Popular Translations
Muhammad Asad
Which. then, is the better: he who has founded his building on God-consciousness and [a desire for] His goodly acceptance-or he who has founded his building on the edge of a water-worn, crumbling river-bank, so that it [is bound to] tumble down with him into the fire of hell? For, God does not grace with His guidance people who [deliberately] do wrong
Arthur John Arberry
Why, is he better who founded his building upon the fear of God and His good pleasure, or he who founded his building upon the brink of a crumbling bank that has tumbled with him into the fire of Gehenna? And God guides not the people of the evildoers
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
Which then is best? - he that layeth his foundation on piety to Allah and His good pleasure? - or he that layeth his foundation on an undermined sand-cliff ready to crumble to pieces? and it doth crumble to pieces with him, into the fire of Hell. And Allah guideth not people that do wrong
Arabic
أَفَمَنۡ أَسَّسَ بُنۡیَـٰنَهُۥ عَلَىٰ تَقۡوَىٰ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضۡوَ ٰنٍ خَیۡرٌ أَم مَّنۡ أَسَّسَ بُنۡیَـٰنَهُۥ عَلَىٰ شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارࣲ فَٱنۡهَارَ بِهِۦ فِی نَارِ جَهَنَّمَۗ وَٱللَّهُ لَا یَهۡدِی ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِینَ ١٠٩
Transliteration (2021)
afaman assasa bun'yānahu ʿalā taqwā mina l-lahi wariḍ'wānin khayrun am man assasa bun'yānahu ʿalā shafā jurufin hārin fa-in'hāra bihi fī nāri jahannama wal-lahu lā yahdī l-qawma l-ẓālimīn