7. Sura al-Araf, Mecca 39

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَاخْتَارَ مُوسَى قَوْمَهُ سَبْعِينَ رَجُلاً لِّمِيقَاتِنَا...

7: 155. And Moses chose seventy of his people for Our place of meeting:

...فَلَمَّا أَخَذَتْهُمُ الرَّجْفَةُ قَالَ ...

when they were seized with violent quaking, he prayed:

... رَبِّ لَوْ شِئْتَ أَهْلَكْتَهُم مِّن قَبْلُ وَإِيَّايَ...

"O my Lord! if it had been Thy will Thou couldst have destroyed, long before, both them and me:

...أَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ السُّفَهَاء مِنَّا...

wouldst Thou destroy us for the deeds of the foolish one among us?

...إِنْ هِيَ إِلاَّ فِتْنَتُكَ...

This is no more than Thy trial:

...تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَن تَشَاء ...

by it Thou causest whom Thou wilt to stray,

... وَتَهْدِي مَن تَشَاء ...

and Thou leadest whom Thou wilt into the right path.

...أَنتَ وَلِيُّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا...

Thou art our protector: so forgive us and give us Thy mercy;

...وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْغَافِرِينَ ﴿١٥٥﴾

for Thou art the best of those who forgive.

Transliteration Wakhta_ra mu_sa_ qaumahu_ sab'ina rajulal limiqa_tina_, falamma_ akhazathumur rajfatu qa_la rabbi lau syi'ta ahlaktahum min qablu wa iyya_y(a), atuhlikuna_ bima_ fa'alas sufaha_'u minna_, in hiya illa_ fitnatuk(a), tudillu biha_ man tasya_'u wa tahdi man tasya_'(u), anta waliyyuna_ fagfir lana_ warhamna_ wa anta khairul ga_firin(a).

Other Versions:

7: 155

Asad And Moses chose out of his people seventy men to come [and pray for forgiveness] at a time set by Us. Then, when violent trembling seized them [note 122], he prayed:……

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.

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[Ali’s notes:

C1121. Seventy of the elders were taken up to the Mount, but left at some distance from the place where Allah spoke to Moses.

They were to be silent witnesses, but their faith was not yet complete, and they dared to say to Moses: "We shall never believe in thee until we see Allah in public" (2:55).

They were dazed with thunder and lightning, and might have been destroyed but for Allah's mercy on the intercession of Moses.

C1122. Rajfah: violent quaking, earthquake.

I take it to refer to the same event as is described by the word Sd'iqat in 2:55, the thunder and lightning that shook the mountainside.

C1123. Moses was guiltless, but he identifies himself with his whole people, and intercedes with Allah on their behalf.

He recognises that it was a trial, in which some of his people failed to stand the test. Such failure was worthy of punishment. But he pleads for mercy for such as erred from weakness and not from contumacy, and were truly repentant, although all who erred were in their several degrees worthy of punishment.

C1124. Cf. 2:26.]

[[ Asad’s note 122 – Most of the commentators take “rajfah” to mean here “earthquake”, as it evidently does in other places in the Quran (e.g., in verses 78 and 91 this surah)……….]].