Surah Al-Baqarah (البقرة) • The Cow

Quran 2:177

2:177

۞ لَّيْسَ ٱلْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ ٱلْمَشْرِقِ وَٱلْمَغْرِبِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱلْبِرَّ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَءَاتَى ٱلْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ ذَوِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينَ وَٱبْنَ ٱلسَّبِيلِ وَٱلسَّآئِلِينَ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱلْمُوفُونَ بِعَهْدِهِمْ إِذَا عَـٰهَدُوا۟ ۖ وَٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ فِى ٱلْبَأْسَآءِ وَٱلضَّرَّآءِ وَحِينَ ٱلْبَأْسِ ۗ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا۟ ۖ وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ

laysa l-bira an tuwallū wujūhakum qibala l-mashriqi wal-maghribi walākinna l-bira man āmana bil-lahi wal-yawmi l-ākhiri wal-malāikati wal-kitābi wal-nabiyīna waātā l-māla ʿalā ḥubbihi dhawī l-qur'bā wal-yatāmā wal-masākīna wa-ib'na l-sabīli wal-sāilīna wafī l-riqābi wa-aqāma l-ṣalata waātā l-zakata wal-mūfūna biʿahdihim idhā ʿāhadū wal-ṣābirīna fī l-basāi wal-ḍarāi waḥīna l-basi ulāika alladhīna ṣadaqū wa-ulāika humu l-mutaqūna

Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allāh, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves; [and who] establishes prayer and gives zakāh; [those who] fulfill their promise when they promise; and [those who] are patient in poverty and hardship and during battle. Those are the ones who have been true, and it is those who are the righteous.

— Saheeh International

Goodness does not consist in turning your face towards East or West. The truly good are those who believe in God and the Last Day, in the angels, the Scripture, and the prophets; who give away some of their wealth, however much they cherish it, to their relatives, to orphans, the needy, travellers and beggars, and to liberate those in bondage; those who keep up the prayer and pay the prescribed alms; who keep pledges whenever they make them; who are steadfast in misfortune, adversity, and times of danger. These are the ones who are true, and it is they who are aware of God.

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

It is not Al-Birr (piety, righteousness, and each and every act of obedience to Allâh, etc.) that you turn your faces towards east and (or) west (in prayers); but Al-Birr is (the quality of) the one who believes in Allâh, the Last Day, the Angels, the Book, the Prophets and gives his wealth, in spite of love for it, to the kinsfolk, to the orphans, and to Al-Masâkîn (the poor), and to the wayfarer, and to those who ask, and to set slaves free, performs As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât ), and gives the Zakât, and who fulfil their covenant when they make it, and who are patient in extreme poverty and ailment (disease) and at the time of fighting (during the battles). Such are the people of the truth and they are Al-Muttaqûn (the pious - See V.2:2).

— Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali

Juz 2Page 27medinan

Word by Word

۞ لَّيْسَlaysaIt is not
ٱلْبِرَّl-bira[the] righteousness
أَنanthat
تُوَلُّوا۟tuwallūyou turn
وُجُوهَكُمْwujūhakumyour faces
قِبَلَqibalatowards
ٱلْمَشْرِقِl-mashriqithe east
وَٱلْمَغْرِبِwal-maghribiand the west
وَلَـٰكِنَّwalākinna[and] but
ٱلْبِرَّl-birathe righteous[ness]
مَنْman(is he) who
ءَامَنَāmanabelieves
بِٱللَّهِbil-lahiin Allah
وَٱلْيَوْمِwal-yawmiand the Day
ٱلْـَٔاخِرِl-ākhiri[the] Last
وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِwal-malāikatiand the Angels
وَٱلْكِتَـٰبِwal-kitābiand the Book
وَٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَwal-nabiyīnaand the Prophets
وَءَاتَىwaātāand gives
ٱلْمَالَl-mālathe wealth
عَلَىٰʿalāin
حُبِّهِۦḥubbihispite of his love (for it)
ذَوِىdhawī(to) those
ٱلْقُرْبَىٰl-qur'bā(of) the near relatives
وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰwal-yatāmāand the orphans
وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينَwal-masākīnaand the needy
وَٱبْنَwa-ib'naand (of)
ٱلسَّبِيلِl-sabīlithe wayfarer
وَٱلسَّآئِلِينَwal-sāilīnaand those who ask
وَفِىwafīand in
ٱلرِّقَابِl-riqābifreeing the necks (slaves)
وَأَقَامَwa-aqāmaand (who) establish
ٱلصَّلَوٰةَl-ṣalatathe prayer
وَءَاتَىwaātāand give
ٱلزَّكَوٰةَl-zakatathe zakah
وَٱلْمُوفُونَwal-mūfūnaand those who fulfill
بِعَهْدِهِمْbiʿahdihimtheir covenant
إِذَاidhāwhen
عَـٰهَدُوا۟ۖʿāhadūthey make it
وَٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَwal-ṣābirīnaand those who are patient
فِىfīin
ٱلْبَأْسَآءِl-basāi[the] suffering
وَٱلضَّرَّآءِwal-ḍarāiand [the] hardship
وَحِينَwaḥīnaand (the) time
ٱلْبَأْسِۗl-basi(of) [the] stress
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَulāikaThose
ٱلَّذِينَalladhīna(are) the ones who
صَدَقُوا۟ۖṣadaqūare true
وَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَwa-ulāikaand those
هُمُhumu[they]
ٱلْمُتَّقُونَl-mutaqūna(are) the righteous