Al-Qur'an Surah Al-A'raf Verse 155

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And Mūsā selected seventy men from his people for Our appointment. Later when the earthquake seized them, he said, “My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them earlier, and me too. Would You destroy us for what the foolish among them have done? It is nothing but a trial from You, wherewith you let go astray whom You will, and give guidance to whom You will. You are our protector, so forgive us, and have mercy on us, and You are the best among those who forgive.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Moses chose seventy men from among his people for Our appointment and, when they were seized by an earthquake,[[ For asking Moses to make Allah visible to them.]] he cried, “My Lord! Had You willed, You could have destroyed them long ago, and me as well. Will You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is only a test from You—by which You allow whoever you will to stray and guide whoever You will. You are our Guardian. So forgive us and have mercy on us. You are the best forgiver.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Moses chose seventy men from among his people for Our appointment. When the earthquake seized them, he said, “My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them earlier, and me too; will You destroy us for what the fools among us have done? This is not but a trial from You, by which You cause to stray whom you will and guide whom You will. You are our Guardian, so forgive us and have mercy upon us, for You are the Best of Forgivers.

A. J. Arberry

And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointed time; and when the earthquake seized them, he said, 'My Lord, hadst Thou willed Thou wouldst have destroyed them before, and me. Wilt Thou destroy us for what the foolish ones of us have done? It is only Thy trial, whereby Thou leadest astray whom Thou wilt, and guidest whom Thou wilt. Thou art our Protector; so forgive us, and have mercy on us, for Thou art the best of forgivers.

Abdul Haleem

Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment, and when they were seized by trembling, he prayed, ‘My Lord, if You had chosen to do so, You could have destroyed them long before this, and me too, so will You now destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? This is only a trial from You- through it, You cause whoever You will to stray and guide whoever You will- and You are our Protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us. You are the best of those who forgive.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And Musa singled out of his people seventy men for Our appointment, then when the earthquake laid hold of them he said. O my Lord! hadst Thou willed, Thou wouldst have destroyed them afore and me also. wilt Thou destroy Us for that which the foolish ones amongst us have done! lt is only thy trial, whereby thou sendest astray whomsoever Thou wilt and keepest guided whomsoever Thou wilt. Thou art our patron. So forgive us Thou and have mercy on us; and thou art the Best of the forgivers.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And Moses chose seventy of his people for Our place of meeting; when they were seized with violent quaking, he prayed; "O my Lord! if it had been Thy will Thou couldst have destroyed, long before, both them and me; wouldst Thou destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? this is no more than Thy trial; by it Thou causest whom Thou wilt to stray, and Thou leadest whom Thou wilt into the right path. Thou art our Protector; so forgive us and give us Thy mercy; for Thou art the best of those who forgive.

Abul Ala Maududi

And out of his people Moses singled out seventy men for Our appointment. Then, when violent shaking seized them, he addressed his Lord: 'Had You willed, O my Lord, You could have destroyed them and me long ago. Will You destroy us for what the fools amongst us did? That was nothing but a trial from You whereby You mislead whom You will and guide whom You will. You alone are our guardian. Forgive us, then, and have mercy upon us. You are the best of those who forgive.

Ahmed Ali

Moses chose seventy of his people for the appointment (on Mount Sinai). When they arrived they were seized by a tremor. (Moses) said: "O Lord, if You had so pleased You could have annihilated them and me before this. Will You destroy us for something the foolish among us have done? This is but a trial from You whereby You will lead whom You will astray and guide whom You please. You are our saviour, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the best of forgivers.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And Moosa chose seventy men from his people for Our promise; therefore when the earthquake seized them, he submitted, “My Lord! If You had willed You could have destroyed them and me, even earlier! Will You destroy us for the deeds which the ignorant among us did? That is not but Your testing us; with it You send astray whomever You will and guide whomever You will; You are our Master, so forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the Best of the Forgiving.”

