Al-Furqan 25:42
The Criterion · Juz 19 · Page 363
إِن كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنۡ ءَالِهَتِنَا لَوۡلَآ أَن صَبَرۡنَا عَلَيۡهَاۚ وَسَوۡفَ يَعۡلَمُونَ حِينَ يَرَوۡنَ ٱلۡعَذَابَ مَنۡ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا ٤٢
He almost would have misled us from our gods had we not been steadfast in [worship of] them." But they are going to know, when they see the punishment, who is farthest astray in [his] way.
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Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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Commentary on 25:41–44
How the Disbelievers mocked the Messenger
Allah tells us how the disbelievers mocked the Messenger when they saw him. This is like the Ayah,
وَإِذَا رَآكَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلاَّ هُزُواً
(And when the disbelievers see you, they take you not except for mockery) (21:36), which means that they tried to find faults and shortcomings in him. Here Allah says:
وَإِذَا رَأَوْكَ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلاَّ هُزُواً أَهَذَا الَّذِى بَعَثَ اللَّهُ رَسُولاً
(And when they see you, they treat you only in mockery (saying): "Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a Messenger") i.e., they said this by way of belittling and trying to undermine him, so Allah put them in their place, and said:
وَلَقَدِ اسْتُهْزِىءَ بِرُسُلٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ
(And indeed Messengers before you were mocked at) (6:10)
إِن كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنْ ءَالِهَتِنَا
(He would have nearly misled us from our gods,) They meant: `he nearly turned us away from worshipping idols, and he would have done so, had we not been patient and persevered in our ways.' So Allah said, warning and threatening them:
وَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ حِينَ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ
(And they will know, when they see the torment...)
They took Their Desires as their gods and were more astray than Cattle
Then Allah tells His Prophet that if Allah decrees that someone will be misguided and wretched, then no one can guide him except Allah, glory be to Him:
أَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ
(Have you seen him who has taken as his god his own vain desire) meaning, whatever he admires and sees as good in his own desires becomes his religion and his way. As Allah says:
أَفَمَن زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُوءَ عَمَلِهِ فَرَءَاهُ حَسَناً فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَن يَشَآءُ
(Is he then, to whom the evil of his deeds is made fair seeming. So that he consider it as good. Verily, Allah sends astray whom he wills.) 35:8
أَفَأَنتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ وَكِيلاً
(Would you then be a guardian over him) Ibn `Abbas said: "During the Jahiliyyah, a man would worship a white rock for a while, then if he saw another that looked better, he would worship that and leave the first." Then Allah said:
أَمْ تَحْسَبُ أَنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ أَوْ يَعْقِلُونَ
(Or do you think that most of them hear or understand) meaning, they are worse than grazing cattle. Cattle only do what they were created to do, but these people were created to worship Allah Alone without associating partners with Him, but they worship others with Him, even though evidence has been established against them and Messengers have been sent to them.
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25:33
وَلَا يَأۡتُونَكَ بِمَثَلٍ إِلَّا جِئۡنَٰكَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَحۡسَنَ تَفۡسِيرًا ٣٣
And they do not come to you with an example [i.e., argument] except that We bring you the truth and the best explanation.
25:34
ٱلَّذِينَ يُحۡشَرُونَ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمۡ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ شَرّٞ مَّكَانٗا وَأَضَلُّ سَبِيلٗا ٣٤
The ones who are gathered on their faces to Hell - those are the worst in position and farthest astray in [their] way.
25:35
وَلَقَدۡ ءَاتَيۡنَا مُوسَى ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ وَجَعَلۡنَا مَعَهُۥٓ أَخَاهُ هَٰرُونَ وَزِيرٗا ٣٥
And We had certainly given Moses the Scripture and appointed with him his brother Aaron as an assistant.
25:36
فَقُلۡنَا ٱذۡهَبَآ إِلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَّبُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَدَمَّرۡنَٰهُمۡ تَدۡمِيرٗا ٣٦
And We said, "Go both of you to the people who have denied Our signs." Then We destroyed them with [complete] destruction.
25:37
وَقَوۡمَ نُوحٖ لَّمَّا كَذَّبُواْ ٱلرُّسُلَ أَغۡرَقۡنَٰهُمۡ وَجَعَلۡنَٰهُمۡ لِلنَّاسِ ءَايَةٗۖ وَأَعۡتَدۡنَا لِلظَّٰلِمِينَ عَذَابًا أَلِيمٗا ٣٧
And the people of Noah - when they denied the messengers,1 We drowned them, and We made them for mankind a sign. And We have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful punishment.
1 translator’s note
- Their denial of Noah was as if they had denied all those who brought the same message from Allāh. ↩
25:38
وَعَادٗا وَثَمُودَاْ وَأَصۡحَٰبَ ٱلرَّسِّ وَقُرُونَۢا بَيۡنَ ذَٰلِكَ كَثِيرٗا ٣٨
And [We destroyed] ʿAad and Thamūd and the companions of the well1 and many generations between them.
1 translator’s note
- Said to be a people who denied Prophet Shuʿayb or possibly those mentioned in Sūrah Yā Seen, 36:13-29. ↩
25:39
وَكُلّٗا ضَرَبۡنَا لَهُ ٱلۡأَمۡثَٰلَۖ وَكُلّٗا تَبَّرۡنَا تَتۡبِيرٗا ٣٩
And for each We presented examples [as warnings], and each We destroyed with [total] destruction.
25:40
وَلَقَدۡ أَتَوۡاْ عَلَى ٱلۡقَرۡيَةِ ٱلَّتِيٓ أُمۡطِرَتۡ مَطَرَ ٱلسَّوۡءِۚ أَفَلَمۡ يَكُونُواْ يَرَوۡنَهَاۚ بَلۡ كَانُواْ لَا يَرۡجُونَ نُشُورٗا ٤٠
And they have already come upon the town which was showered with a rain of evil [i.e., stones]. So have they not seen it? But they are not expecting resurrection.1
1 translator’s note
- So they do not benefit from lessons of the past. ↩
25:41
وَإِذَا رَأَوۡكَ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا أَهَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي بَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ رَسُولًا ٤١
And when they see you, [O Muḥammad], they take you not except in ridicule, [saying], "Is this the one whom Allāh has sent as a messenger?
25:42
إِن كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنۡ ءَالِهَتِنَا لَوۡلَآ أَن صَبَرۡنَا عَلَيۡهَاۚ وَسَوۡفَ يَعۡلَمُونَ حِينَ يَرَوۡنَ ٱلۡعَذَابَ مَنۡ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلًا ٤٢
He almost would have misled us from our gods had we not been steadfast in [worship of] them." But they are going to know, when they see the punishment, who is farthest astray in [his] way.
25:43
أَرَءَيۡتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ أَفَأَنتَ تَكُونُ عَلَيۡهِ وَكِيلًا ٤٣
Have you seen the one who takes as his god his own desire? Then would you be responsible for him?
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy