Surah Al-Qasas (القصص) • The Stories

Quran 28:23

28:23

وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَآءَ مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ ٱمْرَأَتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ ۖ قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا ۖ قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِى حَتَّىٰ يُصْدِرَ ٱلرِّعَآءُ ۖ وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ

walammā warada māa madyana wajada ʿalayhi ummatan mina l-nāsi yasqūna wawajada min dūnihimu im'ra-atayni tadhūdāni qāla mā khaṭbukumā qālatā lā nasqī ḥattā yuṣ'dira l-riʿāu wa-abūnā shaykhun kabīrun

And when he came to the water [i.e., well] of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women holding back [their flocks]. He said, "What is your circumstance?" They said, "We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man."

— Saheeh International

When he arrived at Midian’s waters, he found a group of men watering [their flocks], and beside them two women keeping their flocks back, so he said, ‘What is the matter with you two?’ They said, ‘We cannot water [our flocks] until the shepherds take their sheep away: our father is a very old man.’

— M. A. S. Abdel Haleem

And when he arrived at the water (a well) of Madyan (Midian) he found there a group of men watering (their flocks), and besides them he found two women who were keeping back (their flocks). He said: "What is the matter with you?" They said: "We cannot water (our flocks) until the shepherds take (their flocks). And our father is a very old man."

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

Juz 20Page 388meccan

Word by Word

وَلَمَّاwalammāAnd when
وَرَدَwaradahe came
مَآءَmāa(to the) water
مَدْيَنَmadyana(of) Madyan
وَجَدَwajadahe found
عَلَيْهِʿalayhion it
أُمَّةًۭummatana group
مِّنَminaof
ٱلنَّاسِl-nāsimen
يَسْقُونَyasqūnawatering
وَوَجَدَwawajadaand he found
مِنminbesides them
دُونِهِمُdūnihimubesides them
ٱمْرَأَتَيْنِim'ra-ataynitwo women
تَذُودَانِۖtadhūdānikeeping back
قَالَqālaHe said
مَاmāWhat
خَطْبُكُمَاۖkhaṭbukumā(is the) matter with both of you
قَالَتَاqālatāThey said
لَاlāWe cannot water
نَسْقِىnasqīWe cannot water
حَتَّىٰḥattāuntil
يُصْدِرَyuṣ'diratake away
ٱلرِّعَآءُۖl-riʿāuthe shepherds
وَأَبُونَاwa-abūnāand our father
شَيْخٌۭshaykhun(is) a very old man
كَبِيرٌۭkabīrun(is) a very old man