وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَنِي آدَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَا ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَٰذَا غَافِلِينَ ١٧٢

And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying): "Am I not your Lord?" They said: "Yes! We testify," lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: "Verily, we have been unaware of this."

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِن بَنِي آدَمَ

And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam,

مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ

from their loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring)

وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ

and made them testify as to themselves

أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ

(saying): 'Am I not your Lord?'

قَالُوا بَلَىٰ ۛ

They said: 'Yes! We testify,'

شَهِدْنَا ۛ

We testify,

أَن تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ

lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection:

إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَٰذَا غَافِلِينَ

'Verily, we have been unaware of this.'

أَوْ تَقُولُوا إِنَّمَا أَشْرَكَ آبَاؤُنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِّن بَعْدِهِمْ ۖ أَفَتُهْلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ ١٧٣

Or lest you should say: "It was only our fathers afortime who took others as partners in worship along with Allah, and we were (merely their) descendants after them; will You then destroy us because of the deeds of men who practised Al-Batil (i.e. polytheism and committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allah)?" (Tafsir At-Tabari).

أَوْ تَقُولُوا

Or lest you should say:

إِنَّمَا أَشْرَكَ آبَاؤُنَا مِن قَبْلُ

It was only our fathers afortime who took others as partners in worship along with Allah,

وَكُنَّا ذُرِّيَّةً مِّن بَعْدِهِمْ ۖ

and we were (merely their) descendants after them;

أَفَتُهْلِكُنَا

will You then destroy us

بِمَا فَعَلَ الْمُبْطِلُونَ

because of the deeds of men who practised Al-Batil (i.e. polytheism and committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allah)?

وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ ١٧٤

Thus do We explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail, so that they may turn (unto the truth).

وَكَذَٰلِكَ

Thus do We

نُفَصِّلُ الْآيَاتِ

explain the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail

وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ

so that they may turn (unto the truth)