Surah Al-A'raf 7:95 — translation and meaning

الأعراف · Verse 95 / 206 · Page 162

ثُمَّ بَدَّلْنَا مَكَانَ السَّيِّئَةِ الْحَسَنَةَ حَتَّى عَفَوا وَّقَالُوا قَدْ مَسَّ آبَاءَنَا الضَّرَّاءُ وَالسَّرَّاءُ فَأَخَذْنَاهُم بَغْتَةً وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

Word by Word

ثُمَّ
thumma
Then
بَدَّلْنَا
baddalna
We changed
مَكَانَ
makana
(in) place
السَّيِّئَةِ
al-sayi-ati
(of) the bad
الْحَسَنَةَ
al-hasanata
the good
حَتَّى
hatta
until
عَفَوا
afaw
they increased
وَّقَالُوا
waqalu
and said
قَدْ
qad
Verily
مَسَّ
massa
(had) touched
آبَاءَنَا
abaana
our forefathers
الضَّرَّاءُ
al-darau
the adversity
وَالسَّرَّاءُ
wal-sarau
and the ease
فَأَخَذْنَاهُم
fa-akhadhnahum
So We seized them
بَغْتَةً
baghtatan
suddenly
وَهُمْ
wahum
while they
لَا
la
(did) not
يَشْعُرُونَ
yash'uruna
perceive

Transliteration

Summa baddalnaa makaa nas saiyi'atil hasanata hattaa 'afaw wa qaaloo qad massa aabaa'anad darraaa'u wassarraaa'u fa akhaznaahum baghtatanw wa hum laa yash'uroon

Translation

Then We exchanged in place of the bad [condition], good, until they increased [and prospered] and said, "Our fathers [also] were touched with hardship and ease." So We seized them suddenly while they did not perceive.

Verse interpretation (Tafsir)

After trying them with suffering and illness Allah improved their situation and turned their suffering into well-being and safety, until they became many and their wealth increased, and they said that the bad and good that they had experienced was a normal part of life and that the same thing had happened to their ancestors before them. They did not recognise that there was a lesson to be learned in the difficulties that occurred to them and that there was a test for them in the good that they were given. Then Allah overtook them suddenly with the punishment, while they were unaware of it and did not expect it.

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

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