Surah Al-A'raf 7:138 — translation and meaning

الأعراف · Verse 138 / 206 · Page 167

ۚ ۚ وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا عَلَى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ قَالُوا يَامُوسَى اجْعَل لَّنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ

Word by Word

ۚ
ۚ
وَجَاوَزْنَا
wajawazna
And We led across
بِبَنِي
bibani
(the) Children
إِسْرَائِيلَ
is'raila
(of) Israel
الْبَحْرَ
al-bahra
the sea
فَأَتَوْا
fa-ataw
Then they came
عَلَى
ala
upon
قَوْمٍ
qawmin
a people
يَعْكُفُونَ
ya'kufuna
devoted
عَلَى
ala
to
أَصْنَامٍ
asnamin
idols
لَّهُمْ
lahum
of theirs
قَالُوا
qalu
They said
يَامُوسَى
yamusa
O Musa
اجْعَل
ij'al
Make
لَّنَا
lana
for us
إِلَهًا
ilahan
a god
كَمَا
kama
like what
لَهُمْ
lahum
they have
آلِهَةٌ
alihatun
gods
قَالَ
qala
He said
إِنَّكُمْ
innakum
Indeed, you
قَوْمٌ
qawmun
(are) a people
تَجْهَلُونَ
tajhaluna
ignorant

Transliteration

Wa jaawaznaa bi Banneee Israaa'eelal bahra fa ataw 'alaa qawminy ya'kufoona 'alaaa asnaamil lahum; qaaloo yaa Moosaj'al lanaa ilaahan kamaa lahum aalihah; qaala innakum qawmun tajhaloon

Translation

And We took the Children of Israel across the sea; then they came upon a people intent in devotion to [some] idols of theirs. They said, "O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods." He said, "Indeed, you are a people behaving ignorantly.

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

And I made the Children of Israel cross the sea when Moses hit it with his stick and it parted. They passed a people who were worshipping idols, which they worshipped instead of Allah. The Children of Israel said to Moses (peace be upon him): 'O Moses, make us an idol to worship as these people have idols to worship.' Moses said: 'You are a people who are ignorant of the rights that are due to Allah alone concerning the belief in His Oneness and what is due to Him of reverence, and what is inappropriate to ascribe to Him of polytheism and the like.'

Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.

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