إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ قَدْ ضَلُّوا۟ ضَلَـٰلًۢا بَعِيدًا 167
Translations
Indeed, those who disbelieve and avert [people] from the way of Allāh have certainly gone far astray.
Transliteration
Inna alladhina kafaroo wa saddu 'an sabili Allah qad dallu dalallan ba'eed
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah declares that those who disbelieve and actively prevent others from following Allah's path have gone far astray. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the dual offense of kufr (disbelief) combined with saddu (turning people away from the path of Allah) compounds their misguidance, making their deviation profound and distant from the straight path. This emphasizes that those who not only reject faith themselves but actively work as obstacles to others' guidance face severe spiritual ruin.
Revelation Context
This verse appears in the context of Surah An-Nisa's broader discussion of the People of the Book and those who reject the message of Islam despite clear signs. The surah addresses the hypocrites and disbelievers of Medina who actively worked against the Muslim community. This particular ayah follows discussions of rejection and obstruction of Allah's path.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward like one who did it himself, and whoever leads someone astray will have on him the burden like one who did it himself.' (Sahih Muslim 1893). This hadith complements the ayah by showing the severe responsibility of those who turn people away from guidance.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must recognize that misguidance intensifies when combined with deliberate obstruction of others' path to Allah; the responsibility to protect one's own faith and not become a barrier to others' guidance is paramount in Islamic practice.
Related Ayahs
لَّعَنَهُ ٱللَّهُ ۘ وَقَالَ لَأَتَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيبًا مَّفْرُوضًا
Whom Allāh has cursed. For he had said, "I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion.
وَٱلَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَٰلَهُمْ رِئَآءَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا بِٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ۗ وَمَن يَكُنِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ لَهُۥ قَرِينًا فَسَآءَ قَرِينًا
And [also] those who spend of their wealth to be seen by the people and believe not in Allāh nor in the Last Day. And he to whom Satan is a companion - then evil is he as a companion.
ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ ۖ وَكَفَىٰ بِهِۦٓ إِثْمًا مُّبِينًا
Look how they invent about Allāh untruth, and sufficient is that as a manifest sin.
فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا
But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muḥammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.