heart] hear this call when they turn their backs [on thee] and go away
M. M. Pickthall   
For verily thou (Muhammad) canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call when they have turned to flee
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)   
So verily thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs and turn away
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab   
So you ˹O Prophet˺ certainly cannot make the dead hear ˹the truth˺. Nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and walk away.
Safi Kaskas   
Truly, you cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and go away,
Wahiduddin Khan   
You [Prophet] cannot make the dead hear and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and leave
Shakir   
For surely you cannot, make the dead to hear and you cannot make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn back an
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar   
Then, truly, thou wilt not cause the dead to hear nor wilt thou cause the unwilling to hear, to hear the calling to them when they turned as ones who draw back.
T.B.Irving   
You cannot make the dead hear, nor even make the deaf hear the Appeal once they have turned their backs on it.
Abdul Hye   
So surely you (O Muhammad) can neither make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they (disbelievers) turn their backs and turn away,
The Study Quran   
Surely thou dost not make the dead to hear; nor dost thou make the deaf to hear the call when they turn their backs
Talal Itani & AI (2024)   
You can’t make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they’ve turned their backs and retreated.
Talal Itani (2012)   
You cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn away
Dr. Kamal Omar   
So verily, you do not make the dead ones listen, and you do not make the deaf hear the call, when they turned away showing (their) backs
M. Farook Malik   
O Prophet, you cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear your call especially when they have turned their backs and are running away
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali   
So surely you will not make the dead to hear, nor will you make the deaf to hear the call when they turn away, withdrawing
Muhammad Sarwar   
You cannot make the dead listen, nor the deaf hear. Thus, they, (the disbelievers), turn away on their heels
Muhammad Taqi Usmani   
So, you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear the call when they turn their backs in retreat
Shabbir Ahmed   
And verily, you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf of heart to hear the call when they turn their backs and go away
Dr. Munir Munshey   
Of course, you cannot make the dead hear you. Nor can you make the deaf hear your call, (particularly) when they turn their backs to avoid you
Syed Vickar Ahamed   
So surely, you cannot make the dead to hear, and (you) cannot make the deaf to hear, the Call (from Allah), when they show their backs and turn away
Umm Muhammad (Sahih International)   
So indeed, you will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs, retreating
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)   
You cannot make the dead listen, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they have turned their backs
Abdel Haleem   
You [Prophet] cannot make the dead hear and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and leave
Abdul Majid Daryabadi   
So verily thou canst not make the dead hear, nor canst thou make the deaf hear the call when they turn away in flight
Ahmed Ali   
You cannot make the dead to listen nor the deaf hear the call when they have turned back and retreated
Aisha Bewley   
You will not make dead men hear; you will not make deaf men hear the call, when they turn their backs in flight.
Ali Ünal   
Indeed you cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they have turned their backs, going away
Ali Quli Qara'i   
Indeed you cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs [upon you]
Hamid S. Aziz   
For surely you can not make the dead to hear and you can not make the deaf to hear the call when they have turned away (or their backs to flee)
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad   
And indeed, you cannot make the dead hear and you cannot make the deaf hear the call when they turn back going away.
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)   
So indeed you cannot make the dead to hear, nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs and turn away
Musharraf Hussain   
You can’t make the dead hear the call any more than you can the deaf, if they turn their backs to leave;
Maududi   
(O Prophet), you cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear your call when they turn back in retreat
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)   
You cannot make the dead listen, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they have turned their backs
Mohammad Shafi   
And you cannot indeed make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs and go away

Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)   
Therefore you make not the dead to hear nor you make the deaf to hear the call when they turn away showing their backs.
Rashad Khalifa   
You cannot make the dead, nor the deaf, hear the call, once they turn away.
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah   
You cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they retreat, turning about
Maulana Muhammad Ali   
So surely thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn back retreating
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira   
So that you do not make the deads hear/listen, and nor make the deaf hear/listen the call/prayer , if they turned away giving (their) backs
Bijan Moeinian   
[O’ Mohammad,] you can not deliver your message to a dead person, nor can you make the deaf to here your call. What can you co, if they turn away and show their back
Faridul Haque   
For you do not make the dead hear nor make the deaf hear the call when they flee, turning back. (The disbelievers are referred to as dead and deaf.
Sher Ali   
And thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they retreat turning their backs
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri   
(O Beloved!) Surely, you make neither the dead (i.e., the disbelievers deprived of the vitality of faith) hear your call nor the deaf (i.e., deprived of hearing the call of truth) whilst they are getting away (from you) turning their backs.
Amatul Rahman Omar   
And you cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they retreat turning their backs (on you)
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali   
So verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) cannot make the dead to hear (i.e. the disbelievers, etc.), nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs, turning away

Non-Muslim and/or Orientalist works
Arthur John Arberry   
Thou shalt not make the dead to hear, neither shalt thou make the deaf to hear the call when they turn about, retreating
George Sale   
Thou canst not make the dead to hear, neither canst thou make the deaf to hear thy call, when they retire and turn their backs
Edward Henry Palmer   
But, verily, thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn their backs and flee
John Medows Rodwell   
Thou canst not make the dead to hear, neither canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they withdraw and turn their backs
N J Dawood (2014)   
You surely cannot make the dead hear you, nor can you make the deaf hear your call if they turn their backs and pay no heed

New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame   
Truly you cannot make the dead hear nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they have turned their backs away.
Munir Mezyed   
So you can’t make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they go back, retreating,
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher   
For you cannot make the dead hear and cannot make the deaf hear when they turn away.
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation   
So surely yousg cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear the call when they turn away, fleeing.
Linda “iLHam” Barto   
Truly, you cannot make the dead to hear. You cannot make the unhearing to hear the call when they turn and retreat.
Irving & Mohamed Hegab   
You cannot make the dead hear, nor even make the deaf hear the Appeal once they have turned their backs on it.
Samy Mahdy   
So, you do not make the dead hear, nor make the deaf hear the call if they turned away in back retreat.
Sayyid Qutb   
Indeed you cannot make the dead hear; and you cannot make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and go away.
Thomas Cleary   
So in fact you cannot cause the dead to hear, nor can you cause the deaf to hear the call when they have turned their backs.
Ahmed Hulusi   
Indeed, you cannot make the dead (those who ignorantly think they will deteriorate and become non-existent) hear; nor can you make the deaf hear when they turn their backs (to the Truth) and go!
Sayyed Abbas Sadr-Ameli   
For verily you can not make the dead to listen nor can you make the deaf to hear the call, when they turn away backward
Al-muntakhab fi tafsir al-Qur‘an al-Karim   
And so, you just shall not be able O Muhammad to make your voice reach the spiritually dead nor shall you be able to make it reach the worthless who counsel deaf and do not open their hearts' ears when they turn their backs
Mir Aneesuddin   
So you certainly cannot make the dead to hear nor can you make the deaf to hear the call when they turn back retreating.

Obsolete and/or older editions
Yusuf Ali (Orig. 1938)   
So verily thou canst not make the dead to hear, nor canst thou make the deaf to hear the call, when they show their backs and turn away
OLD Literal Word for Word   
So indeed, you (can) not make the dead hear and not make the deaf hear the call when they turn, retreating
OLD Transliteration   
Fa-innaka la tusmiAAu almawta wala tusmiAAu alssumma aldduAAaa itha wallaw mudbireena