“Or you say: ‘Our fathers but ascribed a partnership before, and we were progeny after them; wilt Thou then destroy us for what the creators of vanity did?’”
| # | word | meaning | root |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | aw | Or | |
| 2 | taqūlū | you say | قول |
| 3 | innamā | Only | |
| 4 | ashraka | partners (were) associated (with Allah) | شرك |
| 5 | ābāunā | (by) our forefathers | ابو |
| 6 | min | from | |
| 7 | qablu | before (us) | قبل |
| 8 | wakunnā | and we are | كون |
| 9 | dhurriyyatan | descendants | ذرر |
| 10 | min | from | |
| 11 | baʿdihim | after them | بعد |
| 12 | afatuh'likunā | So will You destroy us | هلك |
| 13 | bimā | for what | |
| 14 | faʿala | did | فعل |
| 15 | l-mub'ṭilūna | the falsifiers | بطل |
Or lest you say, ‘Our forefathers associated others with Allah before our time, and we are merely descendants coming after them. So are You going to destroy us for what those purveyors of falsehood did?’
Nor can you Say: "It was our fathers who set up partners before and we were simply a progeny who came after them. Would You destroy us for what the innovators did"
Nor will any excuse avail them such as, "It was our forefathers who took false gods and we inherited their belief system. Will you punish us for what falsehood others practiced?" (You will not be questioned what others used to do. No one will bear the load of another (2:134), (39:7)).
“Or you say: ‘Our fathers but ascribed a partnership before, and we were progeny after them; wilt Thou then destroy us for what the creators of vanity did?’”
Nor can you say: "It was our fathers who set up partners before and we were simply a progeny who came after them. Would You destroy us for what the innovators did?"
Nor can you say, "It was our fathers who set up partners before and we were simply a progeny who came after them. Would You destroy us for what the innovators did?"
Nor can you say, "It was our parents who practiced idolatry, and we simply followed in their footsteps. Will You punish us because of what others have innovated?"
Or, lest they should say: "It were our fathers who had ascribed compeers to God; we are only their offspring. Will You destroy us for the deeds of those who dealt in vanities?"
Or you say, "It was only that our fathers associated with Allah before, and we were but descendants after them. Then would You destroy us for what the falsifiers have done?"
or lest you say, "Verily, it was but our forefathers who, in times gone by, began to ascribe divinity to other beings beside God; and we were but their late offspring: wilt Thou, then, destroy us for the doings of those inventors of falsehoods?"
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: 'Our forefathers before us who associated others with Allah in His divinity; we were merely their offspring who followed them. And would You destroy us for that which the unrighteous did?'*
Or you might say: "Our fathers had incorporated with Allah other deities, and as their descendents, they have had much influence on our thoughts; will You O Allah subject us to the torment to pay a debt owed to You by the damned!"
Man cannot say then: "Why do you hold us responsible for what our grandfathers started and we simply followed in their footsteps?"
Or lest you should say: "It was only our fathers afortime who took others as partners in worship along with Allâh, and we were (merely their) descendants after them; will You then destroy us because of the deeds of men who practised Al-Bâtil (i.e. polytheism and committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allâh)?" (Tafsir At-Tabarî).
Or lest ye should say: "Our fathers before us may have taken false gods, but we are (their) descendants after them: wilt Thou then destroy us because of the deeds of men who were futile?"
Nor say, ‘It was our forefathers who had associated others ˹with Allah in worship˺ and we, as their descendants, followed in their footsteps. Will you then destroy us for the falsehood they invented?’"
or you should say, "It was our forefathers who associated partners with Allah, and we were their progeny after them; would you then destroy us on account of what the erroneous did?"
or, ‘It was our forefathers who, before us, ascribed partners to God, and we are only the descendants who came after them: will you destroy us because of falsehoods they invented?’
or lest you say, 'Our fathers were idolaters aforetime, and we were seed after them. What, wilt Thou then destroy us for the deeds of the vain-doers?'
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 say, "Verily, our fathers associated others with Allah before us, and we were but their seed after them. Will you then destroy us for the futile deeds of the doers of futility (or vanities)?"
Or that you should not say, "Surely it is only our fathers (who) associated (i. e., associated others with Allah) earlier, and we were (their) offspring even after them. Would You then cause us to perish for what the wrong-doers performed?".
Or lest you should say, 'It was only our fathers who associated co-partners with Allah in the past and we were merely a generation after them. Wilt Thou then destroy us for what those, who lied, did?
Or in case you may say: "Our fathers before us may have taken false gods, but we are (their) descendants: Then will You destroy us because of the deeds of men who were useless?"
Or (lest) you should say, `It were only our forefathers who associated partners (with God) in the past and we only happened to be their children who came after them (to follow in their footsteps). Will You then destroy us for the vain doings of the perpetrators of falsehood?'
or lest you should say, ‘Our fathers ascribed partners before and we were descendants after them. Will You then destroy us because of what the falsifiers have done?’