Surah Al-Jaathiya (45) — Ayah 23

(Ayah 23) ➊ { اَفَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ اِلٰهَهٗ هَوٰىهُ:} From the context, it is clear that those who deny the Hereafter are the very people who want to fulfill every lawful and unlawful desire of their souls. The belief in the Hereafter becomes an obstacle in the way of their freedom, so they deny the Hereafter, and then they continue to do whatever comes to their hearts. Just as a believer accepts his Lord as his deity, follows His command, considers what He has made lawful as lawful and what He has made unlawful as unlawful, similarly, the deity of the deniers of the Hereafter is their own soul's desire; whatever it wishes is lawful for them and whatever it does not wish is unlawful for them. Then, when they become unconcerned about the reckoning of the Hereafter, their misguidance only increases; nothing remains to prevent them from evil nor to incline them towards good.

➋ In Tafsir Qurtubi, it is stated that wherever Allah Almighty has mentioned {’’هَوٰي‘‘} (desire of the soul) in the Noble Qur’an, it is always in a condemnatory sense. For example, He said: « وَ لٰكِنَّهٗۤ اَخْلَدَ اِلَى الْاَرْضِ وَ اتَّبَعَ هَوٰىهُ فَمَثَلُهٗ كَمَثَلِ الْكَلْبِ » [ الأعراف : ۱۷۶ ] “But he clung to the earth and followed his desire, so his example is like the example of a dog.” And He said: « وَ لَا تُطِعْ مَنْ اَغْفَلْنَا قَلْبَهٗ عَنْ ذِكْرِنَا وَ اتَّبَعَ هَوٰىهُ وَ كَانَ اَمْرُهٗ فُرُطًا» [ الکہف : ۲۸ ] “And do not obey the one whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose affair has exceeded all bounds.” And He said: «بَلِ اتَّبَعَ الَّذِيْنَ ظَلَمُوْۤا اَهْوَآءَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَمَنْ يَّهْدِيْ مَنْ اَضَلَّ اللّٰهُ » [ الروم : ۲۹ ] “Rather, those who did wrong followed their desires without knowledge, so who can guide the one whom Allah has led astray?” And He said: « وَ مَنْ اَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ اتَّبَعَ هَوٰىهُ بِغَيْرِ هُدًى مِّنَ اللّٰهِ » [ القصص : ۵۰ ] “And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allah?” And He said: « وَ لَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوٰى فَيُضِلَّكَ عَنْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ » [صٓ : ۲۶ ] “And do not follow desire, lest it mislead you from the way of Allah.” And He said: « وَ اَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهٖ وَ نَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوٰى (40) فَاِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَاْوٰى » [ النازعات : ۴۰، ۴۱ ] “And as for the one who feared standing before his Lord and restrained the soul from desire, then indeed Paradise is his abode.”

➌ For further explanation of {’’ اَفَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ اِلٰهَهٗ هَوٰىهُ ‘‘}, see the commentary of Surah Al-Furqan (43).

➍ { وَ اَضَلَّهُ اللّٰهُ عَلٰى عِلْمٍ:} Its explanation is twofold: one is that it was in the eternal knowledge of Allah Almighty that he would not come to the right path but would make his soul’s desire his deity and would insist on denying the Hereafter, so He, based on His knowledge, cast him into misguidance. The second is that, despite knowing that Allah Almighty alone is the true deity and that the Resurrection will certainly occur, he persisted in denying the Resurrection for the sake of freedom in sin and immorality. (See Qiyamah: 1 to 6) So Allah Almighty also cast him into misguidance, as He said: « وَ مَنْ يُّشَاقِقِ الرَّسُوْلَ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدٰى وَ يَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيْلِ الْمُؤْمِنِيْنَ نُوَلِّهٖ مَا تَوَلّٰى وَ نُصْلِهٖ جَهَنَّمَ وَ سَآءَتْ مَصِيْرًا » [ النساء : ۱۱۵ ] “And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows a path other than that of the believers, We will turn him to what he has turned to and burn him in Hell—and what an evil destination.”

➎ { وَ خَتَمَ عَلٰى سَمْعِهٖ وَ قَلْبِهٖ:} For details, see the commentary of Surah Al-Baqarah, verse (7).

➏ { فَمَنْ يَّهْدِيْهِ مِنْۢ بَعْدِ اللّٰهِ:’’ أَيْ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَضَلَّهُ اللّٰهُ ‘‘} That is, when Allah Almighty Himself has led him astray, then who will guide him?

➐ { اَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُوْنَ: ’’ تَذَكَّرُوْنَ ‘‘} The original is {’’تَتَذَكَّرُوْنَ‘‘}, one “ta” has been omitted for lightness.

23. 1 That is, despite the attainment of knowledge and the establishment of proof, he still chooses the path of misguidance, like many misguided people who are afflicted with the pride of knowledge.
23. 2 Thus, he is not even able to see the truth.

Have you seen the one who has taken his own desires as his god [33], and Allah, despite knowledge [34], has let him go astray, and has set a seal upon his hearing and his heart, and placed a covering over his eyes? Who then can guide him after Allah? Will you not then take heed?

[33]
Making One's Desires a Deity:

This can also be the kind of person who does not believe in being presented before Allah and being held accountable for his deeds. The purpose of such a person's life remains only to fulfill the desires of his own self. He does not accept any moral restriction or the restrictions imposed by Shariah. Such a person neither tolerates obeying the commands of Allah Almighty nor refraining from His prohibitions; rather, he continues to advance in oppression and disobedience like an unbridled camel.

[34]
How Knowledge Becomes a Cause of Misguidance:

﴿أضَلَّهُ اللّٰهُ عَلٰي عِلْمٍ﴾ can have several meanings. One is that, in Allah's eternal knowledge, it was already determined that he would go astray, so Allah set him upon the very path of misguidance on which he was proceeding. The second meaning is that the person had complete discernment and knowledge of good and evil, but when he pursued his desires, Allah led him astray despite his knowledge. The third meaning is that even the deniers of the Hereafter and atheists have a philosophy that leads them towards misguidance, and Allah also leads such people astray. And the fourth is that the founders of all religious sects are generally knowledgeable and intelligent people, who, by following their desires, interpret the Book and Sunnah and extract their own ideology.