Who is more evil than one who lies about God, or rejects His revelations? The transgressors never succeed.
وَمَن أَظلَمُ مِمَّنِ افتَرىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَو كَذَّبَ بِـٔايٰتِهِ إِنَّهُ لا يُفلِحُ الظّٰلِمونَ
wa man azlamu mim manif tara ‘alal laahi kaziban aw kazzaba bi Aayaatih; innahoo laa yuflihuz zaalimoon
(Idol Worshipers Deny Their Idolatry)
On the day when we summon them all, we will ask the idol worshipers, “Where are the idols you set up?
وَيَومَ نَحشُرُهُم جَميعًا ثُمَّ نَقولُ لِلَّذينَ أَشرَكوا أَينَ شُرَكاؤُكُمُ الَّذينَ كُنتُم تَزعُمونَ
wa yawma nahshuruhum jamee’an summa naqoolu lillazeena ashrakooo ayna shurakaaa’ ukumul lazeena kuntum taz’umoon
Their disastrous response will be, “By God our Lord, we never were idol worshipers.”*
ثُمَّ لَم تَكُن فِتنَتُهُم إِلّا أَن قالوا وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنا ما كُنّا مُشرِكينَ
summa lam takun fitnatuhum illaaa an qaaloo wallaahi Rabbinaa maa kunnaa mushrikeen
*6:23 Now and forever, the idol worshipers vehemently deny that they are idolaters.
Note how they lied to themselves, and how the idols they had invented have abandoned them.
انظُر كَيفَ كَذَبوا عَلىٰ أَنفُسِهِم وَضَلَّ عَنهُم ما كانوا يَفتَرونَ
unzur kaifa kazaboo ‘alaaa anfusihim, wa dalla ‘anhum maa kaanoo yaftaroon
Some of them listen to you, but we place veils on their hearts to prevent them from understanding, and deafness in their ears. Thus, no matter what kind of proof they see, they cannot believe. Thus, when they come to argue with you, the disbelievers say, “These are tales from the past.”
وَمِنهُم مَن يَستَمِعُ إِلَيكَ وَجَعَلنا عَلىٰ قُلوبِهِم أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفقَهوهُ وَفى ءاذانِهِم وَقرًا وَإِن يَرَوا كُلَّ ءايَةٍ لا يُؤمِنوا بِها حَتّىٰ إِذا جاءوكَ يُجٰدِلونَكَ يَقولُ الَّذينَ كَفَروا إِن هٰذا إِلّا أَسٰطيرُ الأَوَّلينَ
wa minhum mai yastami’u ilaika wa ja’alnaa ‘alaa quloobihim akinnatan ai yafqahoohu wa feee aazaanihim waqraa; wa ai yaraw kulla Aayatil laa yu’minoo bihaa; hattaaa izaa jaaa’ooka yujaadiloonaka yaqoolul lazeena kafaroo in haazaa illaaa asaateerul awwaleen
They repel others from this (Quran), as they themselves stay away from it, and thus, they only destroy themselves without perceiving.
وَهُم يَنهَونَ عَنهُ وَيَنـَٔونَ عَنهُ وَإِن يُهلِكونَ إِلّا أَنفُسَهُم وَما يَشعُرونَ
wa hum yanhawna ‘anhu wa yan’awna ‘anhu wa iny yuhlikoona illaa anfusahum wa maa yash’uroon
If only you could see them when they face the hellfire! They would say then, “Woe to us. Oh, we wish we could go back, and never reject our Lord’s revelations, and join the believers.”
وَلَو تَرىٰ إِذ وُقِفوا عَلَى النّارِ فَقالوا يٰلَيتَنا نُرَدُّ وَلا نُكَذِّبَ بِـٔايٰتِ رَبِّنا وَنَكونَ مِنَ المُؤمِنينَ
wa law taraaa iz wuqifoo ‘alan Naari faqaaloo yaa laitanaa nuraddu wa laa nukaz ziba bi Aayaati Rabbinaa wa nakoona minal mu’mineen
As a matter of fact, (they only say this because) their secrets have been exposed. If they go back, they will commit exactly the same crimes.* They are liars.
بَل بَدا لَهُم ما كانوا يُخفونَ مِن قَبلُ وَلَو رُدّوا لَعادوا لِما نُهوا عَنهُ وَإِنَّهُم لَكٰذِبونَ
bal badaa lahum maa kaanoo yukhfoona min qablu wa law ruddoo la’aadoo limaa nuhoo ‘anhu wa innahum lakaaziboon
*6:28 This is because as soon as we enter into our worldly dimension, we become totally unaware of events in the dimension of souls, where God and His angels, and Heaven and Hell, can be seen. Thus, the guilty will not change their behavior, even after seeing that eternal dimension.
They say (subconsciously), “We live only this life; we will not be resurrected.”
وَقالوا إِن هِىَ إِلّا حَياتُنَا الدُّنيا وَما نَحنُ بِمَبعوثينَ
wa qaalooo in hiya illaa hayaatunad dunyaa wa maa nahnu bimab’ooseen
If you could only see them when they stand before their Lord! He would say, “Is this not the truth?” They would say, “Yes, by our Lord.” He would say, “You have incurred the retribution by your disbelief.”
وَلَو تَرىٰ إِذ وُقِفوا عَلىٰ رَبِّهِم قالَ أَلَيسَ هٰذا بِالحَقِّ قالوا بَلىٰ وَرَبِّنا قالَ فَذوقُوا العَذابَ بِما كُنتُم تَكفُرونَ
wa law taraa iz wuqifoo ‘alaa Rabbihim; qaala alaisa haazaa bilhaqq; qaaloo balaa wa Rabbinaa; qaala fazooqul ‘azaaba bimaa kuntum takfuroon