مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ قَالُوا۟ ضَلُّوا۟ عَنَّا بَل لَّمْ نَكُن نَّدْعُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ شَيْـًٔا ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ 74
Translations
Other than Allāh?" They will say, "They have departed from us; rather, we did not used to invoke previously anything." Thus does Allāh put astray the disbelievers.
Transliteration
Min dūni -llāh, qālū dallū 'annā bal lam nakun nad'ū min qablu shay'ā, kadhālika yudillu -llāhu -lkāfirīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the disbelievers' denial and confusion on the Day of Judgment when they claim their false deities have abandoned them, and they realize they were never actually worshipping anything real. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this represents the ultimate deception and misguidance that befalls those who rejected Allah's signs during their lifetimes—they will be left without any support or recourse on the Day of Standing. The ayah emphasizes that Allah leads the disbelievers astray as a consequence of their own rejection and stubbornness in this world.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Ghafir's description of the Day of Judgment and the scenes of the disbelievers in the Hellfire. It is part of a Meccan surah that emphasizes Allah's power to judge and His capacity to forgive those who repent, while warning those who persist in disbelief about their fate in the Hereafter.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (6440) describes the believers' intercession and Allah's mercy on the Day of Judgment, which contrasts with this ayah's description of the disbelievers' hopelessness. Additionally, Surah An-Nahl (16:86) contains a similar theme of idols disassociating themselves from their worshippers.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that false deities and idols—whether literal or metaphorical—cannot help us on the Day of Judgment, and that true reliance must be placed solely on Allah. For modern readers, it teaches us to be vigilant against worshipping anything besides Allah, including wealth, status, desires, or ideologies, as these will offer no salvation when we face Him.