Ali Quli Qarai

Moses chose seventy men from his people for Our tryst, and when the earthquake seized them, he said, ‘My Lord, had You wished, You would have destroyed them and me before. Will You destroy us because of what the fools amongst us have done? It is only Your test, by which You lead astray whomever You wish and guide whomever You wish. You are our master, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the best of those who forgive.

Ali Ünal

Moses chose of his people seventy men (to represent them) for Our appointment (on the mountain, in order to ask God for forgiveness for the calf-worship of some among them and to renew their covenant with Him). Then, when the shocking catastrophe seized them, Moses said: "My Lord! Had You so willed, You would have destroyed them before, and me (along with them). Will You now destroy us for what the fools among us have done? This is a trial from You whereby You lead whom You will astray, and whom You will You guide. You are Our Guardian (to Whom we entrust our affairs and on Whom we rely), so forgive us and have mercy on us! You are the Best in forgiving.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Now Moses selected from his people seventy men (to take with him) to Our appointed place and time, but when the earthquake seized them he said, `My Lord! if You so willed You could have destroyed them as well as me before (this). But would You destroy us on account of that which the foolish among us have done? This (matter of the calf) is nothing but (an ordeal from You) that You may distinguish the good from the bad (of us). You adjudge, by such means, to be astray whomsoever You will and You guide whomsoever You will. You are our Patron, protect us therefore, and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of Protectors (against the consequence of our faults).

English Literal

And Moses chose (from) his nation seventy men, to Our appointed time/appointed time or place, so when the tremble and shake/quake/agitation took/punished them, he said: "My Lord, if you willed/wanted you made them die/destroyed them from before and (as well as) me, do you make us die/destroy us because (of) what the ignorant/foolish from us make/did? That it is except Your test , You misguide with it whom You will/want, and You guide whom You will/want, You are our guardian/patron , so forgive for us, and have mercy upon us, and You are best (of) the forgiving."

Faridul Haque

And Moosa chose seventy men from his people for Our promise; therefore when the earthquake seized them, he submitted, "My Lord! If You had willed You could have destroyed them and me, even earlier! Will You destroy us for the deeds which the ignorant among us did? That is not but Your testing us; with it You send astray whomever You will and guide whomever You will; You are our Master, so forgive us and have mercy on us, and You are the Best of the Forgiving."

Hamid S. Aziz

And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment; and when the earthquake took them he prayed, "O my Lord! Had you willed, you could have destroyed both them and me before this. Will Thou destroy us for what the fools amongst us have done? This is naught but Thy trial, wherewith Thou dost lead astray whom Thou pleases and guides whom Thou please; Thou art our patron! Forgive us and have mercy on us, for Thou art the best of those who forgive!

Hilali & Khan

And Musa (Moses) chose out of his people seventy (of the best) men for Our appointed time and place of meeting, and when they were seized with a violent earthquake, he said: "O my Lord, if it had been Your Will, You could have destroyed them and me before; would You destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? It is only Your Trial by which You lead astray whom You will, and keep guided whom You will. You are our Wali (Protector), so forgive us and have Mercy on us, for You are the Best of those who forgive.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when Moses’ anger calmed down, he took up the tablets; and in the writing thereof was guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And Musa chose out of his people seventy men for Our appointment; so when the earthquake overtook them, he said: My Lord! if Thou hadst pleased, Thou hadst destroyed them before and myself (too); wilt Thou destroy us for what the fools among us have done? It is naught but Thy trial, Thou makest err with it whom Thou pleasest and guidest whom Thou pleasest: Thou art our Guardian, therefore forgive us and have mercy on us, and Thou art the best of the forgivers.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointed tryst and, when the trembling came on them, he said: My Lord! If Thou hadst willed Thou hadst destroyed them long before, and me with them. Wilt thou destroy us for that which the ignorant among us did? It is but Thy trial (of us). Thou sendest whom Thou wilt astray and guidest whom Thou wilt: Thou art our Protecting Friend, therefore forgive us and have mercy on us, Thou, the Best of all who show forgiveness.

