And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on (2:11)

﴿وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ﴾
[ البقرة: 11]

2:11 And when it is said to them, "Do not cause corruption on the earth," they say, "We are but reformers."

When they are told not to ruin things on earth – through their rejection of the truth, their disobedience and so on – they deny doing so, claiming that they only correct things and put them right.

And when it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peacemakers."

phonetic Transliteration

Waitha qeela lahum la tufsidoo fee alardi qaloo innama nahnu muslihoona

Abdullah Yusuf Ali - Translation

When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "Why, we only Want to make peace!"

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And when it is said to them: "Do not make mischief on the earth," they say: "We are only peacemakers."

Page 3 English transliteration