Skip to main content

وَاِذْ قَالَتْ اُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُوْنَ قَوْمًاۙ ۨاللّٰهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ اَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيْدًاۗ قَالُوْا مَعْذِرَةً اِلٰى رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُوْنَ  ( الأعراف: ١٦٤ )

wa-idh
وَإِذْ
And when
qālat
قَالَتْ
said
ummatun
أُمَّةٌ
a community
min'hum
مِّنْهُمْ
among them
lima
لِمَ
"Why
taʿiẓūna
تَعِظُونَ
(do) you preach
qawman
قَوْمًاۙ
a people
l-lahu
ٱللَّهُ
(whom) Allah
muh'likuhum
مُهْلِكُهُمْ
(is going to) destroy them
aw
أَوْ
or
muʿadhibuhum
مُعَذِّبُهُمْ
punish them
ʿadhāban
عَذَابًا
(with) a punishment
shadīdan
شَدِيدًاۖ
severe?"
qālū
قَالُوا۟
They said
maʿdhiratan
مَعْذِرَةً
"To be absolved
ilā
إِلَىٰ
before
rabbikum
رَبِّكُمْ
your Lord
walaʿallahum
وَلَعَلَّهُمْ
and that they may
yattaqūna
يَتَّقُونَ
become righteous"

Wa iz qaalat ummatum minhum lima ta'izoona qaw manil laahu muhlikuhum aw mu'azzibuhum 'azaaban shadeedan qaaloo ma'ziratan ilaa Rabbikum wa la'allahum tattaqoon (al-ʾAʿrāf 7:164)

Sahih International:

And when a community among them said, "Why do you advise [or warn] a people whom Allah is [about] to destroy or to punish with a severe punishment?" they [the advisors] said, "To be absolved before your Lord and perhaps they may fear Him." (Al-A'raf [7] : 164)

1 Mufti Taqi Usmani

When a group of them said, “Why do you exhort a people whom Allah is going to destroy or chastise with a severe punishment?” They said, “To absolve ourselves before your Lord, and in order that they may fear Allah.”