Al-Furqan 25:18
The Criterion · Juz 18 · Page 361
قَالُواْ سُبۡحَٰنَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنۢبَغِي لَنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ مِن دُونِكَ مِنۡ أَوۡلِيَآءَ وَلَٰكِن مَّتَّعۡتَهُمۡ وَءَابَآءَهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ نَسُواْ ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَكَانُواْ قَوۡمَۢا بُورٗا ١٨
They will say, "Exalted are You! It was not for us to take besides You any allies [i.e., protectors]. But You provided comforts for them and their fathers until they forgot the message and became a people ruined."
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Commentary on 25:17–19
The gods of the Idolators will disown Them on the Day of Resurrection
Allah tells us about what will happen on the Day of Resurrection, when those whom the idolators used to worship instead of Allah, angels and others, will rebuke them. Allah says:
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ
(And on the Day when He will gather them together and that which they worship besides Allah.) Mujahid said, "This means `Isa, `Uzayr and the angels."
فَيَقُولُ أَءَنتُمْ أَضْلَلْتُمْ عِبَادِى هَؤُلاَءِ
(He will say: "Was it you who misled these My servants...") Allah will say to those who were worshipped: `Did you call these people to worship you instead of Me, or was it their own idea to worship you, without any call to that on your part' This is like the Ayah,
وَإِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يعِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ أَءَنتَ قُلتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِى وَأُمِّىَ إِلَهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ قَالَ سُبْحَنَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِى أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِى بِحَقٍّ إِن كُنتُ قُلْتُهُ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَهُ تَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِى وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ مَا فِى نَفْسِكَ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلَّمُ الْغُيُوبِ مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلاَّ مَآ أَمَرْتَنِى بِهِ
(And when Allah will say: "O `Isa, son of Maryam! Did you say unto men: `Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah' " He will say: "Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my innerself though I do not know what is in Yours; truly, You, only You, are the All-Knower of all that is hidden. Never did I say to them aught except what You did command me to say.") (5:116-117) Describing how those who were worshipped will respond on the Day of Resurrection, Allah says:
قَالُواْ سُبْحَنَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنبَغِى لَنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ مِن دُونِكَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَآءَ
(They will say: "Glorified be You! It was not for us to take (Nattakhidh) any Awliya' besides You...") Most of the scholars recite a Fathah on the Nun of the word Nattakhidh in His saying:
نَّتَّخِذَ مِن دُونِكَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَآءَ
("...for us to take (Nattakhidh) any Awliya' besides You,") meaning, `it is not right for any created being, neither us nor them, to worship anyone except You; we did not call them to do that, but they did it of their own accord, without us telling them to do it or accepting what they did. We are innocent of them and their worship.' This is like the Ayah,
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعاً ثُمَّ يَقُولُ لِلْمَلَئِكَةِ أَهَؤُلاَءِ إِيَّاكُمْ كَانُواْ يَعْبُدُونَ قَالُواْ سُبْحَنَكَ
(And (remember) the Day when He will gather them all together, then He will say to the angels: "Was it you that these people used to worship" They (the angels) will say: "Glorified be You!") (34:40-41) Other scholars understand this phrase to mean: `it is not proper for us to take anyone except You as protectors or helpers (Awliya'), ' meaning, `it is not proper for anyone to worship us, for we are Your servants and in need of You.' This meaning is close to the first.
وَلَكِن مَّتَّعْتَهُمْ وَءَابَآءَهُمْ
(but You gave them and their fathers comfort) means, `You made such a long period of time pass that they forgot the Reminder, i.e., they forgot what had been sent down to them through the Messengers, calling them to worship You alone with no partner or associate.'
وَكَانُواْ قَوْماً بُوراً
(and became a lost people.) Ibn `Abbas said, "This means, they were destroyed." Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Malik narrated from Az-Zuhri: "There was no good in them." And Allah says:
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوكُمْ بِمَا تَقُولُونَ
(Thus they will deny you because of what you say;) meaning, `those whom you used to worship besides Allah will show you to be liars in your claims that they were your helpers and protectors bringing you closer to Allah.' This is like the Ayat:
وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّن يَدْعُو مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ مَن لاَّ يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَمَةِ وَهُمْ عَن دُعَآئِهِمْ غَفِلُونَ - وَإِذَا حُشِرَ النَّاسُ كَانُواْ لَهُمْ أَعْدَآءً وَكَانُواْ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ كَفِرِينَ
(And who is more astray than one who calls on besides Allah, such as will not answer him till the Day of Resurrection, and who are unaware of their calls to them. And when mankind are gathered, they will become their enemies and will deny their worshipping.) (46:5-6)
فَمَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ صَرْفاً وَلاَ نَصْراً
(then you can neither avert nor find help.) means: they will not be able to avert the punishment from themselves, nor will they be able to help themselves.
