Tafsir of Ghafir 40:73-74

(73) Besides Allah? They will say: "They have strayed from us."

It is said to them, and they reply. The past tense is used to signify the certainty of the occurrence, and the question is for the purpose of rebuke. Their "straying" (dallu) means their absence, derived from the phrase "one whose mount has strayed" (dallat dabbatuhu) when its location is unknown. This does not contradict what is indicated by their deities being bound with them in the Fire, for the Fire has levels and they have various stations within it; thus, it is possible for them to be absent from one another in some parts and joined in others. It is also possible that their "straying" is a metaphor for their lack of benefit, as their presence is like their absence; thus, it is mentioned in its literal sense in one instance and its metaphorical sense in another.

"Nay, we did not used to invoke anything before."

This means: Nay, it has become clear to us today that in the worldly life we were not worshipping anything worth reckoning. This is a turning away from the notion that the false deities were non-existent to them, or were not beneficial, to the realization that they were not "anything" worth considering. In this, there is an admission of their error and regret for their foul deeds at a time when such things are of no benefit. Al-Jalabi likened this verse to the words of the Exalted: "By Allah, our Lord, we were not idolaters" (6:23), as they resort to lying due to their confusion and agitation.

The meaning of His saying, the Exalted:

(74) "Thus does Allah lead the disbelievers astray."

It means that He, the Exalted, confuses them in their affairs until they resort to lying, even while they know it will not benefit them. Perhaps what preceded [the literal interpretation of their confusion] is what is appropriate for the context.

The meaning of this is: Just as this leading astray occurred, so too does Allah, the Exalted, lead the disbelievers astray in the worldly life—such that they invoke [entities] that become clear to them as being "nothing." Or it may mean: Just as their deities stray from them in the Hereafter, We lead them astray from their deities therein, such that even if they sought the deities and the deities sought them, they would not encounter one another. Or: Like that straying and lack of benefit, Allah, the Exalted, leads the disbelievers astray such that they are not guided in this world to what would benefit them in the Hereafter.

In Al-Majma', it is stated: Just as Allah, the Exalted, led the deeds of these people astray and nullified what they had hoped for, He does likewise with the deeds of all who profess disbelief; they shall not benefit from any of them. Thus, "leading the disbelievers astray" is understood in the sense of leading their deeds astray—that is, nullifying them. This view is narrated from Al-Hasan, and other things have been said regarding its meaning.