Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 28 Al-Qasas, Ayat 62-64

وَيَوۡمَ يُنَادِيۡهِمۡ فَيَـقُوۡلُ اَيۡنَ شُرَكَآءِىَ الَّذِيۡنَ كُنۡتُمۡ تَزۡعُمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿28:62﴾ قَالَ الَّذِيۡنَ حَقَّ عَلَيۡهِمُ الۡقَوۡلُ رَبَّنَا هٰٓؤُلَاۤءِ الَّذِيۡنَ اَغۡوَيۡنَا ۚ اَغۡوَيۡنٰهُمۡ كَمَا غَوَيۡنَا​ ۚ تَبَـرَّاۡنَاۤ اِلَيۡكَ​ مَا كَانُوۡۤا اِيَّانَا يَعۡبُدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿28:63﴾ وَقِيۡلَ ادۡعُوۡا شُرَكَآءَكُمۡ فَدَعَوۡهُمۡ فَلَمۡ يَسۡتَجِيۡبُوۡا لَهُمۡ وَرَاَوُا الۡعَذَابَ​ۚ لَوۡ اَنَّهُمۡ كَانُوۡا يَهۡتَدُوۡنَ‏ ﴿28:64﴾

(28:62) (Let them not forget) that the Day when Allah will call unto them, and say: "Where are those whom you imagined to be My associates?"85 (28:63) Those against whom the Word will be realised86 will say: "Our Lord, these are the ones whom we led astray just as we ourselves strayed. We absolve ourselves before You of all blame.87 It was not us that they worshipped."88 (28:64) They will then be told: "Call upon those for help whom you declared to be Our associates."89 They will then call upon them but they will not answer them. They will have observed the chastisement in front of them. Would that they were guided!

Notes

85. This discourse is in continuation of the fourth answer, and is linked with the last sentence of the preceding verse. It means to imply this: Those who persist in the evil of shirk and idol worship and refuse to believe in the Prophet only for the sake of their worldly interests, will meet with such and such evil consequences in the eternal life of the Hereafter. They should, therefore, carefully judge for themselves whether it would be a good bargain if they were to be doomed to such an end, after they had enjoyed fully the provisions and adornments of the short worldly life, even if no calamity befell them in the world.

86. This implies those satans from among jinns and men, who had been set up as associates of God in the world, whose teachings had been followed in preference to divine commandments, and dependence on whom had made the people give up the right way and adopt the wrong ways of life. Such persons may not have been called gods and lords as such, but since they were worshiped and obeyed as one should worship and obey only God, they were inevitably made partners in Godhead.

87. That is, “We did not lead them astray forcibly. We neither deprived them of their powers of seeing and hearing nor of their powers of thinking, nor there ever arose a situation when they wanted to follow the right way but we might have forcibly pulled them to the wrong way. But just as we ourselves had gone astray of our own free will, so they also of their own free will accepted the wrong way when we presented it before them. Therefore, we are not responsible for what they did: we are responsible for our acts and they are responsible for theirs.”

There is a subtle point to be noted here. Allah, in fact, will question those who had set up others as associates with Him, but before they make an answer, those who had been set up as associates will speak up. The reason is: When the common polytheists will be questioned thus, their leaders and guides will feel that their doomsday had come, for their followers will certainly blame them for their deviation. Therefore, even before the followers say something in response, the leaders will forestall them and start pleading their innocence.

88. That is, “They did not serve us but served their own selves alone.”

89. That is, “Invoke them for help. In the world you had relied on them and rejected Our commandments. So invoke them to come to your rescue here also and save you from the punishment.”