مَرْيَم : ٧٣

  • وَإِذَا And when
  • تُتۡلَىٰ are recited
  • عَلَيۡهِمۡ to them
  • ءَايَٰتُنَا Our Verses
  • بَيِّنَٰتٖ clear
  • قَالَ say
  • ٱلَّذِينَ those who
  • كَفَرُواْ disbelieved
  • لِلَّذِينَ to those who
  • ءَامَنُوٓاْ believed
  • أَيُّ Which
  • ٱلۡفَرِيقَيۡنِ (of) the two groups
  • خَيۡرٞ (is) better
  • مَّقَامٗا (in) position
  • وَأَحۡسَنُ and best
  • نَدِيّٗا (in) assembly
And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, those who disbelieve say to those who believe, "Which of [our] two parties is best in position and best in association?"1
Footnotes
1 In regard to worldly interests.
And when Our manifest, evident (bayyinaatin, 'manifest', is a circumstantial qualifier) signs, in Al-Qur'an, are recited to them, namely, [to] the believers and the disbelievers, those who disbelieve say to those who believe, 'Which of the two parties - us or you - is better in station, in lodging and abode (read as maqaaman, it is [derived] from [the first form] qaama, 'he stood'; read as muqaaman, it is [derived] from the [fourth form] aqaama, 'he took up residence') and more excellent in assembly?' (nadiyyan, meaning the place in which a folk assemble and converse). They [the disbelievers] mean 'we [are the better of the two parties]', and so we will fare better than you. God, exalted be He, says: