Qur’anic supplication · meaning, pronunciation and practice
The words of Adam and his wife in this verse acknowledge wrongdoing and dependence on forgiveness and mercy. They do not blame someone else or speak as though repair makes them independent of اللّٰه (ALLAH). This study helps a learner approach repentance truthfully without turning mistakes into despair.
Read the complete Qur’anic source
Qur’an study · Al-A'raf
Ayah 7:23
A full learner transliteration is not displayed here. Listen to the complete ayah and use the Arabic with a capable teacher rather than guessing its sounds from English letters.
Transliteration can help you begin, but it cannot reproduce every Arabic sound or replace listening, tajwid study, or correction from a capable teacher.Read from right to left. Each column keeps one Arabic word, its reading aid and its contextual gloss together. Select a word to hear it.
Each word card: Arabic · reading aid · contextual gloss
Saheeh International is the primary reading. The two named comparisons make translation choices visible; none is presented as the Arabic Qur’an itself.
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."
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!
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."
Sources used for this ayah panelOpen the Arabic, audio and translation notes
- Arabic and word segmentation
- Quran Foundation Quran.com Content API snapshot for Qur’an 7:23. The selected riwayah and Mushaf text field are recorded with the source data.
- Reading aids
- A full learner transliteration is not displayed; use the recitation and Arabic with a capable teacher. Transliteration is not Qur’an.
- Word audio and contextual glosses
- Quran Foundation word data. Glosses help align words; they are not presented as a complete translation.
- Named translations
- Saheeh International (resource 20), M. Pickthall (resource 19), and A. Yusuf Ali (resource 22).
- Complete recitation
- Mishari Rashid al-‘Afasy, Quran Foundation recitation resource 7.
Read the verse within the account in Surah Al-A‘raf. It records the response after the wrongdoing described in the surrounding passage. Keep the Qur’anic wording central and do not add unsourced accounts of private conversations, physical details or inherited guilt. The study explains this verse’s appeal; a complete treatment of repentance and people’s rights needs its wider evidence.
The panel keeps the Arabic text, transliteration, word meanings and named translations visibly distinct. Use the full verse to identify where the supplication begins. A quoted phrase must not silently include or omit surrounding narrative words.
Understand what you are asking
The words begin by addressing the Lord and acknowledging that the speakers wronged themselves. The appeal recognises the need for forgiveness and mercy and the seriousness of being without them. Follow that movement in the panel instead of extracting only the admission or only the hope. The plural wording belongs to the recorded speech and should remain unchanged when quoted as Qur’anic text.
Read the full named translation before using an individual word gloss. A gloss is a small reading aid: Arabic grammar and connected meaning do not always map onto separate English words. If two translations differ, compare their wording with a capable teacher rather than inventing a combined version labelled as revelation.
Learn the pronunciation with care
Use the complete verse recitation where available, or listen to a capable Qur’an reader. Then listen to one short phrase, follow its Arabic words and repeat after the reader. Compare the sound with the text instead of guessing pronunciation from English spelling. Use word audio where available, then return to the connected phrase.
Transliteration is temporary support. It does not represent every Arabic sound or replace recitation teaching. Ask a qualified reader about sounds you cannot distinguish and suitable stopping places. Practise at a pace that lets you listen accurately. The number of practice attempts is a learning choice, not a prescribed devotional count. A reading difficulty is a reason for patient support, not ridicule.
Bring the meaning into ordinary life
When you have acted wrongly, begin with an honest account rather than a convenient excuse. If another person’s property or reputation was affected, identify a responsible way to seek repair. These practical steps are not a full legal ruling about every kind of wrong. An adult should help a child distinguish an ordinary learning error from deliberate harm and should not use the verse to force a confession.
Acknowledging a wrong is not the same as declaring yourself beyond mercy. The verse contains an appeal, not a lesson in hopelessness. It also does not allow a person to recite words while treating another person’s rights as irrelevant.
When learning this text as Qur’an, preserve its wording. You can record personal reflections separately, clearly labelled as your own thoughts. A display, printout or audio recording is a way to access the words; it is not an object with independent protective power.
Teach a younger learner gently
Use a fictional example such as damaging borrowed stationery. Ask what an honest account sounds like and what repair might be possible. Do not invite public admissions of private behaviour. A younger learner can identify the appeal for forgiveness and mercy; an older learner can explain the difference between an excuse and an accurate explanation. Offer reassurance without promising that another person must immediately forgive.
Offer a way to answer that suits the learner: speech, pointing to a labelled phrase or a short written explanation. Correct one specific misunderstanding at a time. Do not rank siblings by memory speed or claim to know a child’s spiritual standing from a pronunciation attempt. Keep the learning record private and free of unnecessary personal details.
Check understanding and keep a useful record
How do acknowledgment, forgiveness and mercy belong together in this verse, and what practical repair might a real situation require?
Save the phrase you have reached, the meaning you can explain and one pronunciation question for your next session. Finishing the reading is different from memorising accurately; note these as separate learning aims. Revisit the source after a mistake and explain what changed in your understanding.
If you print the verse, choose only the pages you need and avoid wasting paper. Keep Qur’anic text clean and handle it respectfully. Ask a knowledgeable local teacher about appropriate handling when a printed copy is no longer needed; do not scatter or casually discard it.