Translation of the meanings Ayah 168 Surah Al-A‘rāf - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary (in progress) - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 168

وَقَطَّعۡنَٰهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ أُمَمٗاۖ مِّنۡهُمُ ٱلصَّٰلِحُونَ وَمِنۡهُمۡ دُونَ ذَٰلِكَۖ وَبَلَوۡنَٰهُم بِٱلۡحَسَنَٰتِ وَٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ

(168) And We cut them into ˹separate˺ nations ˹asunder˺ in the land^[1807]; among them are those who are righteous and those who are less so. We tested them with the good and bad ˹fortune˺ so that they might return.

[1807] Allusion here is made to the Jewish Diaspora and their forced dispersion out of their lands (cf. al-Biqāʿī, Naẓm al-Durar): “And We decreed to the Children of Israel in the Book that: “You will surely cause corruption on the Earth twice, and you will surely reach ˹a degree of˺ great haughtiness. *When the first of the two warnings would come to pass, We would send against you some of Our servants, of great might, who would ravage your lands. This would be a warning fulfilled. *Then We would give you the upper hand over them and aid you with wealth and offspring, causing you to outnumber them. *If you act rightly, it is for your own good, but if you do wrong, it is to your own loss. And when the second warning would come to pass, your enemies would totally disgrace you and enter the temple as they entered it the first time, and utterly destroy whatever would fall into their hands. *Perhaps your Lord will have mercy on you ˹should you repent˺, but if you return ˹to sin˺, We will return ˹to punishment˺. And We have made Hell a prison for the Deniers”” (17: 4-8).