وَاِذْ

قَالَتْ

اُمَّةٌ

مِّنْهُمْ

لِمَ

تَعِظُوْنَ

قَوْمَا ۙ

للّٰهُ

مُهْلِكُهُمْ

اَوْ

مُعَذِّبُهُمْ

عَذَابًا

شَدِیْدًا ؕ

قَالُوْا

مَعْذِرَةً

اِلٰی

رَبِّكُمْ

وَلَعَلَّهُمْ

یَتَّقُوْنَ

۟

When a group of them said, “Why do you exhort a people whom Allah is going to destroy or chastise with a severe punishment?” They said, “To absolve ourselves before your Lord, and in order that they may fear Allah.”