ٱلزُّخْرُف : ٣٣

  • وَلَوۡلَآ And if not
  • أَن that
  • يَكُونَ (would) become
  • ٱلنَّاسُ [the] mankind
  • أُمَّةٗ a community
  • وَٰحِدَةٗ one
  • لَّجَعَلۡنَا We (would have) made
  • لِمَن for (one) who
  • يَكۡفُرُ disbelieves
  • بِٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ in the Most Gracious
  • لِبُيُوتِهِمۡ for their houses
  • سُقُفٗا roofs
  • مِّن of
  • فِضَّةٖ silver
  • وَمَعَارِجَ and stairways
  • عَلَيۡهَا upon which
  • يَظۡهَرُونَ they mount
And if it were not that the people would become one community [of disbelievers],1 We would have made for those who disbelieve in the Most Merciful - for their houses - ceilings and stairways of silver upon which to mount.
Footnotes
1 Who assumed that Allāh's generosity to them was a sign of His approval or who would hasten to disbelief in order to obtain wealth.
And were it not [for the danger] that mankind would be one community, following disbelief, We would have made, for those who disbelieve in the Compassionate One, roofs (read saqfan, or plural suqufan) of silver for their houses (li-buyootihim substitutes for li-man, 'for those who') and stairs, such as steps, [also] of silver, by which they ascend, [by which] they go up to the roof;