Verse 7:172 in Context

Translator Abdel Haleem

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,’

173 أَوۡ تَقُولُوۤا۟ إِنَّمَاۤ أَشۡرَكَ ءَابَاۤؤُنَا مِن قَبۡلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّیَّةࣰ مِّنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡۖ أَفَتُهۡلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ ٱلۡمُبۡطِلُونَ ۝١٧٣ aw taqūlū innamā ashraka ābāunā min qablu wakunnā dhurriyyatan min baʿdihim afatuh'likunā bimā faʿala l-mub'ṭilūn or, ‘It was our forefathers who, before us, ascribed partners to God, and we are only the descendants who came after them: will you destroy us because of falsehoods they invented?’ 174 وَكَذَ ٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلۡءَایَـٰتِ وَلَعَلَّهُمۡ یَرۡجِعُونَ ۝١٧٤ wakadhālika nufaṣṣilu l-āyāti walaʿallahum yarjiʿūn In this way We explain the messages, so that they may turn [to the right path] 175 وَٱتۡلُ عَلَیۡهِمۡ نَبَأَ ٱلَّذِیۤ ءَاتَیۡنَـٰهُ ءَایَـٰتِنَا فَٱنسَلَخَ مِنۡهَا فَأَتۡبَعَهُ ٱلشَّیۡطَـٰنُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡغَاوِینَ ۝١٧٥ wa-ut'lu ʿalayhim naba-a alladhī ātaynāhu āyātinā fa-insalakha min'hā fa-atbaʿahu l-shayṭānu fakāna mina l-ghāwīn [Prophet], tell them the story of the man to whom We gave Our messages: he sloughed them off, so Satan took him as his follower and he went astray 176 وَلَوۡ شِئۡنَا لَرَفَعۡنَـٰهُ بِهَا وَلَـٰكِنَّهُۥۤ أَخۡلَدَ إِلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُۚ فَمَثَلُهُۥ كَمَثَلِ ٱلۡكَلۡبِ إِن تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَیۡهِ یَلۡهَثۡ أَوۡ تَتۡرُكۡهُ یَلۡهَثۚ ذَّ ٰلِكَ مَثَلُ ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلَّذِینَ كَذَّبُوا۟ بِءَایَـٰتِنَاۚ فَٱقۡصُصِ ٱلۡقَصَصَ لَعَلَّهُمۡ یَتَفَكَّرُونَ ۝١٧٦ walaw shi'nā larafaʿnāhu bihā walākinnahu akhlada ilā l-arḍi wa-ittabaʿa hawāhu famathaluhu kamathali l-kalbi in taḥmil ʿalayhi yalhath aw tatruk'hu yalhath dhālika mathalu l-qawmi alladhīna kadhabū biāyātinā fa-uq'ṣuṣi l-qaṣaṣa laʿallahum yatafakkarūn if it had been Our will, We could have used these signs to raise him high, but instead he clung to the earth and followed his own desires- he was like a dog that pants with a lolling tongue whether you drive it away or leave it alone. Such is the image of those who reject Our signs. Tell them the story so that they may reflect