7:51

ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُواْ دِينَهُمۡ لَهۡوٗا وَلَعِبٗا وَغَرَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَاۚ فَٱلۡيَوۡمَ نَنسَىٰهُمۡ كَمَا نَسُواْ لِقَآءَ يَوۡمِهِمۡ هَٰذَا وَمَا كَانُواْ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا يَجۡحَدُونَ

Allatheena ittakhathoo deenahum lahwan walaAAiban wagharrathumu alhayatu alddunya faalyawma nansahum kama nasoo liqaa yawmihim hatha wama kanoo biayatina yajhadoona

Who took their religion as distraction and amusement and whom the worldly life deluded." So today We will forget them just as they forgot the meeting of this Day of theirs and for having rejected Our verses.

Word by word
  1. ٱلَّذِينَThose who
  2. ٱتَّخَذُواْtook
  3. دِينَهُمۡtheir religion
  4. لَهۡوٗا(as) an amusement
  5. وَلَعِبٗاand play
  6. وَغَرَّتۡهُمُand deluded them
  7. ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُthe life
  8. ٱلدُّنۡيَاۚ(of) the world
  9. فَٱلۡيَوۡمَSo today
  10. نَنسَىٰهُمۡWe forget them
  11. كَمَاas
  12. نَسُواْthey forgot
  13. لِقَآءَ(the) meeting
  14. يَوۡمِهِمۡ(of) their day
  15. هَٰذَاthis
  16. وَمَاand [what]
  17. كَانُواْ(as) they used to
  18. بِـَٔايَٰتِنَاwith Our Verses
  19. يَجۡحَدُونَthey reject
Al-A'raf · 7:51Makkah

They forgot this Day, so today they are forgotten.

Treating religion as play


How it happened
religion as playamusement, a hobby
deceived by lifeits shine
so
forgottenas they forgot
What forgetting means here
Allah forgetslike we do
left without mercyHe forgets nothing

They took their religion as amusement and play, deceived by this life. The tafsir is clear that Allah never forgets anything; it means they are left as they left Him. A hadith tells of a man reminded of his marriage and honor, who never thought he would meet Allah.

Prayer squeezed between episodes. Ramadan as a food season. Faith as one more app on the phone. The Day you keep forgetting is the Day you will need to be remembered.

Religion can be a light hobby while life is the real thing.

If I forget the meeting with Allah, I am forgetting the most serious thing.

Try this

Count three blessings you have, and say each one to Allah like the man in the hadith was reminded of his.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 7:50)

And the dwellers of the Fire will call to the dwellers of Paradise: "Pour on us some water or anything that Allah has provided you with." They will say: "Both (water and provision) Allah has forbidden for the disbelievers (50)"Who took their religion as amusement and play, and the life of the world deceived them." So this Day We shall forget them as they forgot their meeting of this Day, and as they used to reject Our Ayat (51)

The Favors of paradise are Prohibited for the People of the Fire

Allah emphasizes the disgrace of the people of the Fire. They will ask the people of Paradise for some of their drink and food, but they will not be given any of that. As-Suddi said,

وَنَادَىٰ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَنْ أَفِيضُوا عَلَيْنَا مِنَ الْمَاءِ أَوْ مِمَّا رَزَقَكُمُ اللَّهُ

(And the dwellers of the Fire will call to the dwellers of Paradise: "Pour on us some water or anything that Allah has provided you with.")

"That is food". Ath-Thawri said that 'Uthman Ath-Thaqafi said that Sa'id bin Jubayr commented on this Ayah, "One of them will call his father or brother, 'I have been burned, so pour some water on me.' The believers will be asked to reply, and they will reply,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَهُمَا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ

("Both Allah has forbidden to the disbelievers.")" 'Abdur-Rahman bin Zayd bin Aslam said that,

إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَهُمَا عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ

("Both Allah has forbidden to the disbelievers.") "Refers to the food and drink of Paradise."

Allah describes the disbelievers by what they used to do in this life, taking the religion as amusement and play, and being deceived by this life and its adornment, rather than working for the Hereafter as Allah commanded,

فَالْيَوْمَ نَنسَاهُمْ كَمَا نَسُوا لِقَاءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَٰذَا

(So this Day We shall forget them as they forgot their meeting of this Day) meaning, Allah will treat them as if He has forgotten them. Certainly, nothing escapes Allah's perfect watch and He never forgets anything. Allah said in another Ayah,

فِي كِتَابٍ لَّا يَضِلُّ رَبِّي وَلَا يَنسَى

(In a Record. My Lord neither errs nor forgets)[20:52]

Allah said – that He will forget them on that Day – as just recompense for them, because,

نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَنَسِيَهُمْ

(They have forgotten Allah, so He has forgotten them)[9:67]

كَذَٰلِكَ أَتَتْكَ آيَاتُنَا فَنَسِيتَهَا وَكَذَٰلِكَ الْيَوْمَ تُنسَىٰ

(Like this: Our Ayat came unto you, but you disregarded them, and so this Day, you will be neglected)[20:126] and,

وَقِيلَ الْيَوْمَ نَنسَاكُمْ كَمَا نَسِيتُمْ لِقَاءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَٰذَا 

(And it will be said: "This Day We will forget you as you forgot the meeting of this Day of yours.")[45:34] Al-'Awfi reported that Ibn 'