And when Your Lord summoned the descendants of Adam, and made them testify about themselves. "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we testify." Thus you cannot say on the Day of Resurrection, "We were unaware of this."
What does the Qur'an say about the covenant taken from all souls before birth?
Key findingsEditorial
One finding for each passage this study carries, in the order the study reads them. Each is the reason that passage was signed into the study, in full and unedited - including, where the renderings disagree, the disagreement.
- 01 7:172–173 And when thy Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, FROM THEIR REINS, THEIR SEED, and made them testify of themselves: AM I NOT YOUR LORD? They said: yea, verily, we testify - lest ye should say at the Day of Resurrection: of this we were unaware; or lest ye should say: it was our fathers who ascribed partners, and we were merely seed after them. In as ONE PASSAGE because 7:173 gives the entire PURPOSE of the episode - to remove two specific excuses - and the verse is routinely quoted without it.
In plain wordsEditorial written by the editors, not a translation
One passage carries this, and its second verse is the part that explains it.
7:172 is the scene: God brings forth from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants, makes them testify about themselves, and asks AM I NOT YOUR LORD? They answer: yea, we testify.
Almost everyone who quotes this stops there. 7:173 says what it was for, and it is entirely legal in shape. The testimony was taken LEST YOU SHOULD SAY on the Day of Resurrection: of this we were unaware. And lest you should say: our fathers were the ones who ascribed partners, and we were only their descendants coming after - will You destroy us for what those who followed falsehood did?
So the episode is presented as the closing of two defences: ignorance, and inherited guilt. It is not offered as an account of the soul's origin, and it says nothing about when souls are made, whether they exist before conception, or what they remember.
The text does not repeat this anywhere. There is no second telling, no cross-reference, and no elaboration. Whether it describes an event, a state of created nature, or a way of speaking about accountability is precisely what the commentators divided over - and none of them has cleared the rights audit.
Eight verses were dropped, most matched on the words of testimony in ordinary disputes between prophets and their peoples. The word usually paired with this passage - fitra, the created disposition - appears at 30:30, which is carried by the study Does the Qur'an command female genital cutting? as context; a reader interested in the wider idea should look there and at What does the Qur'an say about the soul (ruh)?
Scope of this study
This platform shows the verse, its easy-read line, its translations, a plain-words reading, and each verse among its neighbours. It does not supply occasion of revelation, interpretation (tafsir) or history, and it never invents them.
What this study does not answer, and which source would be needed. It does not say on what occasion any of these verses was given: this study holds no source whose usage rights can be verified. It does not report how any commentator has read them: this study holds no either - the Arabic of , and is public domain by age, but no English edition with verifiable usage rights exists. And it offers no academic-historical reading: this study holds no such scholarship. Each of those is an absence with a named cause, not an omission.
What this rests on
Opens with 7:172–173.
Easy-read is a simplified pronunciation, not authoritative — a rule-by-rule romanisation, not a reading. Each verse ends in its pause form, as it is said when you stop there. Pauses inside a verse and other tajwid rules are not shown. It is derived from the Tanzil Simple edition, while the Arabic above is the Uthmani edition; both are cleared, but they are not the same edition and their orthography differs.
The versesSource fact 1 passages, each with every cleared translation
1 passages, chosen for this question and signed as part of it. Each carries the reason it is here, and each renders in full: the Arabic, then every cleared translation of that verse under its translator's name.
Each verse opens on the translation that comes first in the site's fixed order, which runs from the newest translation to the oldest. The order is not a preference. Open Compare translations on any verse to read the others.
7:172–173
Why this passage is in the study finding 01
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ شَهِدْنَآ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَٰذَا غَٰفِلِينَ
Easy-read (simplified)wa'idh akhadha rabbuka min banee aadama min zuhoorihim dhurriyyatahum wa'ashhadahum 'alaa anfusihim alastu birabbikum qaaloo balaa shahidnaa an taqooloo yawma l-qiyaamati innaa kunnaa 'an haadhaa ghaafileen
DIN 31635waʾiḏ ʾaḫaḏa rabbuka min banī ʾādama min ẓuhūrihim ḏurriyyatahum waʾašhadahum ʿalā ʾanfusihim ʾalastu birabbikum qālū balā šahidnā ʾan taqūlū yawma l-qiyāmati ʾinnā kunnā ʿan hāḏā ġāfilīna
EditionTanzil Qur'an text (Uthmani) ·Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
Compare translations (4)
And (remember) when thy Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their reins, their seed, and made them testify of themselves, (saying): Am I not your Lord? They said: Yea, verily. We testify. (That was) lest ye should say at the Day of Resurrection: Lo! of this we were unaware
And when thy Lord took from the children of Adam out of their loins their seed, and made them bear witness against themselves, ' Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yea! we do bear witness' - lest ye should say on the day of resurrection, 'Verily, for this we did not care
And when thy Lord brought forth their descendants from the reins of the sons of Adam and took them to witness against themselves, "Am I not," said He, "your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we witness it." This we did, lest ye should say on the day of Resurrection, "Truly, of this were we heedless, because uninformed
And remember when thy Lord brought forth from Adam's children -- out of their loins -- their offspring and made them to bear witness against their ownselves saying, 'Yea, we do bear witness.' This He did lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, 'We were surely unaware of this
Sources
EditionTanzil Qur'an text (Uthmani) ·Uthmani, Version 1.1·Tanzil Project ·Creative Commons Attribution 3.0·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Receipts Tanzil Qur'an text (Uthmani) · Uthmani, Version 1.1
- Edition
- Uthmani, Version 1.1
- Custodian
- Tanzil Project
- Layer
- canonical text
- Licence
- Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
- Licence URL
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
- Commercial use
- yes
- Modification
- contradictory
- Licence text
- read verbatim
- Review state
- cleared
- Retrieved
- 24 August 2026
- Digest
- 203f0f1bf3158b1e5be4ab9f8f6870e5…
- Located at
- https://tanzil.net/pub/download/index.php?quranType=uthmani&outType=xml
- Convention
- Hafs/Kufan verse numbering, 6236 ayahs. The bismillah is delivered as a separate `bismillah` attribute on ayah 1 and is NOT fused into the ayah text. 112 surahs carry one: every surah except al-Fatiha, where the bismillah is ayah 1:1 itself, and at-Tawba, which has none. Sourced from the XML output; the plain-text output of the same release DOES fuse it, which is defect D1.
CLEARED. Licence read verbatim from the block embedded in this very file. Ingested exactly as shipped: no normalisation, no stripping of marks, no Unicode recomposition.
أَوْ تَقُولُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَآ أَشْرَكَ ءَابَآؤُنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِّنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ أَفَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ ٱلْمُبْطِلُونَ
Easy-read (simplified)aw taqooloo innamaa ashraka aabaa'unaa min qablu wakunnaa dhurriyyatan min ba'dihim afatuhlikunaa bimaa fa'ala l-mubtiloon
DIN 31635ʾaw taqūlū ʾinnamā ʾašraka ʾābāʾunā min qablu wakunnā ḏurriyyatan min baʿdihim ʾafatuhlikunā bimā faʿala l-mubṭilūna
The translators word this verse differently
Nor can you Say, "Our ancestors practiced idolatry before; and we are their descendants who came after them; will you destroy us for what the falsifiers did?"
Compare translations (4)
Or lest ye should say: (It is) only (that) our fathers ascribed partners to Allah of old and we were (their) seed after them. Wilt Thou destroy us on account of that which those who follow falsehood did
or say, 'Verily, our fathers associated others with God before us, and we were but their seed after them: wilt Thou then destroy us for what vaindoers did
Or lest ye should say, "Our fathers, indeed, aforetime joined other gods with our God, and we are their seed after them: wilt thou destroy us for the doings of vain men
Or lest you should say, 'It was only our fathers who associated co-partners with God in the past and we were merely a generation after them. Wilt Thou then destroy us for what those, who lied, did
Sources
EditionTanzil Qur'an text (Uthmani) ·Uthmani, Version 1.1·Tanzil Project ·Creative Commons Attribution 3.0·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Receipts Tanzil Qur'an text (Uthmani) · Uthmani, Version 1.1
- Edition
- Uthmani, Version 1.1
- Custodian
- Tanzil Project
- Layer
- canonical text
- Licence
- Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
- Licence URL
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
- Commercial use
- yes
- Modification
- contradictory
- Licence text
- read verbatim
- Review state
- cleared
- Retrieved
- 24 August 2026
- Digest
- 203f0f1bf3158b1e5be4ab9f8f6870e5…
- Located at
- https://tanzil.net/pub/download/index.php?quranType=uthmani&outType=xml
- Convention
- Hafs/Kufan verse numbering, 6236 ayahs. The bismillah is delivered as a separate `bismillah` attribute on ayah 1 and is NOT fused into the ayah text. 112 surahs carry one: every surah except al-Fatiha, where the bismillah is ayah 1:1 itself, and at-Tawba, which has none. Sourced from the XML output; the plain-text output of the same release DOES fuse it, which is defect D1.
CLEARED. Licence read verbatim from the block embedded in this very file. Ingested exactly as shipped: no normalisation, no stripping of marks, no Unicode recomposition.
Other languages (18)
7:172 Dhe (kujto) kur Zoti yt nxori nga kurrizi i bijve të Ademit pasardhësit e tyre dhe i bëri të dëshmojnë kundër vetes së tyre, duke u thënë: "A nuk jam unë Zoti juaj?" Ata thanë: "Po, pa dyshim, Ne dëshmojmë." (Këtë e bëri) që të mos thoni në Ditën e Kijametit: "Ne nuk e kemi ditur këtë."
7:173 Ose të thoni: "Allahut i bënë shok para nesh të parët tanë, e ne ishim pasardhësit që erdhën pas tyre. A do të na shkatërrosh ne për atë që bënë punëhumburit?"
7:172 আর স্মরণ করো, যখন তোমার রব আদম-সন্তানের পিঠ থেকে তাদের বংশধরকে বের করেছিলেন এবং তাদের নিজেদের ওপর নিজেদের সাক্ষ্য গ্রহণ করেছিলেন। তিনি তাদেরকে জিজ্ঞেস করেছিলেন: ‘আমি কি তোমাদের রব নই?’ তারা সমস্বরে বলেছিলো: ‘হ্যাঁ, অবশ্যই। আমরা সাক্ষী রইলাম।’ এটা এ জন্যে যে, তোমরা যেন কিয়ামতের দিন বলতে না পারো: ‘আমরা তো এ বিষয়ে গাফিল ছিলাম।’
7:173 অথবা তোমরা যাতে বলতে না পারো: ‘আমাদের পিতৃ-পুরুষরাই পূর্বে শিরক করেছে, আর আমরা তো তাদের পরবর্তী বংশধর। তবে কি বাতিলপন্থিরা যে আমল করেছে, তার কারণে আপনি কি আমাদেরকে ধ্বংস করবেন’?
7:172 I kad je Gospodar tvoj od Ademovih sinova, iz njihovih kičmi, izveo potomstvo njihovo i zatražio od njih da posvjedoče protiv sebe: "Zar Ja nisam Gospodar vaš?", oni su odgovarali: "Jesi, mi svjedočimo ", i zato da na Kijametskom danu ne reknete: "Mi o ovome nismo ništa znali."
7:173 Ili da ne reknete: "Naši su preci prije nas druge Allahu ravnim smatrali, a mi smo pokoljenje poslije njih. Zar ćeš nas kazniti za ono što su lažljivci činili?"
7:172 I kad je Gospodar tvoj od Adamovih sinova, iz njihovih kičmi, izveo potomstvo njihovo i zatražio od njih da posvjedoče protiv sebe: "Zar Ja nisam Gospodar vaš?" oni su odgovarali: "Jesi, mi svjedočimo", i zato da na Sudnjem danu ne reknete: "Mi o ovome nismo ništa znali."
7:173 Ili da ne reknete: "Naši su predci prije nas druge Allahu ravnim smatrali, a mi smo pokoljenje poslije njih. Zar ćeš nas kazniti za ono što su lažljivci činili?"
7:172 siftoro kadi nde Joomi maa ƴettunoo e ɓiɗɓe Aadama ɓen ka keeci maɓɓe jurriiyaaji maɓɓe ɗin, O seendintini ɓe e woŋkiiji maɓɓe ɗin : "Wanaa kon min woni Joomi mon?" ɓe mb'i : "Ko non woniri, min seedike". Ko fii (wata) on mb'oy Ñande Darngal : "minn min ngoniino welsindiiɓe e ɗuum ɗoo".
7:173 Maa mbi'oyon : "woni ko baabiraaɓe amen ɓe cirkunoo ko adii, min wonti (tun) jurriiya ɓaawo maɓɓe. E A halkiray men ko bonnooɓe ɓen mbaɗi?
7:172 და აი, შენმა უფალმა გამოიყვანა ადამის შთამომავლებიდან, მათი ზურგებიდან, მათი მოდგმა და აიძულა ისინი დაემოწმებინათ საკუთარ თავზე: «განა მე არ ვარ თქვენი უფალი?» მათ თქვეს: «დიახ, ვამოწმებთ (რომ შენ ხარ ჩვენი უფალი)». (ეს) იმისთვის, რომ აღდგომის დღეს არ თქვათ: «ჭეშმარიტად, ჩვენ ამაზე უყურადღებონი ვიყავით».
7:173 ან (იმისთვის, რომ) არ თქვათ: «ჩვენამდე ჩვენი მამები მრავალღმერთიანობას სჩადიოდნენ, ხოლო ჩვენ მათ შემდეგი შთამომავლები ვიყავით. ნუთუ დაგვღუპავ იმისთვის, რასაც სიცრუის მიმდევრები აკეთებდნენ?»
7:172 Und (gedenke,) als dein Herr aus den Kindern Adams, aus ihren Rücken, ihre Nachkommenschaft nahm und sie gegen sich selbst bezeugen ließ (und sagte): „Bin Ich denn nicht euer Herr?“ Sie sagten: „Doch, wir bezeugen (es)!“ (Dies,) damit ihr nicht am Tag der Auferstehung sagt: „Wir waren dessen unachtsam“,
7:173 oder (auch) nicht sagt: „Wahrlich, unsere Väter haben ja zuvor (Allah) Teilhaber beigesellt, und wir waren ja (nur) eine Nachkommenschaft nach ihnen. Vernichtest Du uns denn für das, was diejenigen getan haben, die Nichtiges tun?“
7:172 Και (ανάφερε, ω, Μωχάμμαντ) όταν ο Κύριός σου έβγαλε από την οσφύ των παιδιών του Αδάμ τους απογόνους τους [δηλ. από την οσφύ του Αδάμ τα παιδιά του και ούτω καθεξής] και τους έκανε να μαρτυρήσουν ως απόδειξη εναντίον του εαυτού τους, (ρωτώντας τους γι' αυτό που έχει ήδη βάλει στην έμφυτη φύση τους): «Δεν είμαι ο Κύριός σας;» Είπαν: «Ναι, πράγματι, Εσύ είσαι, και μαρτυρούμε γι' αυτό.» (Το κάναμε αυτό) για να μην πείτε την Ημέρα της Ανάστασης: «Στ' αλήθεια, δεν το ξέραμε αυτό!»
7:173 Ή να πείτε: «Στ’ αλήθεια, οι γονείς μας -πριν από μας- είναι εκείνοι που απέδιδαν (πρώτοι) εταίρους στον Αλλάχ στη λατρεία, ενώ εμείς ήμασταν οι απόγονοι -μετά απ' αυτούς- (και απλά τους ακολουθήσαμε από άγνοια). Θα μας καταστρέψεις, λοιπόν, για ό,τι έκαναν εκείνοι που κατέστησαν τις καλές πράξεις τους μάταιες (μέσω της απιστίας τους);»
7:172 तथा (वह समय याद करें) जब आपके पालनहार ने आदम के बेटों की पीठों से उनकी संतति को निकाला और उन्हें स्वयं उनपर गवाह बनाते हुए कहा : क्या मैं तुम्हारा पालनहार नहीं हूँ? उन्होंने कहा : क्यों नहीं, हम (इसके) गवाह[64] हैं। (ऐसा न हो) कि तुम क़ियामत के दिन कहो निःसंदेह हम इससे ग़ाफ़िल थे।
7:173 अथवा यह कहो कि शिर्क तो हमसे पहले हमारे बाप-दादा ही ने किया था और हम तो उनके बाद उनकी संतान थे। तो क्या तू गुमराहों के कर्म के कारण हमें विनष्ट करता है?[65]
7:172 E quando il tuo Dio ha estratto i discendenti dai lombi dei figli di Ǣdem, rendendoli testimoni riguardo se stessi: «Non sono forse il vostro Dio?» Dissero: «Certo, testimoniamo!» Ciò perché il Giorno del Giudizio non diciate: «Noi in verità ne eravamo ignari!»
7:173 O non diciate: «In verità i nostri padri furono idolatri prima di noi, ed eravamo loro discendenti. Ci distruggi per ciò che hanno fatto gli idolatri?”
7:172 172. Ir (atminkite) kai jūsų Viešpats išvedė iš Adomo Vaikų, iš jų strėnų, jų sėklas (arba iš Adomo strėnų jo palikuonis) ir privertė juos paliudyti patiems sau (sakant): „Argi aš nesu jūsų Viešpats?“ Jie tarė: „Taip! Mes liudijame.“ tam, kad Prikėlimo dieną nesakytumėte: „Iš tiesų, mes to nežinojome.“
7:173 173. Arba kad nesakytumėte: „Tai tik mūsų tėvai kadaise priskyrė partnerius garbinime Allahui ir mes buvome (tik jų) palikuonys po jų. Argi Tu sunaikinsi mus dėl žmonių, kurie praktikavo Al-Batil (t. y. daugiadievystę ir nusikaltimų bei nuodėmių darymą, šaukiantis ir garbinant kitus nei Allahas) veiksmų?“
7:172 (yaadadhu) Yeroo Gooftaan kee ilmaan Aadam irraa, dugdaalee isaanii irraa sanyiilee isaanii baase, lubbuulee isaanii irratti ragaa isaan godhee "Ani Gooftaa keessanii mitii?" (jecheen), (Isaanis) "Eeyyeen; ragaa baanee jirra" jedhan, (Kun) akka isin Guyyaa Qiyaamaa "nuti kana irraa dagatoo turre" hin jenneefi.
7:173 “Yookiin abbootii keenyatu duraan (Rabbitti) qindeessani; nuti sanyii isaaniin boodaa turre, Sila waan balleessitoonni hojjataniin nu balleessitaa?” akka isin hin jenneef (ragaa isin goone).
7:172 И вот твой Господь взял у сынов Адама — из их чресл[40] — их потомство и сделал их свидетелями против самих себя [, сказав]: «Разве Я — не ваш Господь?» Они сказали: «Напротив, мы засвидетельствовали!» [Это — для того], чтобы в День воскресения вы не сказали: «Воистину, мы пребывали в неведении об этом»,
7:173 или [чтобы] вы не сказали: «Воистину, наши отцы придавали сотоварищей Аллаху ещё раньше, а мы лишь были потомством после них. Неужели Ты погубишь нас за то, что сделали сторонники ложного?»
7:172 И кад је Господар твој од Адамових синова, из њихових кичми, извео њихово потомство и затражио од њих да посведоче против себе: „Зар нисам Ја ваш Господар?“ Они су одговарали: „Јеси, ми сведочимо“, и зато да на Судњем дану не кажете: „Ми о овоме нисмо ништа знали.“
7:173 Или да не кажете: „Наши су преци пре нас друга божанства обожавали, а ми смо генерација после њих. Зар ћеш да нас казниш за оно што су лажљивци чинили?“
7:172 Na pale Mola wako Mlezi alipochukua kutoka kwa wanadamu kutoka katika migongo yao dhuria zao na akawashuhudisha juu ya nafsi zao (na kuwaambia), "Je, mimi si Mola wenu Mlezi?" Wakasema, "Ndiyo, tumeshuhudia." Mje mkasema Siku ya Kiyama, "Hakika sisi tulikuwa tumeghafilika mbali na haya."
7:173 Au mkasema: Hakika baba zetu ndio walioshirikisha kabla yetu, na sisi ni dhuriya zao tu baada yao. Basi utatuangamiza kwa sababu ya waliyoyafanya wapotovu?
7:172 Och minns när din Herre tog fram avkomman ur Adams avkomlingars länder och fick dem att vittna om sig själva: ”Är jag inte er Herre?” De sa: ”Jo, vi vittnar!” Detta skedde för att ni inte ska säga på uppståndelsens dag: ”Vi hade ingen aning om detta!”
7:173 Och inte heller säga: ”Det var våra förfäder som var avgudadyrkare, och vi var bara deras avkomma. Ska du straffa oss för vad de som omintetgjorde [sin tro] gjorde?”
7:172 Hani Rabbin (ezelde) Âdemoğullarının sulplerinden zürriyetlerini almış, onları kendilerine karşı şahit tutarak: “Ben sizin Rabbiniz değil miyim?” demişti. Onlar da: “Evet, şahit olduk (ki Rabbimizsin)” demişlerdi. Böyle yapmamız kıyamet günü: “Biz bundan habersizdik” dememeniz içindir.
7:173 Ya da bizim atalarımız önceden şirk koşmuşlar. Biz de onlardan sonra gelen bir nesiliz. Batıla düşenlerin yaptıklarından dolayı bizi helâk mi edeceksin? demeyesiniz.
7:172 اور جب آپ کے رب نے اوﻻد آدم کی پشت سے ان کی اوﻻد کو نکالا اور ان سے ان ہی کے متعلق اقرار لیا کہ کیا میں تمہارا رب نہیں ہوں؟ سب نے جواب دیا کیوں نہیں! ہم سب گواه بنتے ہیں[1] ۔ تاکہ تم لوگ قیامت کے روز یوں نہ کہو کہ ہم تو اس سے محض بے خبر تھے۔
7:173 یا یوں کہو کہ پہلے پہلے شرک تو ہمارے بڑوں نے کیا اور ہم ان کے بعد ان کی نسل میں ہوئے، سو کیا ان غلط راه والوں کے فعل پر تو ہم کو ہلاکت میں ڈال دے گا؟[1]
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وَٱلَّذِينَ يُمَسِّكُونَ بِٱلْكِتَٰبِ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ إِنَّا لَا نُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِينَ
Easy-read (simplified)walladheena yumassikoona bil-kitaabi wa'aqaamoo s-salaata innaa laa nudee'u ajra l-musliheen
DIN 31635wallaḏīna yumassikūna bil-kitābi waʾaqāmū ṣ-ṣalāta ʾinnā lā nuḍīʿu ʾaǧra l-muṣliḥīna
Those who adhere to the Scripture, and practice prayer-We will not waste the reward of the reformers.
And as for those who make (men) keep the Scripture, and establish worship - lo! We squander not the wages of reformers
But those who hold fast by the Book and are steadfast in prayer - verily, we will not waste the hire of those who do right
And who hold fast the Book, and observe prayer: verily, we will not suffer the reward of the righteous to perish
And as for those who hold fast by the Book and observe Prayer, surely, We suffer not the reward of the righteous to perish
وَإِذْ نَتَقْنَا ٱلْجَبَلَ فَوْقَهُمْ كَأَنَّهُۥ ظُلَّةٌ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُۥ وَاقِعٌۢ بِهِمْ خُذُوا۟ مَآ ءَاتَيْنَٰكُم بِقُوَّةٍ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ مَا فِيهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
Easy-read (simplified)wa'idh nataqnaa l-jabala fawqahum ka'annahu zullatun wazannoo annahu waaqi'un bihim khudhoo maa aataynaakum biquwwatin wadhkuroo maa feehi la'allakum tattaqoon
DIN 31635waʾiḏ nataqnā l-ǧabala fawqahum kaʾannahu ẓullatun waẓannū ʾannahu wāqiʿun bihim ḫuḏū mā ʾātaynākum biquwwatin waḏkurū mā fīhi laʿallakum tattaqūna
And when We suspended the mountain over them, as if it was an umbrella, and they thought it would fall on them: "Hold fast to what We have given you, and remember what it contains, so that you may be saved."
And when We shook the Mount above them as it were a covering, and they supposed that it was going to fall upon them (and We said): Hold fast that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein, that ye may ward off (evil)
And when we shook the mountain over them, as though it were a shadow, and they thought it would fall upon them (saying), 'Take ye what we have given you with firmness, and remember what is therein; haply ye may fear
And when we shook the mount over them as if it had been a shadow, and they thought it falling upon them, . . . "Receive, said we, with steadfastness what we have brought you, and remember what is therein to the end that ye may fear God
And when We shook the mountain over them as though it were a covering and they thought it was going to fall on them, We said, 'Hold fast that which We have given you and remember what is therein that you may guard against evil
7:172–173 — the verse above
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ ٱلْـَٔايَٰتِ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ
Easy-read (simplified)wakadhaalika nufassilu l-'aayaati wala'allahum yarji'oon
DIN 31635wakaḏālika nufaṣṣilu l-ʾāyāti walaʿallahum yarǧiʿūna
We thus elaborate the revelations, so that they may return.
