6-21 And who is more unjust than he who forges a lie against Allah or gives the lie to His messages? Surely the wrongdoers will not be successful.a
وَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفۡتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوۡ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِهِۦۤۗ إِنَّهُ ۥ لَا يُفۡلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ (٢١)
6-21a: The forging a lie against Allah is their assertion that there are partners with Him. In the sixteenth section of this chapter their polytheism and polytheistic rituals are repeatedly called forging a lie against Allah.
6-22 And on the day We gather them all together, then We shall say to those who set up gods (with Allah): Where are your associate-gods whom you asserted?a
وَيَوۡمَ نَحۡشُرُهُمۡ جَمِيعً۬ا ثُمَّ نَقُولُ لِلَّذِينَ أَشۡرَكُوٓاْ أَيۡنَ شُرَكَآؤُكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كُنتُمۡ تَزۡعُمُونَ (٢٢)
6-22a: شُرَكَآؤُكُمُ – It is a construct phrase with a low level attributive relationship known in grammar as: اضافت ادنیٰ بلابست which makes the meaning as not your partners but the partners you attributed with God.
There will be one gathering on the Day of Judgment in the Hereafter, but the advent of the Holy Prophet also showed a minor scene of the Day of Judgment in this world. This happened when a time came that the opponents of the Holy Prophet were asked where are those who you attributed as partners with Allah and why are they not helping you.
6-23 Then their excuse would be nothing but that they would say: By Allah, our Lord! we were not polytheists.a
ثُمَّ لَمۡ تَكُن فِتۡنَتُہُمۡ إِلَّآ أَن قَالُواْ وَٱللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشۡرِكِينَ (٢٣)
6-23a: فِتۡنَتُہُمۡ – Some commentators have taken the meaning of فتنة to be polytheism and some others have taken it to mean reply or excuse. Their excuse is called a فتنه because it is a lie. However, the actual meaning of فتنه is calamity, punishment or suffering. So, the meaning can also be that at the current time the disbelievers are causing believers to suffer on account of their monotheism, but the time will come when far from causing any kind of suffering to the believers, they will themselves show their disgust with polytheism. With this meaning, إِلَّآ is اتثناۓ منقطع that is, it provides an exception to what is stated before.
The excuse of not being polytheists: Either the excuse of we were not polytheists is false and there is an indication of this in the next verse or it is a reference to their idea مَا نَعۡبُدُهُمۡ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ (We serve them only that they may bring us nearer to Allah) (39:3). In this latter case, the statement in the next verse would be that what their nature accepts to be true, like the Day of Judgment etcetera, then their very nature would cry out that it is not polytheistic but that currently they are acting against their nature. In other places too where Allah has portrayed the condition of polytheists, He has shown that when great suffering and calamites affect them, then even the polytheists cry out to One God alone. In this way attention is drawn repeatedly to the testimony of human nature. This testimony exists within a person even in this world, but man fabricates, that is he acts against the testimony of his nature.
6-24 See how they lie against their own souls, and that which they forged shall fail them!a
ٱنظُرۡ كَيۡفَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِہِمۡۚ وَضَلَّ عَنۡہُم مَّا كَانُواْ يَفۡتَرُونَ (٢٤)
6-24a: There is an indication in lying against their own souls to their actions in this world. The testimony of their innate nature is something else, but they lie against themselves by making excuses such as that their deities bring them closer to Allah or some other excuse to remain polytheistic. The other interpretation of the verse is that by denying being polytheistic, they are lying against themselves.
6-25 And of them is he who hearkens to thee and We have cast veils over their hearts so that they understand it not and a deafness into their ears. And (even) if they see every sign they will not believe in it. So much so that when they come to thee they only dispute with thee — those who disbelieve say: This is naught but stories of the ancients.a
وَمِنۡہُم مَّن يَسۡتَمِعُ إِلَيۡكَۖ وَجَعَلۡنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِہِمۡ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفۡقَهُوهُ وَفِىٓ ءَاذَانِہِمۡ وَقۡرً۬اۚ وَإِن يَرَوۡاْ ڪُلَّ ءَايَةٍ۬ لَّا يُؤۡمِنُواْ بِہَاۚ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوكَ يُجَـٰدِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ إِنۡ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ (٢٥)
6-25a: يَسۡتَمِعُ – The meaning of استماع is اصغاء (R).that is to incline towards, and the purport is to incline their ears towards or to listen.
يَفۡقَهُوهُ – فِقۡه is to use existing knowledge to reach knowledge that is unseen, that is knowledge that does not exist. Hence it is more special than just knowledge, as in: لَا يَكَادُونَ يَفۡقَهُونَ حَدِيثً۬ا (…they make no effort to understand anything). The meaning of تَفَقَّه‘ is he sought to understand it specially, as in: لِّيَتَفَقَّهُواْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ (…to obtain understanding in religion) (9:122). فِقۡه is the knowledge of understanding the commands of shariah (R).
وَقۡرً۬ا – وقر is heaviness in the ear. وَقُر is the load or burden on a donkey or mule, and وقار is tranquility and knowledge.
أَسَـٰطِيرُ – It is the plural of اُسۡطُورَۃ which is derived from سَطُر which means to write, as in: نٓۚ وَٱلۡقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسۡطُرُونَ (By) the inkstand and the pen and that which they write!) (68:1),
وَكِتَـٰبٍ۬ مَّسۡطُورٍ۬ (And a Book written) (52:2), ڪَانَ ذَٲلِكَ فِى ٱلۡڪِتَـٰبِ مَسۡطُورً۬ا (This is written in the Book) (33:6), and in calling it أَسَـٰطِيرُ the purport is that they have fabricated and written it.
A detailed note has been written that Allah does not, at the start, puts a seal or drops a covering, for which see 2-7a. Very frequently the Quran uses this terminology to portray a situation of obduracy that the disbelievers create for themselves. This is also obvious from what is stated in this verse and the next because here it is stated firstly that they do not believe even after seeing all the signs of the truthfulness of the religion. Thus, they have decided that they will never give up disbelief regardless of the kind of proof presented. Second, it is stated that when they do come to the Holy Prophet, they do so to argue and dispute instead of calmly reflecting on what he has said. Further, it is stated in the next verse that they not only stray far from the truth but also stop others from it. The covering of the hearts for such people is exactly in accordance with Divine laws.
6-26 And they forbid (others) from it, and they keep away from it; and they ruin none but their own souls while they perceive not.a
وَهُمۡ يَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنۡهُ وَيَنۡـَٔوۡنَ عَنۡهُۖ وَإِن يُهۡلِكُونَ إِلَّآ أَنفُسَہُمۡ وَمَا يَشۡعُرُونَ (٢٦)
6-26a: يَنۡـَٔوۡنَ – The meaning of نائ is اَعۡرَض that is turn their face away, or تباعد that is it became distant, as in: وَنَـَٔا بِجَانِبِهِ (and behaves proudly) (17:83) (R).
6-27 And if thou couldst see when they are made to stand before the Fire, and say: Would that we were sent back! We would not reject the messages of our Lord but would be of the believers.a
وَلَوۡ تَرَىٰٓ إِذۡ وُقِفُواْ عَلَى ٱلنَّارِ فَقَالُواْ يَـٰلَيۡتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ (٢٧)
6-27a: وُقِفُواْ – The meaning of وَقف is to stop or stand up. Derived from it is مَوۡقف meaning a place to stop. وَقف also means to take a break or an interval.
Stand before the fire: The meaning of stand before the fire is that they will become sure of the coming punishment by witnessing hell before them.
6-28 Nay, that which they concealed before will become manifest to them. And if they were sent back, they would certainly go back to that which they are forbidden, and surely they are liars.a
بَلۡ بَدَا لَهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يُخۡفُونَ مِن قَبۡلُۖ وَلَوۡ رُدُّواْ لَعَادُواْ لِمَا نُہُواْ عَنۡهُ وَإِنَّہُمۡ لَكَـٰذِبُونَ (٢٨)
6-28a: The bad outcomes of evil actions – their cover up and manifestation: The previous verse states that the disbelievers will be made to stand before the fire and will express a desire to go back to earth with a promise not to reject the messages of God. The reply given here is that they are liars and the reason given is that nothing new has happened: بَلۡ بَدَا لَهُم مَّا كَانُواْ يُخۡفُونَ مِن قَبۡلُ (that which they concealed will become manifest to them), and the bad outcome of their evil actions will become manifest to them. If they had wanted, they could have seen the evil consequences of their actions because the truth is that one can see the bad effects of wicked actions, but one shuts the eyes and ignores the unpalatable results. Finally, those evil consequences manifest themselves in a dangerous way as will happen on the Day of Judgment and sometimes happens in this world when evil exceeds all bounds. Hence, it is stated that if they go back to earth, they will again act in the same way because the result of their evil actions will be in the same way as now so that the consequences will remain hidden and not manifested until the Day of Judgment. They will, therefore, not stop their evil actions. On this earth, man acts in the same way and as soon as the evil consequences of an evil action abate a little, he goes and commits the same action again.
6-29 And they say: There is nothing but our life of this world and we shall not be raised again.a
وَقَالُوٓاْ إِنۡ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَمَا نَحۡنُ بِمَبۡعُوثِينَ (٢٩)
6-29a: The real cause why a person commits evil is because he denies a life after death. Since man does not suffer the evil consequence of every wicked action in this world, he thinks that it is alright to commit the evil deed. It is only a certain belief in the Hereafter that creates the full sense of responsibility in a person about his actions. The purport of saying: إِنۡ هِىَ إِلَّا حَيَاتُنَا ٱلدُّنۡيَا (there is nothing but our life) is that man considers life to be eating and drinking with no higher purpose.
6-30 And if thou couldst see when they are made to stand before their Lord! He will say: Is not this the truth? They will say: Yea, by our Lord! He will say: Taste then the chastisement because you disbelieved.
وَلَوۡ تَرَىٰٓ إِذۡ وُقِفُواْ عَلَىٰ رَبِّہِمۡۚ قَالَ أَلَيۡسَ هَـٰذَا بِٱلۡحَقِّۚ قَالُواْ بَلَىٰ وَرَبِّنَاۚ قَالَ فَذُوقُواْ ٱلۡعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمۡ تَكۡفُرُونَ (٣٠)
Bayan-ul-Quran 