Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:43

"Have you seen him who takes his own desire as his god?"

He is the one who is in obedience to his desire regarding his religion, following it in everything he does or leaves, without reflecting on any evidence or listening to any proof. He is a worshiper of his desire, having made it a god.

So, he says to His Messenger—this person who sees no object of worship other than his own desire—"How can you invite him to guidance? Will you take charge of him and force him into Islam, saying, 'You must accept Islam, whether you like it or not,' when there is no compulsion in religion?"

This is similar to His saying: "And you are not a tyrant over them" (Qaf: 45), and "You are not a controller over them" (Al-Ghashiyah: 22).

It is narrated that one of them would worship a stone, and if he saw one better than it, he would throw the first one away and take the other. Among them was Al-Harith ibn Qays al-Sahmi.

"Or do you think that most of them hear or reason? They are only like livestock; nay, they are even more astray in the way."