Quran Universe
6:70

وَذَرِ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُواْ دِينَهُمۡ لَعِبٗا وَلَهۡوٗا وَغَرَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۚ وَذَكِّرۡ بِهِۦٓ أَن تُبۡسَلَ نَفۡسُۢ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ لَيۡسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِيّٞ وَلَا شَفِيعٞ وَإِن تَعۡدِلۡ كُلَّ عَدۡلٖ لَّا يُؤۡخَذۡ مِنۡهَآۗ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُبۡسِلُواْ بِمَا كَسَبُواْۖ لَهُمۡ شَرَابٞ مِّنۡ حَمِيمٖ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمُۢ بِمَا كَانُواْ يَكۡفُرُونَ

Wathari allatheena ittakhathoo deenahum laAAiban walahwan wagharrathumu alhayatu alddunya wathakkir bihi an tubsala nafsun bima kasabat laysa laha min dooni Allahi waliyyun wala shafeeAAun wain taAAdil kulla AAadlin la yukhath minha olaika allatheena obsiloo bima kasaboo lahum sharabun min hameemin waAAathabun aleemun bima kanoo yakfuroona

And leave those who take their religion as amusement and diversion and whom the worldly life has deluded. But remind with the Qur'an, lest a soul be given up to destruction for what it earned; it will have other than Allah no protector and no intercessor. And if it should offer every compensation, it would not be taken from it. Those are the ones who are given to destruction for what they have earned. For them will be a drink of scalding water and a painful punishment because they used to disbelieve.

Word by word
  1. وَذَرِAnd leave
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. ٱتَّخَذُواْtake
  4. دِينَهُمۡtheir religion
  5. لَعِبٗا(as) a play
  6. وَلَهۡوٗاand amusement
  7. وَغَرَّتۡهُمُand deluded them
  8. ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُthe life
  9. ٱلدُّنۡيَاۚ(of) the world
  10. وَذَكِّرۡBut remind
  11. بِهِۦٓwith it
  12. أَنlest
  13. تُبۡسَلَis given up to destruction
  14. نَفۡسُۢa soul
  15. بِمَاfor what
  16. كَسَبَتۡit (has) earned
  17. لَيۡسَnot
  18. لَهَا(is) for it
  19. مِنfrom
  20. دُونِbesides
  21. ٱللَّهِAllah
  22. وَلِيّٞany protector
  23. وَلَاand not
  24. شَفِيعٞany intercessor
  25. وَإِنAnd if
  26. تَعۡدِلۡit offers ransom
  27. كُلَّevery
  28. عَدۡلٖransom
  29. لَّاnot
  30. يُؤۡخَذۡwill it be taken
  31. مِنۡهَآۗfrom it
  32. أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَThose
  33. ٱلَّذِينَ(are) ones who
  34. أُبۡسِلُواْare given to destruction
  35. بِمَاfor what
  36. كَسَبُواْۖthey earned
  37. لَهُمۡFor them
  38. شَرَابٞ(will be) a drink
  39. مِّنۡof
  40. حَمِيمٖboiling water
  41. وَعَذَابٌand a punishment
  42. أَلِيمُۢpainful
  43. بِمَاbecause
  44. كَانُواْthey used to
  45. يَكۡفُرُونَdisbelieve
Al-An'am · 6:70Makkah

Leave those who turn religion into a game.

But keep reminding, before a soul is held

Two instructions
religion as playfooled by this life
leave them, but
remind with itthe Quran
before
a soul is heldno ransom taken
What buys you out
any ransomthe earth full of gold
what you earneddeeds, not payment

Ibn Kathir says leave such people, yet remind people with the Quran and warn them. The word tubsal was explained as being held, exposed, or kept from all good because of what one earned. He cites: every soul is held by what it earned, except those on the right; and no ransom will be accepted.

Religion as a costume: the Ramadan selfie, the Eid outfit, then nothing until next year. It is easy to slip into that ourselves. The verse turns the warning inward first: is my faith something I play at, or something I live?

Faith is something I do on special occasions.

Faith is not a game. What I earn is what I will be held by.

Try this

Pick one religious act you only do for show. Do it once today with no one watching.

Related74:383:91
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

And leave alone those who take their religion as play and amusement, and are deceived by the life of this world. But remind (them) with it (the Qur'an) lest a soul Tubsal for that which one has earned, when he will find for himself no protector or intercessor besides Allah, and even if he offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from him. Such are they who are given up to destruction because of that which they have earned. For them will be a drink of boiling water and a painful torment because they used to disbelieve.) Allah sai (70)

وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا

(And leave alone those who take their religion as play and amusement, and are deceived by the life of this world.)

The Ayah commands to leave such people, ignore them and give them respite, for soon, they will taste a tremendous torment. This is why Allah said,

وَذَكِّرْ بِهِ

(But remind with it) meaning, remind the people with this Qur'an and warn them against Allah's revenge and painful torment on the Day of Resurrection. Allah said;

أَن تُبْسَلَ نَفْسٌ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ

(lest a soul Tubsal for that which one has earned,) meaning, so that it is not Tubsal. Ad-Dahhak from Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, 'Ikrimah, Al-Hasan and As-Suddi said that Tubsal means, be submissive. Al-Walibi said that Ibn 'Abbas said that Tubsal means, 'be exposed'. Qatadah said that Tubsal means, 'be prevented', Murrah and Ibn Zayd said that it means, 'be recompensed', Al-Kalbi said, 'be reckoned'. All these statements and expressions are similar, for they all mean exposure to destruction, being kept away from all that is good, and being restrained from attaining what is desired. Allah also said;

كُلُّ نَفْسٍ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ رَهِينَةٌ - إِلَّا أَصْحَابَ الْيَمِينِ

(Every person is restrained by what he has earned. Except those on the Right.)[74:38-39], and

لَيْسَ لَهَا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ

(when he will find for himself no protector or intercessor besides Allah,) and,

وَإِن تَعْدِلْ كُلَّ عَدْلٍ لَّا يُؤْخَذْ مِنْهَا

(and even if he offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from him.) meaning, whatever the ransom such people offer, it will not be accepted from them. Allah said in a similar statement,

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَمَاتُوا وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْ أَحَدِهِم مِّلْءُ الْأَرْضِ ذَهَبًا

(Verily, those who disbelieved, and died while they were disbelievers, the (whole) earth full of gold will not be accepted from anyone of them.)[3:91] Allah said here,

أُولَٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا بِمَا كَسَبُوا لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِّنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ

(Such are they who are given up to destruction because of that which they have earned. For them will be a drink of boiling water and a painful torment because they used to disbelieve.)