Muhammad Sarwar

Moses selected seventy men from his people to attend Our appointment. (In Our presence). When an earthquake jolted them to death, Moses said, "Lord, had You wanted to destroy them, why did You not destroy them and me before. Are You destroying us for what the fools among us have done? This (destruction) is only a trial through which You cause some to go astray and guide others. You are our Guardian. Forgive us and have mercy on us; You are the best of those who forgive.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Moses chose from among his nation seventy men for Our appointment, and when the quake seized them, Moses said: 'My Lord, had it been Your Will, You would have destroyed them before, and me. Will You destroy us for that which the fools amongst us did? It is only Your trial by which You leave in error whom You will, and guide whom You will. You alone are our Guardian. Forgive us and have mercy on us, You are the Best of those who forgive.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And Musa chose out of his people seventy (of the best) men for Our appointed time and place of meeting, and when they were seized with a violent earthquake, he said: "O my Lord, if it had been Your Will, You could have destroyed them and me before; would You destroy us for the deeds of the foolish among us It is only Your trial by which You lead astray whom You will, and keep guided whom You will. You are our protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us: for You are the best of those who forgive.

Wahiduddin Khan

And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. When they were seized with violent quaking, he prayed, "O my Lord! If it had been Your will, You could have destroyed both them and me long ago. But would You destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? This is no more than Your trial: by it You cause whom You will to stray, and You lead whom You will to the right path. You are our Protector. Forgive us, therefore, and have mercy on us, for You are the best of those who forgive.

Talal Itani

And Moses chose from his people seventy men for Our appointment. When the tremor shook them, he said, “My Lord, had You willed, You could have destroyed them before, and me too. Will you destroy us for what the fools among us have done? This is but Your test—with it You misguide whomever You will, and guide whomever You will. You are our Protector, so forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are the Best of Forgivers.”

Tafsir jalalayn

And Moses chose of his people seventy men, from among those who had not worshipped the calf, by God's command, for Our appointed time, that is, for the time at which We promised him that they should come and apologise for their comrades' worship of the calf. He [Moses] then departed with them; but when the Trembling, a violent earthquake, seized them, Ibn `Abbs said, `[That earthquake was] because they did not separate themselves from their people when the latter took to worshipping the calf'; he [Ibn `Abbs] added, `These [people] were not the same ones who asked to see God and were struck by the thunderbolt [cf. Q. 2;55]', he, Moses, said, `My Lord, had You willed You would have destroyed them long before, that is, before my departure with them, so that the Children of Israel might see this and not make [false] accusations against me, and me [with them]. Will You destroy us for what the foolish ones among us have done? (this interrogative is meant as a plea for compassion, in other words, `Do not punish us for the sins of others'). It, that is, the trial which the ignorant ones underwent, is but Your trial, Your test, whereby You send astray whom You will, to lead stray, and guide whom You will, to guide. You are our Protector, looking after our affairs, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the Best of all who show forgiveness.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Seventy Men from the Children of Israel go for the appointed Meeting Place that Allah designated, Allah later on destroys Them

Allah tells;

وَاخْتَارَ مُوسَى قَوْمَهُ سَبْعِينَ رَجُلً لِّمِيقَاتِنَا فَلَمَّا أَخَذَتْهُمُ الرَّجْفَةُ

And Musa chose out of his people seventy (of the best) men for Our appointed time and place of meeting, and when they were seized with a violent earthquake,

Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn Abbas commented;

"Allah commanded Musa to choose seventy men. So he chose them and proceeded with them in order that they supplicate to their Lord. Their supplication included asking Allah,

`O Allah! Give us what you have never given anyone before us and will never give anyone after us!' Allah disliked this supplication and they were seized with a violent earthquake,

قَالَ رَبِّ لَوْ شِيْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُم مِّن قَبْلُ وَإِيَّايَ

He said;"O my Lord, if it had been Your will, You could have destroyed them and me before."'

As-Suddi said,

"Allah commanded Musa to come with thirty men from the Children of Israel, apologizing for worshipping the calf; and He gave them an appointed time and place.
وَاخْتَارَ مُوسَى قَوْمَهُ سَبْعِينَ رَجُل
(And Musa chose out of his people seventy (of the best) men).

