ٱلْإِنْسَان : ٢٨

  • نَّحۡنُ We
  • خَلَقۡنَٰهُمۡ created them
  • وَشَدَدۡنَآ and We strengthened
  • أَسۡرَهُمۡۖ their forms
  • وَإِذَا and when
  • شِئۡنَا We will
  • بَدَّلۡنَآ We can change
  • أَمۡثَٰلَهُمۡ their likeness[es]
  • تَبۡدِيلًا (with) a change
We have created them and strengthened their forms, and when We will, We can change their likenesses with [complete] alteration.
We created them and made firm their frames, their limbs and their joints, and, whenever We will, We can completely replace them with others like them, in terms of their created form, in place of them, by destroying them (tabdeelan, 'completely', is for emphasis; idhaa, 'when', functions in the sense of in, 'if', similar to [where God says in several places], in yasha' yudhhibkum, If He will, He can take you away [cf. Q. 14:19]; but because He, exalted be He, has not willed this, it has not happened thus far).