Thus we detail the revelations, that haply they may return
Thus do we detail the signs; haply they may return
Thus make we our signs clear: that haply they may return to God
And thus do We make clear the Signs, that they may be admonished and that they may return to good
وَٱتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَاتَيْنَٰهُ ءَايَٰتِنَا فَٱنسَلَخَ مِنْهَا فَأَتْبَعَهُ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنُ فَكَانَ مِنَ ٱلْغَاوِينَ
Easy-read (simplified)watlu 'alayhim naba'a lladhee aataynaahu aayaatinaa faansalakha minhaa fa'atba'ahu sh-shaytaanu fakaana mina l-ghaaween
DIN 31635watlu ʿalayhim nabaʾa llaḏī ʾātaynāhu ʾāyātinā fānsalaḫa minhā faʾatbaʿahu š-šayṭānu fakāna mina l-ġāwīna
And relate to them the story of him to whom We delivered Our signs, but he detached himself from them, so Satan went after him, and he became one of the perverts.
Recite unto them the tale of him to whom We gave Our revelations, but he sloughed them off, so Satan overtook him and he became of those who lead astray
Read to them the declaration of him to whom we brought our signs, and who stepped away therefrom, and Satan followed him, and he was of those who were beguiled
Recite to them the history of him to whom we vouchsafed our signs, and who departed from them, so that Satan followed him, and he became one of the seduced
And relate to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Signs, but he stepped away from them; so Satan followed him up and he became one of those who go astray
What this study rests on, and what it refusessigned with it4 of the 5 paragraphs signed with this study; the paragraph naming what it does not answer is at the top of the page
The selection above and this account of it are part of what was signed. Where the renderings disagree it says so; where the question runs past what has cleared the rights audit it says that too.
Read across the four public-domain translations - Sale 1734, Rodwell 1861, Palmer 1880, Pickthall 1930 - of 7:172-173, in full, and nothing else. This study consults no , no , no occasion of revelation and no biography, because none is yet available in an edition whose usage rights can be verified. Itani 2012, the fifth translation shown with these verses, was not consulted for this study.
How this set was arrived at. The verses were found by a word search of the four public-domain translations, using terms chosen by the editor and listed here as they were searched - am + i + not + your + lord; children + adam + loins; seed + their + backs; yea + we + testify. The search was a way of finding passages, not a judgement about what they mean: that several translators chose the same English word is not evidence about the Arabic. A different choice of terms gives a different set.
What was returned and not carried. 8 verse(s) the search qualified are recorded as not carried with a reason each, rather than silently discarded: 6:104 - matched on the testimony language; the subject is proofs in this life; 7:71 - Hud and his people; 7:105 - Moses before Pharaoh; 10:108 - near-identical to 6:104; 11:88 - Shu'ayb; 18:110 - carried by What does the Qur'an teach about God's oneness (tawhid)?; 42:15 - the Prophet's declaration; 60:1 - matched incidentally.
Where the translations part company, named rather than resolved. How differently the translations word each verse is shown on that verse's page, and the study names the differences it turns on rather than choosing between them.
Sources & method
Translations Edward Henry Palmer, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired
Edward Henry Palmer, English translation of the Qur'an ·1880 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Translations George Sale, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired
George Sale, English translation of the Qur'an ·1734 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Translations John Medows Rodwell, English translation of the Qur'an·Public domain — copyright term expired
John Medows Rodwell, English translation of the Qur'an ·1861 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Translations Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran·Public domain — copyright term expired
Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran ·1930 translation, digital edition of unverified printing·None — public domain work ·Public domain — copyright term expired·retrieved 24 Aug 2026
Translations Talal Itani, ClearQuran·Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Talal Itani, ClearQuran ·ClearQuran, "God" edition, EPUB·Talal Itani / ClearQuran.com ·Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International·retrieved 7 Sep 2026
Translation by Talal Itani, ClearQuran.com https://clearquran.com
Editorial status
- Editorial status
- Editorially prepared · not independently reviewed — signed by the AALAMIN Editor; no external scholarly review
- Theme
- Review status
- Published
- 6 September 2026
- Updated
- 17 September 2026
A dashed outline marks a tag the editors handle with extra care. It describes how this study is filed and shown, not what the verses say.
AALAMIN Editor
Qur'anic text from the Tanzil Project. Copyright (C) 2007-2026 Tanzil Project License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Source: tanzil.net · Updates: tanzil.net/updates/ https://tanzil.net/updates/