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 al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 164) ➊ {وَ اِذْ قَالَتْ اُمَّةٌ مِّنْهُمْ … :} That is, a group from among the righteous people of this town said to those who were forbidding the ones who were hunting through trickery. The majority of commentators believe that the people of this town were divided into three groups: one, the wrongdoers who hunted fish on the Sabbath through this trickery; the second group, those who forbade them from doing so; and the third group, those who themselves were righteous but did not forbid others from evil. Thus, here {’’ اُمَّةٌ ‘‘} refers to this third group. Some commentators have said that this group, which said to those forbidding evil, "Why do you advise these people?" were also righteous and had already exerted their full effort to prevent them from this sin, but after their stubbornness, they became hopeless and remained silent, now awaiting the punishment to befall them.
➋ {لِمَ تَعِظُوْنَ قَوْمَا اللّٰهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ … : } That is, why do you waste time trying to make them understand, when Allah Almighty has already decreed destruction for them in this world and punishment in the Hereafter? So how will you save them?! The meaning is, remain steadfast in righteousness yourselves and leave them to their own state.
➌ {قَالُوْا مَعْذِرَةً اِلٰى رَبِّكُمْ …:} Those who forbade evil stated two reasons for their action: first, lest Allah Almighty seize us for this crime, questioning why we stopped advising them, so that our excuse would be that we continued to forbid them; and second, that we are never to lose hope—perhaps all or some of these people may be saved from this evil deed, because a caller (to good) should always remain hopeful.
➋ {لِمَ تَعِظُوْنَ قَوْمَا اللّٰهُ مُهْلِكُهُمْ … : } That is, why do you waste time trying to make them understand, when Allah Almighty has already decreed destruction for them in this world and punishment in the Hereafter? So how will you save them?! The meaning is, remain steadfast in righteousness yourselves and leave them to their own state.
➌ {قَالُوْا مَعْذِرَةً اِلٰى رَبِّكُمْ …:} Those who forbade evil stated two reasons for their action: first, lest Allah Almighty seize us for this crime, questioning why we stopped advising them, so that our excuse would be that we continued to forbid them; and second, that we are never to lose hope—perhaps all or some of these people may be saved from this evil deed, because a caller (to good) should always remain hopeful.
