The Criterion (Al-Furqan)
Verses 17-19 GROUP_922 25.17-19
17
وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ فَيَقُولُ أَأَنتُمْ أَضْلَلْتُمْ عِبَادِي هَؤُلَاء أَمْ هُمْ ضَلُّوا السَّبِيلَ
On the Day He gathers them all together with those they worship besides Him, He will say, ‘Was it you who misled My servants, or did they stray away by themselves?’
18
قَالُوا سُبْحَانَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنبَغِي لَنَا أَن نَّتَّخِذَ مِن دُونِكَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاء وَلَكِن مَّتَّعْتَهُمْ وَآبَاءهُمْ حَتَّى نَسُوا الذِّكْرَ وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا بُورًا
They will answer, ‘Hallowed be You! It was not proper for us to choose any guardian other than You. But You gave them and their fathers the comforts of this life, so that they forgot Your reminder and thus brought destruction upon themselves.’
19
فَقَدْ كَذَّبُوكُم بِمَا تَقُولُونَ فَمَا تَسْتَطِيعُونَ صَرْفًا وَلَا نَصْرًا وَمَن يَظْلِم مِّنكُمْ نُذِقْهُ عَذَابًا كَبِيرًا
[God will say], ‘Now, they have given the lie to all your assertions, and you can neither ward off [your punishment] nor obtain any help.’ For, whoever of you has committed evil, shall be caused by Us to taste great suffering!’
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Commentary
(a) The Quranic commentator Ibn Kathir explains the reminder when he writes, ‘They forgot the message You had sent to them through the messengers (prophets) about worshipping You alone and no other.’ The addressee communities of the various prophets were not deniers of the truth or polytheists per se. The prophets sent to them had brought to them the message of worshipping one God alone. But, with the passage of time, they became engrossed in worldly affairs, and developed the belief that their elders and prophets, etc. would become the intermediate means of obtaining God’s pardon. But, on the Day of Judgement, all such beliefs will prove false. At that time, people will come to know that the only saviour from God’s reckoning is God Himself and no other.