وَيَوْمَ يَحْشُرُهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ فَيَقُولُ ءَأَنتُمْ أَضْلَلْتُمْ عِبَادِى هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ أَمْ هُمْ ضَلُّوا۟ ٱلسَّبِيلَ 17
Translations
And [mention] the Day He will gather them and that which they worship besides Allāh and will say, "Did you mislead these, My servants, or did they [themselves] stray from the way?"
Transliteration
Wa yawma yahshuruhum wa mā yaʿbudūna min dūni-llāhi fa yaqūlu aʾantum aḍlaltum ʿibādī hāʾulāʾi am hum ḍallū-s-sabīl
Tafsir (Explanation)
On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will gather together the idol-worshippers and the false deities they worshipped besides Him, and He will question them about who led whom astray. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi, this interrogation is meant to expose the futility of shirk (polytheism), as the false gods will deny any responsibility for leading people astray, thereby proving that the disbelievers were themselves the architects of their own misguidance. The ayah demonstrates that ultimately, each soul bears responsibility for its choices, and no false deity can intercede or share in the burden of their followers' sins.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Al-Furqan (a Meccan surah), which addresses the fundamental issue of tawhid (monotheism) versus shirk during the early Meccan period when polytheism was rampant. The surah contextually discusses the Day of Judgment and the ultimate accountability before Allah, setting the stage for understanding the consequences of rejecting true guidance.
Related Hadiths
Related to the theme of accountability on the Day of Judgment: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible for his flock' (Sahih Bukhari 2286). Additionally, Surah Al-Isra 17:36 complements this ayah: 'And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge' (addressing personal responsibility for one's beliefs).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that on the Day of Judgment, we cannot blame others—not even our idols, leaders, or cultural influences—for our spiritual choices; each person must face Allah with full responsibility for what their soul has earned. In our modern context, this encourages critical thinking about our beliefs and practices, reminding us that blindly following false ideologies, material pursuits, or worldly innovations without questioning their validity places the burden of misguidance squarely on our own shoulders.