# 7. Surah Al-A'raf, Verse 23 - **Surah:** 7. Surah Al-A'raf (The Heights) — سورة الأعراف - **Verse:** 23 / 206 · **Juz:** 8 · **Mushaf page:** 152 - **Source:** https://quran.so/surah-al-araf/verse-23 ## Arabic قَالَا رَبَّـنَا ظَلَمْنَٓا اَنْفُسَنَا وَاِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِر۪ينَ ## Transcription Qala rabbana thalamnaanfusana wa-in lam taghfir lana watarhamnalanakoonanna mina alkhasireen ## Translations ### Aisha Bewley They said, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If you do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will be among the lost.’ ### Progressive Muslims They said: "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, then we will be of the losers!" ### Shabbir Ahmed They said, "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. Unless You forgive us and have mercy on us, we will certainly be lost." (Man and woman accepted responsibility acknowledging that they had free will as against Satan who had ascribed his disobedience to the Will of Allah (7:16)) ### Sam Gerrans — The Qur'an: A Complete Revelation They said: “Our Lord: we have wronged our souls; and if Thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, we will be among the losers.” ### The Monotheist Group — The Quran: A Monotheist Translation They said: "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, then we will be of the losers!" ### Rashad Khalifa — The Final Testament They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged our souls, and unless You forgive us and have mercy on us, we will be losers." ### Mohamed Ahmed - Samira They said: "O our Lord, we have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we shall certainly be lost." ### Sahih International — (Umm Muhammad, Mary Kennedy, Amatullah Bantley) They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers. " ### Muhammad Asad The two replied: "O our Sustainer! We have sinned against ourselves -and unless Thou grant us forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon us, we shall most certainly be lost!" ### Marmaduke Pickthall They said: Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, surely we are of the lost! ### Abul A'la Maududi — Tafhim commentary Both cried out: 'Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and do not have mercy on us, we shall surely be among the losers.'[1] _Footnotes_ - [1] The narrative sheds light on the following significant points: (i) Modesty and bashfulness are inherent in human nature. The primary manifestation of this instinct is seen in the sense of shame that one feels when one is required to expose the private parts of one's body in the presence of others. According to the Qur'an, this bashfulness is not artificial, nor an outcome of advancement in human culture and civilization. Nor is it something acquired as some misguided thinkers contend. On the contrary, modesty has been an integral part of human nature from the very beginning. (ii) The very first stratagem adopted by Satan in his bid to lead man astray from the Right Path consisted of undermining man's sense of modesty, to direct him towards lewdness and make him sexually deviant. In other words, the sexual instincts of man were taken by Satan as the most vulnerable aspect of human nature. Accordingly, he sought to weaken man's natural instincts of modesty and bashfulness. This devilish stratagem is still followed by the disciples of Satan in our time. For them, progress is inconceivable without exposing woman to the gaze of all and making her strip before others in one form or another.