ٱلْمَائِدَة : ٧١

  • وَحَسِبُوٓاْ And they thought
  • أَلَّا that not
  • تَكُونَ will be (for them)
  • فِتۡنَةٞ a trial
  • فَعَمُواْ so they became blind
  • وَصَمُّواْ and they became deaf
  • ثُمَّ Then
  • تَابَ turned
  • ٱللَّهُ Allah
  • عَلَيۡهِمۡ to them
  • ثُمَّ then (again)
  • عَمُواْ they became blind
  • وَصَمُّواْ and they became deaf
  • كَثِيرٞ many
  • مِّنۡهُمۡۚ of them
  • وَٱللَّهُ And Allah
  • بَصِيرُۢ (is) All-Seer
  • بِمَا of what
  • يَعۡمَلُونَ they do
And they thought there would be no [resulting] punishment, so they became blind and deaf. Then Allāh turned to them in forgiveness; then [again] many of them became blind and deaf. And Allāh is Seeing of what they do.
And they thought, they presumed that, there would be no (read as an laa takoonu, where an has been softened; or read an laa takoona, where it [an] requires a [following] subjunctive, that is to say, 'that there would [not] befall [them]') trial, a punishment against them, for their denial of the messengers and their slaying of them; and so they were wilfully blind, to the truth and could not see it, and deaf, [unable] to hear it. Then God relented to them, when they repented, then they were wilfully blind and deaf, a second time, many of them (katheerun minhum substitutes for the [third] person ['they']); and God sees what they do, and will requite them for it.