Verse 7:168 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

164 وَإِذۡ قَالَتۡ أُمَّةࣱ مِّنۡهُمۡ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوۡمًا ٱللَّهُ مُهۡلِكُهُمۡ أَوۡ مُعَذِّبُهُمۡ عَذَابࣰا شَدِیدࣰاۖ قَالُوا۟ مَعۡذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمۡ وَلَعَلَّهُمۡ یَتَّقُونَ ۝١٦٤ wa-idh qālat ummatun min'hum lima taʿiẓūna qawman l-lahu muh'likuhum aw muʿadhibuhum ʿadhāban shadīdan qālū maʿdhiratan ilā rabbikum walaʿallahum yattaqūn how, when some of them asked [their preachers], ‘Why do you bother preaching to people God will destroy, or at least punish severely?’ [the preachers] answered, ‘In order to be free from your Lord’s blame, and so that they may perhaps take heed.’ 165 فَلَمَّا نَسُوا۟ مَا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهِۦۤ أَنجَیۡنَا ٱلَّذِینَ یَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلسُّوۤءِ وَأَخَذۡنَا ٱلَّذِینَ ظَلَمُوا۟ بِعَذَابِۭ بَءِیسِۭ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ یَفۡسُقُونَ ۝١٦٥ falammā nasū mā dhukkirū bihi anjaynā alladhīna yanhawna ʿani l-sūi wa-akhadhnā alladhīna ẓalamū biʿadhābin baīsin bimā kānū yafsuqūn When they ignored [the warning] they were given, We saved those who forbade evil, and punished the wrongdoers severely because of their disobedience 166 فَلَمَّا عَتَوۡا۟ عَن مَّا نُهُوا۟ عَنۡهُ قُلۡنَا لَهُمۡ كُونُوا۟ قِرَدَةً خَـٰسِءِینَ ۝١٦٦ falammā ʿataw ʿan mā nuhū ʿanhu qul'nā lahum kūnū qiradatan khāsiīn When, in their arrogance, they persisted in doing what they had been forbidden to do, We said to them, ‘Be like apes! Be outcasts!’ 167 وَإِذۡ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكَ لَیَبۡعَثَنَّ عَلَیۡهِمۡ إِلَىٰ یَوۡمِ ٱلۡقِیَـٰمَةِ مَن یَسُومُهُمۡ سُوۤءَ ٱلۡعَذَابِۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَسَرِیعُ ٱلۡعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَغَفُورࣱ رَّحِیمࣱ ۝١٦٧ wa-idh ta-adhana rabbuka layabʿathanna ʿalayhim ilā yawmi l-qiyāmati man yasūmuhum sūa l-ʿadhābi inna rabbaka lasarīʿu l-ʿiqābi wa-innahu laghafūrun raḥīmu And then your Lord declared that, until the Day of Resurrection, He would send people against them to inflict terrible suffering on them. Your Lord is swift in punishment but He is most forgiving and merciful

168 وَقَطَّعۡنَـٰهُمۡ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أُمَمࣰاۖ مِّنۡهُمُ ٱلصَّـٰلِحُونَ وَمِنۡهُمۡ دُونَ ذَ ٰلِكَۖ وَبَلَوۡنَـٰهُم بِٱلۡحَسَنَـٰتِ وَٱلسَّیِّءَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ یَرۡجِعُونَ ۝١٦٨ waqaṭṭaʿnāhum fī l-arḍi umaman min'humu l-ṣāliḥūna wamin'hum dūna dhālika wabalawnāhum bil-ḥasanāti wal-sayiāti laʿallahum yarjiʿūn We dispersed them over the earth in separate communities- some are righteous and some less so: We tested them with blessings and misfortunes, so that they might all return [to righteousness]

169 فَخَلَفَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ خَلۡفࣱ وَرِثُوا۟ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ یَأۡخُذُونَ عَرَضَ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡأَدۡنَىٰ وَیَقُولُونَ سَیُغۡفَرُ لَنَا وَإِن یَأۡتِهِمۡ عَرَضࣱ مِّثۡلُهُۥ یَأۡخُذُوهُۚ أَلَمۡ یُؤۡخَذۡ عَلَیۡهِم مِّیثَـٰقُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ أَن لَّا یَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلۡحَقَّ وَدَرَسُوا۟ مَا فِیهِۗ وَٱلدَّارُ ٱلۡءَاخِرَةُ خَیۡرࣱ لِّلَّذِینَ یَتَّقُونَۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ ۝١٦٩ fakhalafa min baʿdihim khalfun warithū l-kitāba yakhudhūna ʿaraḍa hādhā l-adnā wayaqūlūna sayugh'faru lanā wa-in yatihim ʿaraḍun mith'luhu yakhudhūhu alam yu'khadh ʿalayhim mīthāqu l-kitābi an lā yaqūlū ʿalā l-lahi illā l-ḥaqa wadarasū mā fīhi wal-dāru l-ākhiratu khayrun lilladhīna yattaqūna afalā taʿqilūn and they were succeeded by generations who, although they inherited the Scripture, took the fleeting gains of this lower world, saying, ‘We shall be forgiven,’ and indeed taking them again if other such gains came their way. Was a pledge not taken from them, writ-ten in the Scripture, to say nothing but the truth about God? And they have studied its contents well. For those who are mindful of God, the Hereafter is better. ‘Why do you not use your reason?’ 170 وَٱلَّذِینَ یُمَسِّكُونَ بِٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ إِنَّا لَا نُضِیعُ أَجۡرَ ٱلۡمُصۡلِحِینَ ۝١٧٠ wa-alladhīna yumassikūna bil-kitābi wa-aqāmū l-ṣalata innā lā nuḍīʿu ajra l-muṣ'liḥīn But as for those who hold fast to the Scripture and keep up the prayer, We do not deny righteous people their rewards 171 ۞ وَإِذۡ نَتَقۡنَا ٱلۡجَبَلَ فَوۡقَهُمۡ كَأَنَّهُۥ ظُلَّةࣱ وَظَنُّوۤا۟ أَنَّهُۥ وَاقِعُۢ بِهِمۡ خُذُوا۟ مَاۤ ءَاتَیۡنَـٰكُم بِقُوَّةࣲ وَٱذۡكُرُوا۟ مَا فِیهِ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ ۝١٧١ wa-idh nataqnā l-jabala fawqahum ka-annahu ẓullatun waẓannū annahu wāqiʿun bihim khudhū mā ātaynākum biquwwatin wa-udh'kurū mā fīhi laʿallakum tattaqūn When We made the mountain loom high above them like a shadow, and they thought it would fall on them, We said, ‘Hold fast to what We have given you, and remember what it contains, so that you may remain conscious of God.’ 172 وَإِذۡ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِیۤ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمۡ ذُرِّیَّتَهُمۡ وَأَشۡهَدَهُمۡ عَلَىٰۤ أَنفُسِهِمۡ أَلَسۡتُ بِرَبِّكُمۡۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ شَهِدۡنَاۤۚ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ یَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِیَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنۡ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِینَ ۝١٧٢ wa-idh akhadha rabbuka min banī ādama min ẓuhūrihim dhurriyyatahum wa-ashhadahum ʿalā anfusihim alastu birabbikum qālū balā shahid'nā an taqūlū yawma l-qiyāmati innā kunnā ʿan hādhā ghāfilīn [Prophet], when your Lord took out the offspring from the loins of the Children of Adam and made them bear witness about themselves, He said, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ and they replied, ‘Yes, we bear witness.’ So you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘We were not aware of this,’