(iii) Such is human nature that man scarcely responds to an unambiguous invitation to evil. Those who seek to propagate evil are, therefore, forced to present themselves as sincere well-wishers of humanity. (iv) Man is naturally, drawn towards lofty ideals such as the attainment of superhuman positions and the securing of immortality. Satan achieved his first victory in his bid to mislead man by appealing to the latter's inherent desire to attain immortality. Satan's most effective weapon is to promise man a more elevated position than his present one, and then set him on a course that leads instead to his degradation. (v) Here the Qur'an refutes the fairly popular view that Satan first misled Eve and later used her as an instrument to mislead Adam. (See Ibn Kathir's comments on (verses 22-3 - Ed.) The Qur'anic version of the story is that Satan attempted to mislead both Adam and Eve, and in fact both fell prey to his guile. At first sight, this might seem of trivial significance. However, all those who are acquainted with the impact of this version of Adam's fall on the moral, legal and social degradation of women will appreciate the significance of this Qur'anic statement.(vi) There is hardly any basis to assume that the forbidden tree had certain inherent qualities which could result in the exposure of Adam and Eve's private parts as soon as they had tasted its fruit. Instead of the forbidden tree possessing any extraordinary qualities, it was rather man's disobedience to God which led to his fall from his original state. Initially, Adam and Eve's private parts had remained hidden on account of special arrangements made by God. Once they disobeyed, they were deprived of that special Divine arrangement, and were left to themselves to cover their nakedness if they so wished. (vii) This was a way, of conveying to mankind for all time that whenever he disobeys God, he will sooner or later be exposed; that man will enjoy God's support and protection only so long as he remains obedient to Him. Once man transgresses the bounds of his obedience, he will be deprived of God's care and protection and left to his own self. This idea is also embodied in many traditions from the Prophet (peace be on him). According to a tradition, the Prophet (peace be on him) prayed: 'O God! I seek Your Mercy. Do not leave me to my own care even for the wink of an eye!' (Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 5, P. 421 - Ed.) (vii) Satan wanted to prove that man did not deserve, not even for a moment, the superior status which had been granted to him by God. However, Satan failed in the very first round of his efforts to discredit man. Granted, man did not fully succeed in obeying God's command; rather, he fell prey to the machinations of his arch-enemy, Satan, and deviated from the path of obedience. Nevertheless, it is evident even in the course of this first encounter that man is a morally superior being. This is clear from many a thing. First, whereas Satan laid claim to superiority, man made no such claim rather a superior status was bestowed upon him by God. Second, Satan disobeyed God out of sheer pride and arrogance. But far from openly revolting against God out of his own prompting, man was disobedient under Satan's evil influence. Third, when man disobeyed God, he did so unwittingly, not realizing that he was committing a sin. 'Man was beguiled into disobedience by Satan ,who appeared in the garb of man's well-wisher. It was Satan who persuaded him to believe that in the fruit of the forbidden tree lay his good, that his action would lead him to the heights of goodness, not to the depths of evil. Fourth, when Satan was warned, rather than confessing his mistake and repenting, he clung even more adamantly to disobedience. But when man was told that he had sinned, he did not resort to continued transgression as Satan did. As soon as man realized his mistake, he confessed his fault, returned to the course of obedience and sought refuge in God's mercy. This story draws a clear line between the way of Satan and the way that befits man. Satan's way is characterized by rebellion against God, by arrogantly persisting in that rebellion even after having been warned, and by trying to mislead the righteously disposed towards sin and disobedience. As opposed to this, the way that befits man is to resist the evil promptings of Satan and to be constantly vigilant against Satanic machinations. But, if in spite of all these precautions, a man does swerve from the course of obedience, he should turn, as soon as he realizes his fault, to God in penitence and remorse and make amends. This