سُوْرَةُ الْاَعْرَافِ
Surah Al-A'raaf (7) — Ayah 164
وَإِذْ قَالَتْ أُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ لِمَ تَعِظُونَ قَوْمًا ۙ ٱللَّهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُهُمْ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا ۖ قَالُوا۟ مَعْذِرَةً إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ ﴿164﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when a community among them said: "Why do you preach to a people whom Allâh is about to destroy or to punish with a severe torment?" (The preachers) said: "In order to be free from guilt before your Lord (Allâh), and perhaps they may fear Allâh."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قَالَتْ
qālat
said
أُمَّةٌۭ
ummatun
a community
مِّنْهُمْ
min'hum
among them
لِمَ
lima
Why
تَعِظُونَ
taʿiẓūna
(do) you preach
قَوْمًا ۙ
qawman
a people
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
(whom) Allah
مُهْلِكُهُمْ
muh'likuhum
(is going to) destroy them
أَوْ
aw
or
مُعَذِّبُهُمْ
muʿadhibuhum
punish them
عَذَابًۭا
ʿadhāban
(with) a punishment
شَدِيدًۭا ۖ
shadīdan
severe
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They said
مَعْذِرَةً
maʿdhiratan
To be absolved
إِلَىٰ
ilā
before
رَبِّكُمْ
rabbikum
your Lord
وَلَعَلَّهُمْ
walaʿallahum
and that they may
يَتَّقُونَ
yattaqūna
become righteous
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.
164. 1. By this group is meant the group of righteous people who did not commit this trick at all and, after repeatedly trying to reform the schemers, became disappointed with their correction. However, there were also some other people who used to advise and admonish them. This group of righteous people would say to them: what is the use of advising and admonishing such people for whom destruction and the punishment of Allah is destined? Or, by this group, those same disobedient and transgressing people are meant. When the admonishers would advise them, they would say: if, in your opinion, destruction or the punishment of Allah is our fate, then why do you admonish us? So they would reply: firstly, to present an excuse before our Lord, so that we may remain safe from Allah’s grasp. Because witnessing the commission of disobedience to Allah and then not trying to stop it is also a crime, for which Allah’s grasp may occur. And the second benefit is that perhaps these people may refrain from transgressing the command of Allah. According to the first interpretation, there are three groups: (1) the disobedient group who hunted, (2) the group that completely withdrew, neither among the disobedient nor among those who forbade, (3) the group that was neither disobedient nor completely withdrawn, but rather forbade the disobedient. According to the second interpretation, there are two groups: one of the disobedient and the other of those who forbade.