He chose these men and went along with them so that they could apologize. When they reached the appointed place, they said,
لَن نُّوْمِنَ لَكَ
(We shall never believe in you), (2;55) `O Musa,
حَتَّى نَرَى اللَّهَ جَهْرَةً
until we see Allah plainly, for you spoke to Him,' they said, `therefore, show Him to us.'
فَأَخَذَتْهُمُ الصَّاعِقَةُ
(but they were struck with a bolt of lightning) (4;153) and they died.

Musa stood up crying, invoking Allah, `O Lord! What should I tell the Children of Israel, when I go back to them after You destroyed their best men!'
رَبِّ لَوْ شِيْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُم مِّن قَبْلُ وَإِيَّايَ
("O my Lord, if it had been Your will, You could have destroyed them and me before")."'

Muhammad bin Ishaq said,

"Musa chose seventy of the best men from the Children of Israel. He said to them, `Go to the meeting with Allah and repent for what you committed. Beg His forgiveness for those of your people whom you left behind. Fast, purify yourselves and clean your clothes.'

So, he went with them to Mount Tur in Sinai for the meeting place and time designated by his Lord. He went there only with the leave and knowledge of Allah.

According to what has been mentioned to me, when the seventy did what he ordered them to do, and went with him to the meeting of Musa with his Lord, they said, `Request that we may also hear the words of our Lord.'

So he replied, `I shall.'

When Musa approached the mountain it became completely covered with columns of clouds, Musa approached it and entered in them. He said to the people, `Approach.'

But when Allah spoke to Musa, his cloak was surrounded by a brilliant light which no human could bear to look at, so below him a barrier was placed and the people approached.

When they entered the cloud they fell prostrate and they heard Him while he was speaking to Musa, commanding him and forbidding him, saying what to do and what not to do. When He completed commanding him, and removed the cloud from Musa, he faced the people and they said, `O Musa! We will not believe in you unless we see Allah directly.' So the thunder shook them, their souls were captured and they all died. Musa stood up invoking, begging and supplicating to his Lord,
رَبِّ لَوْ شِيْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُم مِّن قَبْلُ وَإِيَّايَ
("O my Lord, if it had been Your will, You could have destroyed them and me before)."'

meaning, `They were foolish. Would You destroy anyone who comes after me from the Children of Israel'

Ibn Abbas, Qatadah, Mujahid and Ibn Jarir At-Tabari said,

"They were seized by the tremor or lightning, because they neither shunned nor forbade their people who worshipped the calf."

This is supported by Musa's statement,

أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ السُّفَهَاء مِنَّا

"would You destroy us for the deeds of the fools among us!"

He said next,

إِنْ هِيَ إِلاَّ فِتْنَتُكَ

"It is only Your Fitnah!"

According to Ibn Abbas, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Abu Al-Aliyah, Ar-Rabi bin Anas and several among the Salaf and latter scholars,

affliction, test and trial,

This is the only plausible meaning, in which Musa says,

تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَن تَشَاء وَتَهْدِي مَن تَشَاء

by which You lead astray whom You will, and keep guided whom You will.

"The decision is Yours (O Allah), and the judgment, and whatever You will occurs. You misguide whom You will, guide whom You will, and none can guide whom You misguide or misguide whom You guide. There is none who can give what You deprive or avert what You give. The sovereignty is all Yours, and Yours is the judgment, the creation and the decision."

The Ayah,
.
أَنتَ وَلِيُّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا

وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْغَافِرِينَ



"You are our protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us;for You are the best of those who forgive."

pertains to (Allah's) covering the mistake and not punishing for the sin.

Whenever mercy is mentioned along with forgiveness (such as in Musa's supplication to Allah), it includes the hope that Allah does not permit one to fall into that act again.

وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْغَافِرِينَ
("for You are the best of those who forgive),"

for none except You can forgive the sin