And do not sit on every path, threatening and averting from the way of Allāh those who believe in Him, seeking to make it [seem] deviant. And remember when you were few and He increased you. And see how was the end of the corrupters.
Verse 86 of Surah Al-A’raf (7:86), a Meccan surah, is in juz 8, on page 161 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.
Listen to verse 86 of Surah Al-A’raf
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Tafsir of verse 86
Al-Mukhtasar
'Do not sit in wait on every road, threatening the people travelling there in order to steal their possessions, and preventing those who want to be guided from the path of Allah, wanting the path of Allah to be crooked so that people would not follow it. Remember the blessings of Allah upon you so that you might be thankful, for you had been few in the land and He increased your numbers. Reflect on what had been the end of those who caused corruption in the earth before you, since their end had been destruction and ruin!'
Do not lie in wait on every path, threatening and preventing from Allah’s path34 those who believe in Him, and seeking to make it crooked. Remember when you were few, then He increased you in number. See how was the end of those who spread corruption.
Notes
[34] They were also engaged in highway robberies and preventing people from listening to Shu‘ayb.
"And sit not on every road, threatening, and hindering from the Path of Allâh those who believe in Him, and seeking to make it crooked. And remember when you were but few, and He multiplied you. And see what was the end of the Mufsidûn (mischief-makers, corrupters, liars).
Lurk not on every road to threaten (wayfarers), and to turn away from Allah's path him who believeth in Him, and to seek to make it crooked. And remember, when ye were but few, how He did multiply you. And see the nature of the consequence for the corrupters!
"And squat not on every road, breathing threats, hindering from the path of Allah those who believe in Him, and seeking in it something crooked; But remember how ye were little, and He gave you increase. And hold in your mind's eye what was the end of those who did mischief.
And do not lie in wait in every path, threatening and turning away from Allah's way him who believes in Him and seeking to make it crooked; and remember when you were few then He multiplied you, and consider what was the end of the mischief-makers.
And do not sit in every path, threatening and barring from the way of Allah (the ones) who believe in Him, and inequitably seeking to make (His way) crooked. And remember when you were few, then He multiplied you; and look how was the end of the corruptors.
And when he came to the water [i.e., well] of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women holding back [their flocks]. He said, "What is your circumstance?" They said, "We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man."
Verses with similar wording
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
Say, "O People of the Scripture, why do you avert from the way of Allāh those who believe, seeking to make it [seem] deviant, while you are witnesses [to the truth]? And Allāh is not unaware of what you do."
Then We sent after them Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his establishment, but they were unjust toward them. So see how was the end of the corrupters.