is the lesson that God conveys to man through this anecdote. The Qur'an seeks to impress upon the opponents of the Prophet (peace be on him) that the way, they are following is the way of Satan. To become indifferent to God's Guidance, to take satans among men and jinn as their protectors and to persist in disobedience despite repeated warnings, amounts to adopting a Satanic attitude. It demonstrates that they have fallen prey to the snares of the arch-enemy and have been totally overpowered by him. This attitude will lead to their total undoing just as it led to Satan's undoing. Anyone who has even an iota of understanding should heed and emulate the example of his foreparents - Adam and Eve - who repented and made amends after their disobedience. ### Abdel Khalek Himmat — Al- Muntakhab "Indeed O Allah, our Creator", they said: "We were wrongful of actions, and unless You, in Whom we have the forgiveness of sins, extend Your mercy to both of us and forgive us, we will most certainly be great losers". ### Bijan Moeinian Both of them [unlike Satan who did not show any regret for his disobedience] said: "Lord, we have done a great injustice to ourselves. If you do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will be the losers." ### Al-Hilali & Khan They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers." ### Abdullah Yusuf Ali They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost." ### Mustafa Khattab — The Clear Quran They replied, "Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will certainly be losers." ### Taqi Usmani They said, "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and do not bless us with mercy, we shall, indeed, be among the losers. ### Abdul Haleem They replied, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged our souls: if You do not forgive us and have mercy, we shall be lost.’ ### Arthur John Arberry They said, 'Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if Thou dost not forgive us, and have mercy upon us, we shall surely be among the lost. ' ### E. Henry Palmer They said, 'O our Lord! we have wronged ourselves - and if Thou dost not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall surely be of those who are lost!' ### Hamid S. Aziz They said, "O our Lord! We have wronged our own souls - and if you do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall surely be of those who are lost!" ### Mahmoud Ghali They both said, "Our Lord, we have done an injustice to ourselves; and in case You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, indeed we (both) will definitely be among the losers. " ### George Sale They answered, O Lord, we have dealt unjustly with our own souls; and if thou forgive us not, and be not merciful unto us, we shall surely be of those who perish. ### Syed Vickar Ahamed They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If You will not forgive us and grant from your Mercy upon us, We shall certainly be losers. " ### Amatul Rahman Omar Both of them said, `Our Lord! we have done injustice to our souls, and if You do not protect us (against the consequences of our faults) and do not have mercy on us, we shall surely be of the losers. ' ### Ali Quli Qarai They said, ‘Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves! If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers. ’ ### Ahmed Hulusi — Türkçe Kur'an Çözümü Dediler ki: "Rabbimiz! Nefsimize zulmettik. . . Eğer bizi bağışlamaz ve bize rahmet etmez isen, biz kesinlikle hüsrana uğrayanlardan oluruz. " ### Ali Bulaç — Kur'an-ı Kerim ve Türkçe Anlamı Dediler ki: "Rabbimiz, biz nefislerimize zulmettik, eğer bizi bağışlamazsan ve esirgemezsen, gerçekten hüsrana uğrayanlardan olacağız." ### Bayraktar Bayraklı — Yeni Bir Anlayışın Işığında Kur'an Meali Adem ile eşi dediler ki: "Ey Rabbimiz! Biz kendimize haksızlık ettik. Eğer bizi bağışlamaz ve bize merhamet etmezsen, elbette ziyan edenlerden oluruz." ### Diyanet İşleri — Kur'an-ı Kerim Türkçe Meali Dediler ki: "Rabbimiz! Biz kendimize zulüm ettik. Eğer bizi bağışlamaz ve bize acımazsan mutlaka ziyan edenlerden