ٱلْإِسْرَاء : ٥٧

  • أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ Those
  • ٱلَّذِينَ whom
  • يَدۡعُونَ they call
  • يَبۡتَغُونَ seek
  • إِلَىٰ to
  • رَبِّهِمُ their Lord
  • ٱلۡوَسِيلَةَ the means of access
  • أَيُّهُمۡ which of them
  • أَقۡرَبُ (is) nearest
  • وَيَرۡجُونَ and they hope
  • رَحۡمَتَهُۥ (for) His mercy
  • وَيَخَافُونَ and fear
  • عَذَابَهُۥٓۚ His punishment
  • إِنَّ Indeed
  • عَذَابَ (the) punishment
  • رَبِّكَ (of) your Lord
  • كَانَ is
  • مَحۡذُورٗا (ever) feared
Those whom they invoke1 seek means of access to their Lord, [striving as to] which of them would be nearest, and they hope for His mercy and fear His punishment. Indeed, the punishment of your Lord is ever feared.
Footnotes
1 - Among the righteous of Allāh's creation, such as angels, prophets, deceased scholars, etc.
Those whom they call, gods, [they themselves] seek a means to their Lord, [they seek] nearness, by way of obedience, which of them (ayyuhum substitutes for the [third person indicator] waaw of [the verb] yabtaghoona, 'they seek') in other words, [even] he seeks it [this nearness] the one who, is nearer, to Him, so how [much more] is it [sought] in the case of others?; and they hope for His mercy and fear His chastisement, just like others, so how can you call them gods? Truly your Lord's chastisement is a thing to beware of.