Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:42

"He almost misled us..."

• "Inna" (Indeed): This is a shortened form of anna (that). Its subject, according to some, is a suppressed pronoun representing the state of affairs (dameer al-sha’n), meaning: "It is the case that he almost..."
• "Le-yudillana 'an alihatina" (To lead us away from our gods): That is, to turn us away from their worship, a total diversion such that he distances us from them, not merely from their worship. The shift to the term "misleading" (idlal) is intended to highlight the extremity of their delusion, as they claim that the worship of these idols is a straight path.
• "Lawla an sabarna 'alayha" (Had we not remained steadfast upon them): That is, had we not stood firm and persisted in their worship. "Lawla" (if not for) in such statements functions as a restriction on an absolute judgment in terms of meaning, though not in wording. This is an admission on their part that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) exerted such effort in calling to monotheism, manifesting miracles, and establishing proofs and evidence, that they were on the verge of abandoning their religion were it not for their extreme stubbornness and ultimate obstinacy. This does not contradict their previous belittlement and mockery, as this observation is from one perspective while that was from another—a cause they attributed to the situation. May Allah Almighty combat them! It has also been said that their speech is contradictory due to their confusion and bewilderment; the previous inquiry indicated belittlement, while this indicates the strength of his (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) argument and the soundness of his intellect. Thus, in what He (the Exalted) relates of them, there is evidence of their foolishness and ignorance for mocking that which they themselves deemed significant.
• It has been countered: It is not explicit in their admission of what was mentioned. Rather, the apparent sense is that it was articulated in the form of concession for the sake of mockery, similar to their saying, "Has Allah sent a messenger?" There is an evident prohibition against this, and the contradiction is avoided, as is not hidden.
• "And they will know when they see the punishment": That which their disbelief and obstinacy necessitate.
• "Who is further astray in [his] way": That is, they will know the answer to this. This is on the basis that man (who) is interrogative and adallu (further astray) is its predicate; the sentence serves as the two objects for "know" (if it is transitive to two objects) or as a single object (if it is transitive to one). Alternatively, they will know "he who is further astray" (man as a relative pronoun), acting as the object of "know," with adallu being the predicate of a suppressed subject. The sentence is the relative clause, and the head of the relative clause (the pronoun/antecedent) has been omitted due to the length caused by the specification (tamyiz). Since those disbelievers categorized his (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) call to monotheism as "misleading"—where they said, "He almost misled us from our gods"—and since one who misleads others must necessarily be astray himself, this sentence was brought as a rebuttal to them, clarifying that he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is a guide, not a misleader, in the most eloquent manner. It indicates the negation of being astray from him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), because the intent is that they will know they are in the utmost state of misguidance, not he. The negation of the necessary consequence requires the negation of the cause; thus, it implies that he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is a guide and not a misleader. In restricting this knowledge to the time of seeing the punishment lies a threat to them and an admonition that He (the Exalted) does not neglect them, even if He grants them respite.