وَمَن يَظْلِم مِّنكُمْ
(And whoever among you does wrong,) means by associating others in worship with Allah,
نُذِقْهُ عَذَاباً كَبِيراً
(We shall make him taste a great torment.)
Page 361
25:12
إِذَا رَأَتۡهُم مِّن مَّكَانِۭ بَعِيدٖ سَمِعُواْ لَهَا تَغَيُّظٗا وَزَفِيرٗا ١٢
When it [i.e., the Hellfire] sees them from a distant place, they will hear its fury and roaring.
25:13
وَإِذَآ أُلۡقُواْ مِنۡهَا مَكَانٗا ضَيِّقٗا مُّقَرَّنِينَ دَعَوۡاْ هُنَالِكَ ثُبُورٗا ١٣
And when they are thrown into a narrow place therein bound in chains, they will cry out thereupon for destruction.
25:14
لَّا تَدۡعُواْ ٱلۡيَوۡمَ ثُبُورٗا وَٰحِدٗا وَٱدۡعُواْ ثُبُورٗا كَثِيرٗا ١٤
[They will be told], "Do not cry this Day for one destruction but cry for much destruction."
25:15
قُلۡ أَذَٰلِكَ خَيۡرٌ أَمۡ جَنَّةُ ٱلۡخُلۡدِ ٱلَّتِي وُعِدَ ٱلۡمُتَّقُونَۚ كَانَتۡ لَهُمۡ جَزَآءٗ وَمَصِيرٗا ١٥
Say, "Is that better or the Garden of Eternity which is promised to the righteous? It will be for them a reward and destination.
25:16
لَّهُمۡ فِيهَا مَا يَشَآءُونَ خَٰلِدِينَۚ كَانَ عَلَىٰ رَبِّكَ وَعۡدٗا مَّسۡـُٔولٗا ١٦
For them therein is whatever they wish, [while] abiding eternally. It is ever upon your Lord a promise [worthy to be] requested.1
1 translator’s note
- Or "...a promise requested [for them by the angels]." ↩
25:17
وَيَوۡمَ يَحۡشُرُهُمۡ وَمَا يَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَقُولُ ءَأَنتُمۡ أَضۡلَلۡتُمۡ عِبَادِي هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ أَمۡ هُمۡ ضَلُّواْ ٱلسَّبِيلَ ١٧
And [mention] the Day He will gather them and that which they worship besides Allāh and will say, "Did you mislead these, My servants, or did they [themselves] stray from the way?"
25:18
قَالُواْ سُبۡحَٰنَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنۢبَغِي لَنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ مِن دُونِكَ مِنۡ أَوۡلِيَآءَ وَلَٰكِن مَّتَّعۡتَهُمۡ وَءَابَآءَهُمۡ حَتَّىٰ نَسُواْ ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَكَانُواْ قَوۡمَۢا بُورٗا ١٨
They will say, "Exalted are You! It was not for us to take besides You any allies [i.e., protectors]. But You provided comforts for them and their fathers until they forgot the message and became a people ruined."
25:19
فَقَدۡ كَذَّبُوكُم بِمَا تَقُولُونَ فَمَا تَسۡتَطِيعُونَ صَرۡفٗا وَلَا نَصۡرٗاۚ وَمَن يَظۡلِم مِّنكُمۡ نُذِقۡهُ عَذَابٗا كَبِيرٗا ١٩
So they will deny you, [disbelievers], in what you say,1 and you cannot avert [punishment] or [find] help. And whoever commits injustice2 among you - We will make him taste a great punishment.
25:20
وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا قَبۡلَكَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِينَ إِلَّآ إِنَّهُمۡ لَيَأۡكُلُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمۡشُونَ فِي ٱلۡأَسۡوَاقِۗ وَجَعَلۡنَا بَعۡضَكُمۡ لِبَعۡضٖ فِتۡنَةً أَتَصۡبِرُونَۗ وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِيرٗا ٢٠
And We did not send before you, [O Muḥammad], any of the messengers except that they ate food and walked in the markets. And We have made some of you [people] as trial for others - will you have patience? And ever is your Lord, Seeing.
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy