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Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 138

سورة الأعراف، الآية ١٣٨

7:138 Juz 9 Hizb 17 Page 167 of the mushaf Meccan surah

Text of verse 7:138

وَجَٰوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَىٰٓ أَصْنَامٍ لَّهُمْ قَالُوا۟ يَٰمُوسَى ٱجْعَل لَّنَآ إِلَٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ ءَالِهَةٌ قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ ۝١٣٨

Transliteration

wajāwaznā bibanī is'rāīla l-baḥra fa-ataw ʿalā qawmin yaʿkufūna ʿalā aṣnāmin lahum qālū yāmūsā ij'ʿal lanā ilāhan kamā lahum ālihatun qāla innakum qawmun tajhalūna

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 [the Children of Israel] said, "O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods." He said, "Indeed, you are a people behaving ignorantly.

Translation in another language
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary Read in the surah

Verse 138 of Surah Al-A’raf (7:138), a Meccan surah, is in juz 9, on page 167 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.

Listen to verse 138 of Surah Al-A’raf

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Tafsir of verse 138

Al-Mukhtasar

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.'

Tafsir of the whole Surah Al-A’raf

Other translations of verse 138

We led the Children of Israel across the sea, then they came upon a people who were devoted to their idols. They said, “O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods.” He said, “You are indeed an ignorant people.

And We brought the Children of Israel (with safety) across the sea, and they came upon a people devoted to some of their idols (in worship). They said: "O Mûsâ (Moses)! Make for us an ilâh6 (a god) as they have âlihah (gods)." He said: "Verily, you are a people who know not (the Majesty and Greatness of Allâh and what is obligatory upon you, i.e. to worship none but Allâh Alone, the One and the Only God of all that exists)."

Notes

[6] (V.7:138) Ilâh: Who has all the right to be worshipped.

And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea, and they came unto a people who were given up to idols which they had. They said: O Moses! Make for us a god even as they have gods. He said: Lo! ye are a folk who know not.

We took the Children of Israel (with safety) across the sea. They came upon a people devoted entirely to some idols they had. They said: "O Moses! fashion for us a god like unto the gods they have." He said: "Surely ye are a people without knowledge.

And We made the children of Israel to pass the sea; then they came upon a people who kept to the worship of their idols They said: O Musa! make for us a god as they have (their) gods He said: Surely you are a people acting ignorantly:

And We made the Seeds (or: sons) of Israel) pass over the sea. Then they came upon a people consecrating themselves to idols they had. They said, "O Musa, (Moses) make for us a god as they have gods." He said, "Surely you are a people who are ignorant.

Verse 138 word by word

  1. وَجَٰوَزْنَا wajāwaznā And We led across ج و ز
  2. بِبَنِىٓ bibanī (the) Children ب ن ي
  3. إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ is'rāīla (of) Israel
  4. ٱلْبَحْرَ l-baḥra the sea ب ح ر
  5. فَأَتَوْا۟ fa-ataw Then they came أ ت ي
  6. عَلَىٰ ʿalā upon
  7. قَوْمٍ qawmin a people ق و م
  8. يَعْكُفُونَ yaʿkufūna devoted ع ك ف
  9. عَلَىٰٓ ʿalā to
  10. أَصْنَامٍ aṣnāmin idols ص ن م
  11. لَّهُمْ lahum of theirs
  12. قَالُوا۟ qālū They said ق و ل
  13. يَٰمُوسَى yāmūsā O Musa
  14. ٱجْعَل ij'ʿal Make ج ع ل
  15. لَّنَآ lanā for us
  16. إِلَٰهًا ilāhan a god أ ل ه
  17. كَمَا kamā like what
  18. لَهُمْ lahum they have
  19. ءَالِهَةٌ ālihatun gods أ ل ه
  20. قَالَ qāla He said ق و ل
  21. إِنَّكُمْ innakum Indeed, you
  22. قَوْمٌ qawmun (are) a people ق و م
  23. تَجْهَلُونَ tajhalūna ignorant ج ه ل

Hadiths that cite this verse

Authentic Sahih al-Bukhari 3406

We were with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) picking the fruits of the 'Arak trees, and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Pick the black fruit, for it is the best." The companions asked, "Were you a shepherd?" He replied, "There was no prophet who was not a shepherd."

عَلَيْكُمْ بِالأَسْوَدِ مِنْهُ، فَإِنَّهُ أَطْيَبُهُ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالُوا أَكُنْتَ تَرْعَى الْغَنَمَ قَالَ ‏"‏ وَهَلْ مِنْ نَبِيٍّ إِلاَّ وَقَدْ رَعَاهَا ‏"

Narrated by Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh + 3 other versions

Authentic Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2180

By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, you will follow the ways of those before you

When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) set out for Hunayn, he passed by a tree of the polytheists called Dhāt Anwāt, upon which they used to hang their weapons. They said: O Messenger of Allah, make for us a Dhāt Anwāt just as they have a Dhāt Anwāt. Thereupon…

"‏ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ هَذَا كَمَا قَالَ قَوْمُ مُوسَى ‏:‏ ‏‏(‏اجْعَلْ لَنَا إِلَهًا كَمَا لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ ‏)‏ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَتَرْكَبُنَّ سُنَّةَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ ‏"

Narrator: حارث بن عوف الليثي + 2 other versions Explained

Other hadiths (2)

Verses related to verse 138

Verses with similar wording

They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.

  • Al-Hijr 15:62

    قَالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّنكَرُونَ

    He said, "Indeed, you are people unknown."

  • Yunus 10:90

    وَجَٰوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ وَجُنُودُهُۥ بَغْيًا وَعَدْوًا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَدْرَكَهُ ٱلْغَرَقُ قَالَ ءَامَنتُ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنَتْ بِهِۦ بَنُوٓا۟ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ وَأَنَا۠ مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

    And We took the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued them in tyranny and enmity until, when drowning overtook him, he said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims."

All similar verses of Surah Al-A’raf

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