وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ لِيُهْلِكَ الْقُرَىٰ بِظُلْمٍ وَأَهْلُهَا مُصْلِحُونَ
Und dein Herr hätte die Städte nimmer zu Unrecht vernichtet, während ihre Bewohner Heilstifter waren.
Und dein Herr hätte unmöglich Städte zu Unrecht dem Verderben preisgegeben, während ihre Bewohner Besserung zeigten.
Your Lord would not surely destroy unjustly human habitations so long as the people are righteous.
And it has never been the way of your Lord to destroy the townships unjustly while their people were righteous, dedicated to continuous self-reform and setting things right in the society.
And your Lord is not the One Who would destroy the townships unjustly (simply for their disbelief) while the inhabitants thereof (live in peace and) set things right.
For, never would thy Sustainer destroy a community 148 for wrong [beliefs alone] so long as its people behave righteously [towards one another]. 149
And thy Lord is not one to destroy cities wrongously while the inhabitants thereof are rectifiers.
And your Lord is not such as to destroy townships without reason, while their people are righteous.
If only there had been, among the generations before you, men endowed with a remnant of virtue (balance, sobriety, righteousness, good sense) forbidding (warning, preventing) men from corruption in the earth, as did the few whom We saved from them. But the evildoers followed that by which they made (or were made) sapless (they enjoyed, drained and became drained), and were guilty.
And your Lord was not to destroy the villages/urban cities with injustice/oppression and its people (are) correcting/repairing .
It is not possible that your Rabb would destroy the towns unjustly while their habitants were to mend their ways.
Why were there not then among the generations before you those possessing understanding, forbidding mischief in the earth, except a few among them whom We delivered? And the unjust pursued the enjoyment of plenty, and they were guilty.
Your Lord would not have destroyed those people (of the towns) for their injustice if they had tried to reform themselves.
In truth thy Lord destroyed not the townships tyrannously while their folk were doing right.
And it did not beseem your Lord to have destroyed the towns tyrannously, while their people acted well.
. And your Lord would never destroy the towns wrongfully, while their people were right-doers.
Nor would thy Lord be the One to destroy communities for a single wrong-doing, if its members were likely to mend.