Skip to content
Quran Daily

At-Tawbah, ayah 109

Quran 9:109 — At-Tawbah · "Then is one who laid the foundation of…"

Verse 109 of 129 · Surah At-Tawbah (التوبة) — The Repentance. This is the 9th chapter of the Holy Quran, a Medinan surah. Located in Juz 11.

أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىٰ تَقْوَىٰ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٍ خَيْرٌ أَم مَّنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىٰ شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَانْهَارَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ

Afaman assasa bunyaa nahoo 'alaa taqwaa minal laahi wa ridwaanin khairun am man assasa bunyaanahoo 'alaa shafaa jurufin haarin fanhaara bihee fee Naari Jahannnam; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmaz zaalimeen

Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allah and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse, so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.

Translations of At-Tawbah 9:109

4 sourced translations of this verse. Different translators make different choices — reading multiple renderings deepens understanding.

Transliteration

Afaman assasa bunyaa nahoo 'alaa taqwaa minal laahi wa ridwaanin khairun am man assasa bunyaanahoo 'alaa shafaa jurufin haarin fanhaara bihee fee Naari Jahannnam; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmaz zaalimeen

Saheeh International
Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allah and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse, so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.

Modern standard English translation, published by Abul-Qasim.

Marmaduke Pickthall
Is he who founded his building upon duty to Allah and His good pleasure better; or he who founded his building on the brink of a crumbling, overhanging precipice so that it toppled with him into the fire of hell? Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.

1930 — first English translation of the Qur'an by a Muslim scholar.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali
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.

1934 — widely-cited classic English rendering with commentary tradition.

Kementerian Agama RI
Maka apakah orang-orang yang mendirikan mesjidnya di atas dasar takwa kepada Allah dan keridhaan-(Nya) itu yang baik, ataukah orang-orang yang mendirikan bangunannya di tepi jurang yang runtuh, lalu bangunannya itu jatuh bersama-sama dengan dia ke dalam neraka Jahannam. Dan Allah tidak memberikan petunjuk kepada orang-orang yang zalim.

Bahasa Indonesia, edition id.indonesian, supplied through Al-Quran Cloud.

Surrounding verses in Surah At-Tawbah

Frequently asked about At-Tawbah 9:109

What does Quran 9:109 say?

Then is one who laid the foundation of his building on righteousness [with fear] from Allah and [seeking] His approval better or one who laid the foundation of his building on the edge of a bank about to collapse, so it collapsed with him into the fire of Hell? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. This is verse 109 of Surah At-Tawbah (التوبة, "The Repentance"), a Medinan surah.

What is the Arabic text of Surah At-Tawbah verse 109?

The Arabic text: أَفَمَنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىٰ تَقْوَىٰ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانٍ خَيْرٌ أَم مَّنْ أَسَّسَ بُنْيَانَهُ عَلَىٰ شَفَا جُرُفٍ هَارٍ فَانْهَارَ بِهِ فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ — transliteration: Afaman assasa bunyaa nahoo 'alaa taqwaa minal laahi wa ridwaanin khairun am man assasa bunyaanahoo 'alaa shafaa jurufin haarin fanhaara bihee fee Naari Jahannnam; wallaahu laa yahdil qawmaz zaalimeen.

Which juz and page is Quran 9:109 in?

At-Tawbah 9:109 appears in Juz 11, on Mushaf page 204.

How many verses does Surah At-Tawbah have?

Surah At-Tawbah contains 129 verses (ayat) in total. It is the 9th surah of the Quran and was revealed in Medina.

About Surah At-Tawbah

Surah At-Tawbah (التوبة) — The Repentance — is the 9th chapter of the Holy Quran. It contains 129 verses (ayat) and was revealed in Medina, making it a Medinan surah in the traditional classification.

Read the full Surah At-Tawbah →