سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 138
وَجَـٰوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَىٰٓ أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ ۚ قَالُوا۟ يَـٰمُوسَى ٱجْعَل لَّنَآ إِلَـٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ ۚ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ ﴿138﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And We brought the Children of Israel (with safety) across the sea, and they came upon a people devoted to some of their idols (in worship). They said: "O Mûsâ (Moses)! Make for us an ilâh (a god) as they have âlihah (gods)." He said: "Verily, you are a people who know not (the Majesty and Greatness of Allâh and what is obligatory upon you, i.e. to worship none but Allâh Alone, the One and the Only God of all that exists)."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَجَـٰوَزْنَا
wajāwaznā
And We led across
بِبَنِىٓ
bibanī
(the) Children
إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
is'rāīla
(of) Israel
ٱلْبَحْرَ
l-baḥra
the sea
فَأَتَوْا۟
fa-ataw
Then they came
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
upon
قَوْمٍۢ
qawmin
a people
يَعْكُفُونَ
yaʿkufūna
devoted
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
to
أَصْنَامٍۢ
aṣnāmin
idols
لَّهُمْ ۚ
lahum
of theirs
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They said
يَـٰمُوسَى
yāmūsā
O Musa
ٱجْعَل
ij'ʿal
Make
لَّنَآ
lanā
for us
إِلَـٰهًۭا
ilāhan
a god
كَمَا
kamā
like what
لَهُمْ
lahum
they have
ءَالِهَةٌۭ ۚ
ālihatun
gods
قَالَ
qāla
He said
إِنَّكُمْ
innakum
Indeed, you
قَوْمٌۭ
qawmun
(are) a people
تَجْهَلُونَ
tajhalūna
ignorant
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
138. 1. What greater ignorance and foolishness could there be than that the very Allah who not only saved them from an enemy like Pharaoh, but drowned him along with his army before their eyes and made them cross the sea in a miraculous way—immediately after crossing the sea, they forgot that Allah and began searching for self-carved deities made of stone. It is said that these idols were in the shape of a cow and were made of stone.