oluruz." ### Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır — Kur'an-ı Kerim ve Yüce Meali Rabbena, dediler, nefsilerimize zulmettik, eğer sen bize mağfiret etmez, merhamet buyurmazsan şüphe yok ki husrana düşenlerden oluruz ### Elmalılı (sadeleştirilmiş) Onlar: "Rabbimiz, biz kendimize zulmettik; eğer Sen bizi bağışlamaz, bize merhamet etmezsen kesinlikle hüsrana uğrayanlardan oluruz." dediler. ### Gültekin Onan Dediler ki: "Rabbimiz, biz nefslerimize zulmettik, eğer bizi bağışlamazsan ve esirgemezsen, gerçekten hüsrana uğrayanlardan olacağız." ### Hasan Basri Çantay — Kur'an-ı Hakim ve Meal-i Kerim Dediler: "Ey Rabbimiz, kendimize yazık etdik. Eğer bizi bağışlamaz, bizi esirgemezsen her halde (maddi ve ma'nevi en büyük) zarara uğrayanlardan olacağız". ### İbni Kesir İkisi dediler ki: Rabbımız; kendimize zulmettik. Eğer bizi bağışlamazsan ve bize merhamet etmezsen; muhakkak ki biz, hüsrana uğrayanlardan oluruz. ### Muhammed Esed — Kur'an Mesajı O ikisi: "Ey Rabbimiz! Biz kendimize yazık ettik; bizi bağışlamaz ve bize merhamet etmezsen, hiç şüphesiz, kaybedenlerden olacağız!" dediler. ### Şaban Piriş — Kur'an-ı Kerim Türkçe Anlamı -Rabbimiz, kendimize zulmettik, bizi bağışlamaz ve bize merhamet etmezsen elbette hüsrana uğrayanlardan oluruz, dediler. ### Süleyman Ateş — Kur'an-ı Kerim ve Yüce Meali Dediler: "Rabbimiz, biz kendimize zulmettik, eğer bizi bağışlamaz ve bize acımazsan, muhakkak ziyana uğrayanlardan oluruz!" ### Yaşar Nuri Öztürk — Kur'an-ı Kerim Meali "Ey Rabbimiz, dediler, öz benliklerimize zulmettik. Eğer bizi affetmez, bize acımazsan elbette ki hüsrana uğrayanlardan olacağız." ### Mustafa İslamoğlu — Hayat Kitabı Kur’an Her ikisi de dediler ki: "Rabbimiz! Biz kendi kendimize zulmetmişiz; eğer bizi bağışlamaz ve bize acımazsan, kesinlikle kaybedenler arasına gireriz!" ### Erhan Aktaş (Eski Baskı) — Kerim Kur'an "Ey Rabb'imiz! Biz, kendimize zulmettik. Eğer bizi bağışlamaz ve merhamet etmezsen hüsrana uğrayanlardan oluruz." dediler. ### Ali Rıza Safa — Kur'an-ı Kerim Gerçek Dediler ki: "Efendimiz! Kendimize yazık ettik. Bizi bağışlamaz ve bize acımazsan, kesinlikle yitime uğrayanlar arasında oluruz!" ### Süleymaniye Vakfı (Eski Baskı) — Süleymaniye Vakfı Meali Dediler ki "Rabbimiz! Biz ne ettikse kendimize ettik. Bizi bağışlamaz (durumumuzu düzeltmez) ve bize acımazsan, kaybedenlere karışır gideriz." ### Mehmet Okuyan — Kur’an Meal-Tefsir (Âdem ve eşi) şöyle dua etmişlerdi: "Rabbimiz! Biz kendimize haksızlık ettik. Bizi bağışlamaz ve bize merhamet etmezsen elbette kaybedenlerden olacağız."[1] _Footnotes_ - [1] Bu cümle Bakara 2:37'in açılımıdır. ### Erhan Aktaş (10. Baskı) — Kerim Kur'an "Ey Rabb'imiz! Biz, kendimize zulmettik. Eğer bizi bağışlamaz ve merhamet etmezsen hüsrana uğrayanlardan oluruz." dediler. ### Erhan Aktaş — Kerim Kur'an "Ey Rabb'imiz! Biz, kendimize zulmettik. Eğer bizi bağışlamaz ve merhamet etmezsen hüsrana uğrayanlardan oluruz." dediler. ### Süleymaniye Vakfı — Süleymaniye Vakfı Meali Dediler ki: "Rabbimiz! Biz kendimizi kötü duruma düşürdük. Bizi bağışlamaz ve ikramda bulunmazsan, kaybedenlerden oluruz." ## Words | # | word | meaning | root | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | قَالَا — qālā | Both of them said | قول — Kaf-Vav-Lam | | 2 | رَبَّنَا — rabbanā | Our Lord | ربب — Ra-Ba-Ba | | 3 | ظَلَمْنَآ — ẓalamnā | we have wronged | ظلم — Zay-Lam-Mim | | 4 | أَنفُسَنَا — anfusanā | ourselves | نفس — Nun-Fe-Sin | | 5 | وَإِن — wa-in | and if | — | | 6 | لَّمْ — lam | not | — | | 7 | تَغْفِرْ — taghfir | You forgive | غفر — Gayn-Fe-Ra | | 8 | لَنَا — lanā | [for] us | — | | 9 | وَتَرْحَمْنَا — watarḥamnā | and have mercy (on) us | رحم — Ra-Ha-Mim | | 10 | لَنَكُونَنَّ — lanakūnanna | surely, we will be | كون — Kef-Vav-Nun | | 11 | مِنَ — mina | among | — | | 12 | ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ — l-khāsirīna | the losers | خسر — Kh-Sin-Ra | --- Previous: https://quran.so/surah-al-araf/verse-22.md · Next: https://quran.so/surah-al-araf/verse-24.md Retrieved: 2026-08-14 Quran.so — https://quran.so — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — When quoting, name the translator.