ٱلَّذِينَ يَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا وَهُم بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ كَـٰفِرُونَ 45
Translations
Who averted [people] from the way of Allāh and sought to make it [seem] deviant while they were, concerning the Hereafter, disbelievers."
Transliteration
Alladhina yasuddun 'an sabili-llahi wa yabghunaha 'iwajan wa hum bi-al-akhirati kafirun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes those who actively obstruct people from the path of Allah and seek to distort it, while denying the Hereafter. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, these are the disbelievers and those who spread misguidance; their rejection of the Afterlife is the root cause of their willingness to prevent others from following Allah's straight path, as they have no fear of divine accountability. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that the phrase 'seeking it crooked' (yabghunaha 'iwajan) refers to their deliberate attempts to make Allah's religion appear flawed or to introduce innovations into it.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-A'raf's broader discussion of the signs of Allah and the rejection thereof by disbelievers. It is part of a passage addressing those who reject the Message of the Prophets; the immediate context involves the people of 'Ad and their response to Prophet Hud, illustrating the eternal pattern of rejection and obstruction of truth.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever calls to guidance will receive a reward equal to the rewards of all those who follow him, without their rewards being diminished in any way. And whoever calls to misguidance will bear the sin of it, along with the sins of all those who follow him, without their sins being diminished in any way.' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Sahih Muslim) - This hadith illustrates the gravity of leading people away from Allah's path.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers to remain vigilant against those who seek to distort Islamic teaching and to recognize that denial of the Afterlife motivates hostility toward faith itself. The lesson teaches us that true conviction in Allah's religion requires firm belief in accountability in the Hereafter, and that protecting the integrity of Allah's path is a responsibility for all believers.
Related Ayahs
وَلَا تَقْعُدُوا۟ بِكُلِّ صِرَٰطٍ تُوعِدُونَ وَتَصُدُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِهِۦ وَتَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوٓا۟ إِذْ كُنتُمْ قَلِيلًا فَكَثَّرَكُمْ ۖ وَٱنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ
And do not sit on every path, threatening and averting from the way of Allāh those who believe in Him, seeking to make it [seem] deviant. And remember when you were few and He increased you. And see how was the end of the corrupters.
إِنَّ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ وَبَـٰطِلٌ مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Indeed, those [worshippers] - destroyed is that in which they are [engaged], and worthless is whatever they were doing."
وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ
And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify of themselves, [saying to them], "Am I not your Lord?" They said, "Yes, we have testified." [This] - lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, "Indeed, we were of this unaware."
۞ وَإِذَا صُرِفَتْ أَبْصَـٰرُهُمْ تِلْقَآءَ أَصْحَـٰبِ ٱلنَّارِ قَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا مَعَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And when their eyes are turned toward the companions of the Fire, they say, "Our Lord, do not place us with the wrongdoing people."