Allah says in surah al-Zukhruf:
وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ * وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ * حَتَّىٰ إِذَا جَاءَنَا قَالَ يَا لَيْتَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ بُعْدَ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ فَبِئْسَ الْقَرِينُ * وَلَن يَنفَعَكُمُ الْيَوْمَ إِذ ظَّلَمْتُمْ أَنَّكُمْ فِي الْعَذَابِ مُشْتَرِكُونَ
And whoever becomes dim-sighted to the remembrance of the Most Merciful – We appoint for him a devil, and he is to him a companion. * And indeed, the devils avert them from the way [of guidance] while they think that they are [rightly] guided * Until, when he comes to Us [at Judgement], he says [to his companion], “Oh, I wish there was between me and you the distance between the east and west – how wretched a companion!” * And never will it benefit you that Day, when you have wronged, that you are [all] sharing in the punishment. [43:36-39]
Commenting on this in his book of tafsir, Imam ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di wrote:
يخبر تعالى عن عقوبته البليغة، لمن أعرض عن ذكره، فقال: {وَمَنْ يَعْشُ} أي: يعرض ويصد {عَنْ ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَنِ} الذي هو القرآن العظيم، الذي هو أعظم رحمة رحم بها الرحمن عباده، فمن قبلها، فقد قبل خير المواهب، وفاز بأعظم المطالب والرغائب، ومن أعرض عنها وردها، فقد خاب وخسر خسارة لا يسعد بعدها أبدا، وقيَّض له الرحمن شيطانا مريدا، يقارنه ويصاحبه، ويعده ويمنيه، ويؤزه إلى المعاصي أزا، ـ
Allah informs us about His intense punishment for whomever turns away from His remembrance, so He said, “And whoever becomes dim-sighted” – meaning, he turns himself away and [also] averts others – “to the remembrance of the Most Merciful” which is the Magnificent Qur’an, which is the greatest mercy by which the Most Merciful has shown mercy to His slaves. So whoever accepts it, then he has accepted the best of gifts and has succeeded in the greatest of achievements and aspirations. But whoever turns away from it and rejects it, then he has been saddened and experienced a great loss after which there is no happiness for him ever, and the Most Merciful has appointed a rebellious shaytaan for him; He has joined it to him and made it as a companion for him, and it shows enmity towards him and afflicts him, and it forcefully incites him towards acts of disobedience.
ـ {وَإِنَّهُمْ لَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ} أي: الصراط المستقيم، والدين القويم. {وَيَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ} بسبب تزيين الشيطان للباطل وتحسينه له، وإعراضهم عن الحق، فاجتمع هذا وهذا. ـ
“And indeed, the devils avert them from the way” – meaning, the straight path and the upright religion – “while they think that they are [rightly] guided” due to the shaytaan‘s adornment and beautification of falsehood for him, and their shunning of the truth, so it combines both this and that.
فإن قيل: فهل لهذا من عذر، من حيث إنه ظن أنه مهتد، وليس كذلك؟ ـ
So if it is said, “Then is this an excuse for that, since he indeed thinks that he is rightly guided – isn’t that the case?” Continue reading →
Tulayhah 