Hud — Verse 21

Those Who invent Lies against Allah and hinder Others from His Path are the Greatest Losers Allah, the Exalted, explains the condition of those who lie against Him and that their scandal in the Hereafter will be presented before the heads of creation (for testimony) from the angels, Messengers, Prophets and the rest of mankind and Jinns. This is just as Imam Ahmad recorded from Safwan bin Muhriz. Safwan said, "I was holding the hand of Ibn `Umar when a man was brought to him. The man said, `How did you hear the Messenger of Allah ﷺ describe An-Najwa (secret counsel or confidential talk) on the Day of Resurrection' Ibn `Umar said, `I heard him say, «إِنَّ اللهَللهَعزَّ وَجَلَّ يُدْنِي الْمُؤْمِنَ فَيَضَعُ عَلَيْهِ كَنَفَهُ، وَيَسْتُرُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ، وَيُقَرِّرُهُ بِذُنُوبِهِ وَيَقُولُ لَهُ: أَتَعْرِفُ ذَنْبَ كَذَا؟ أَتَعْرِفُ ذَنْبَ كَذَا؟ أَتَعْرِفُ ذَنْبَ كَذَا؟ حَتَّى إِذَا قَرَّرَهُ بِذُنُوبِهِ وَرَأَى فِي نَفْسِهِ أَنَّهُ قَدْ هَلَكَ قَالَ: فَإِنِّي قَدْ سَتَرْتُهَا عَلَيْكَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنِّي أَغْفِرُهَا لَكَ الْيَوْم» (Verily, Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, will draw near the believer and He will place His shade over him. He will conceal him from the people and make him confess to his sins. He will say to him, "Do you recognize this sin Do you recognize that sin Do you recognize such and such sin" This will continue until He makes him confess to all of his sins and he (the believer) will think to himself that he is about to be destroyed. Then Allah will say, "Verily, I have concealed these sins for you in the worldly life and I have forgiven you for them today." Then he (the believer) will be given his Book of good deeds. As for the disbelievers and the hypocrites, the witnesses will say,) هَـؤُلاءِ الَّذِينَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَى رَبِّهِمْ أَلاَ لَعْنَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى الظَّـلِمِينَ (These are the ones who lied against their Lord! No doubt! The curse of Allah is on the wrongdoers)." Both Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded this narration in the Two Sahihs. Concerning Allah's statement, الَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا (Those who hinder (others) from the path of Allah, and seek a crookedness therein,) This means that they prevent the people from following the truth and traversing upon the path of guidance that leads to Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. In doing so they also keep the people away from Paradise itself. Allah's statement, وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا (and seek a crookedness therein,) This means that they want their path to be crooked and uneven. Then, Allah's statement, وَهُمْ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ هُمْ كَـفِرُونَ (while they are disbelievers in the Hereafter.) This means that they deny the Hereafter and they reject the idea that any of its events will occur, or any of it exists at all. Concerning Allah's statement, أُولَـئِكَ لَمْ يَكُونُواْ مُعْجِزِينَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَآءَ (By no means will they escape on earth, nor have they protectors besides Allah!) This means that these disbelievers are under the power of Allah and His force. They are in His grasp and are subject to His authority. He is Most Able to exact vengeance against them in this life before the coming of the Hereafter. This is like Allah's statement, إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الأَبْصَـرُ (but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror.)14:42 In the Two Sahihs it is recorded that the Prophet said, «إِنَّ اللهَ لَيُمْلِي لِلظَّالِمِ حَتَّى إِذَا أَخَذَهُ لَمْ يُفْلِتْه» (Verily Allah gives respite to the oppressor until He seizes him, then he will not be able to escape Him.) For this reason Allah says, يُضَاعَفُ لَهُمُ الْعَذَابُ (Their torment will be doubled!) This means that the torment will be doubled upon them, because Allah gave them hearing, vision and hearts, but these things did not benefit them. Rather, they were deaf from hearing the truth and blinded away from following it. This is just as Allah has mentioned concerning them when they enter into the Hellfire. Allah says, وَقَالُواْ لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِى أَصْحَـبِ السَّعِيرِ (And they will say: "Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!") Allah also says, الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ وَصَدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ زِدْنَـهُمْ عَذَابًا فَوْقَ الْعَذَابِ (Those who disbelieved and hinder (men) from the path of Allah, for them We will add torment to the torment.)16:88 For this reason they will be punished for every command that they abandoned and every prohibition that they indulged in. Then Allah continues by saying, أُوْلَـئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ (They are those who have lost their own selves, and that which they invented eluded them.) They lost themselves, meaning that they be made to enter a blazing Fire, where they will be punished, and its torment will not be lifted from them for even the blinking of an eye. This is as Allah said, كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا (Whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.)17:97 Concerning the statement, وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم (eluded them.) meaning that it has left them. مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ (that which they invented) besides Allah, such as rivals and idols. Yet, these things did not avail them in the slightest. In fact, these things actually caused them great harm. This is as Allah says, وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُواْ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَكَانُواْ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَـفِرِينَ (And when mankind are gathered, they will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.)46:6 Allah says, إِذْ تَبَرَّأَ الَّذِينَ اتُّبِعُواْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُواْ وَرَأَوُاْ الْعَذَابَ وَتَقَطَّعَتْ بِهِمُ الاٌّسْبَابُ (When those who were followed disown those who followed (them), and they see the torment, then all their relations will be cut off from them.)2:166 Likewise, there are many other verses that prove this loss of theirs and their destruction. For this reason Allah says, لاَ جَرَمَ أَنَّهُمْ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ هُمُ الاٌّخْسَرُونَ (Certainly, they are those who will be the greatest losers in the Hearafter.) 11:22 In this verse Allah informs about the direction of their end. He explains that they are the greatest losers among mankind in their transaction for the abode of the Hereafter. That is because they exchanged the highest levels (of Paradise) for the lowest levels (of Hell) and they substituted the pleasure of Gardens (of Paradise) for the fierce boiling water (of Hell). They exchanged the drink of sealed nectar with the fierce hot wind, boiling water, and a shade of black smoke. They chose food from the filth of dirty wounds instead of wide-eyed lovely maidens. They preferred Hawiyah (a pit in Hell) instead of lofty castles. They chose the anger of Allah and His punishment over nearness to Him and the blessing of gazing at Him. Therefore, it is no injustice that such people should be the greatest losers in the Hereafter.

Such are they who have lost their souls for their journey’s end shall be to the Fire made everlasting for them; and that which they used to invent of lies concerning God in the way of claiming that He has a partner has failed them is absent before them.

أولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم بافترائهم على الله، وذهب عنهم ما كانوا يفترون من الآلهة التي يدَّعون أنها تشفع لهم.

أي خسروا أنفسهم لأنهم أدخلوا نارا حامية فهم معذبون فيما لا يفتر عنهم من عذابها طرفة عين كما قال تعالى "كلما خبت زدناهم سعيرا" "وضل عنهم" أي ذهب عنهم "ما كانوا يفترون" من دون الله من الأنداد والأصنام فلم تجد عنهم شيئا بل ضرتهم كل الضرر كما قال تعالى "إذا حشر الناس كانوا لهم أعداء وكانوا بعبادتهم كافرين" وقال تعالى "واتخذوا من دون الله آلهة ليكونوا لهم عزا كلا سيكفرون بعبادتهم ويكونون عليهم ضدا" وقال الخليل لقومه "إنما اتخذتم من دون الله أوثانا مودة بينكم في الحياة الدنيا ثم يوم القيامة يكفر بعضكم ببعض ويلعن بعضكم بعضا ومأواكم النار وما لكن من ناصرين" وقوله "إذ تبرأ الذين اتبعوا من الذين اتبعوا ورأوا العذاب وتقطعت بهم الأسباب إلى غير ذلك من الآيات الدالة على خسرهم ودمارهم.

ثم أكد - سبحانه - سوء مصيرهم فقال : ( أولئك الذين خسروا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ )أى : أولئك الذين استحوذ عليهم الشيطان فأنساهم ذكر الله ، هم الذين خسروا أنفسهم وأوردوها المهالك بسبب تعمدهم الكذاب على الله ، ( وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ ) أى : وغاب عنهم ما كانوا يفترونه فى الدنيا من اعتقادات باطلة وادعاءات فاسدة .

القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ (21)قال أبو جعفر : يقول تعالى ذكره: هؤلاء الذين هذه صفتهم، هم الذين غبنوا أنفسهم حظوظها من رحمة الله (5) ، (وضل عنهم ما كانوا يفترون) ، وبطل كذبهم وإفكهم وفريتهم على الله ، (6) بادعائهم له شركاء، فسلك ما كانوا يدعونه إلهًا من دون الله غير مسلكهم، وأخذ طريقًا غير طريقهم، فضَلّ عنهم، لأنه سلك بهم إلى جهنم، وصارت آلهتهم عدمًا لا شيء، لأنها كانت في الدنيا حجارة أو خشبًا أو نحاسًا ، أو كان لله وليًّا، فسلك به إلى الجنة، وذلك أيضًا غير مسلكهم، وذلك أيضًا ضلالٌ عنهم.-----------------------------الهوامش :(5) انظر تفسير " الخسران " فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة ( خسر ) .(6) انظر تفسير " الضلال " و " الافتراء " فيما سلف من فهارس اللغة ( ضلل ) ، ( فرى ) .

( أولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم ) غبنوا أنفسهم ، ( وضل عنهم ما كانوا يفترون ) يزعمون من شفاعة الملائكة والأصنام .

استئناف ، واسم الإشارة هنا تأكيد ثان لاسم الإشارة في قوله : { أولئك يعرضون على ربهم } [ هود : 18 ].والموصول في { الذين خسروا أنفسهم } مراد به الجنس المعروف بهذه الصلة ، أي إن بلغكم أنّ قوماً خسروا أنفسهم فهم المفترون على الله كذباً ، وخسارة أنفسهم عدم الانتفاع بها في الاهتداء ، فلما ضلوا فقد خسروها .وتقدم الكلام على { خسروا أنفسهم } عند قوله تعالى : { الذين خسروا أنفسهم فهم لا يؤمنون } في سورة [ الأنعام : 12 ].والضلال : خطأ الطريق المقصود .و { ما كانوا يفترون } ما كانوا يزعمونه من أن الأصنام تشفع لهم وتدفع عنهم الضر عند الشدائد ، قال تعالى : { فلولا نصرهم الذين اتخذوا من دون الله قرباناً آلهة بل ضلوا عنهم وذلك إفكهم وما كانوا يفترون } [ الأحقاف : 28 ].وفي إسناد الضلال إلى الأصنام تهكم على أصحابها . شبهت أصنامهم بمن سلك طريقاً ليلحق بمن استنجد به فضَلّ في طريقه .

{ أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ } حيث فوتوها أعظم الثواب، واستحقوا أشد العذاب، { وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ } أي: اضمحل دينهم الذي يدعون إليه ويحسنونه، ولم تغن عنهم آلهتهم التي يعبدون من دون الله لما جاء أمر ربك.

قوله تعالى : أولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم وضل عنهم ما كانوا يفترونقوله تعالى : أولئك الذين خسروا أنفسهم ابتداء وخبر .وضل عنهم ما كانوا يفترون أي ضاع عنهم افتراؤهم وتلف .

The real reasons for people’s sinful behaviour and their failure to treat the divine message with due respect were their lack of any firm belief in the Hereafter and their having no fear in their hearts for Almighty God. It was this fearlessness which caused them to treat the divine message without the seriousness it deserved. And anything about which an individual is not serious will fail to elicit the correct response from him. But such insincerity and lack of seriousness will vanish when people stand before the Lord of the Universe on the Day of Judgement. At that time they will have lost their present freedom. The worldly goods and resources on the strength of which they had become arrogant, will turn into God’s tape-recorders, which will start giving evidence against them. At that time it will be abundantly clear that the reason for their rejection of God’s preacher was not that they were unable to understand him, but rather that they were not serious about him. The horror of Doomsday will suddenly make them serious. At that time, in the face of their own helplessness, they will understand all that they had been unable to understand while living in the world in an atmosphere of freedom. God has blessed man with fine capabilities and talents. If he utilises them, he can understand any subject in depth. In his worldly matters, he actually utilises these talents, but when it comes to the Hereafter, he becomes deaf, in spite of having ears. He becomes blind, in spite of having eyes. Man’s success depends entirely upon his sincerity. Those who are sincere in worldly matters are successful in them. Similarly, those who are sincere in matters of the Hereafter will be successful in the Hereafter.

The word: bayyinah (بینہ) appearing in this verse refers to the Qur'an. As for the meaning of ` shahid' (شاھِد evidence), statements of Tafsir authorities differ. The author of Bay-an a1-Qur'an takes ` shahid' to mean the miracle of the Qur'an that is present in the Qur'an as such. Thus, it comes to mean that those who adhere to the Qur'an, they already have a witness to the veracity of the Qur'an within it, that is, its miracle. Then, the other witness has already come in the form of Torah. Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had brought it as guidance and mercy for people. The reason is that the Torah confirms the truth of the Qur'an clearly. In the second sentence, in order to stress that salvation, up to the Last Day, depends on faith in the Holy Prophet ﷺ it has been said that anyone from any religion or community of the world who refuses to have faith in him will have his abode in Jahannam. The Sahih of Muslim reports on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, ` by the One in whose hands rests my life, any Jew or Christian who hears my call and still does not believe in the teachings I have brought, then, he or she will be of the people of Jahannam.' This should remove the misunderstanding of those who regard the Jews and Christians or the adherents of other religions as being on haqq (the truth) on the basis of some outward deeds and consider these to be sufficient for salvation without having faith in the Holy Prophet ﷺ and the Qur'an. This is an open clash with the present ayah of the Holy Qur'an, and the authentic ahadith. اَلعَیَاذ بِاللہ (Allah may save us from that! )

(Such) the leaders (are they who have lost their souls) and their families and servants in Paradise and the other believers have inherited all, (and that which they used to invent) that which they used to worship falsely beside Allah (hath failed them) are void and preoccupied with themselves.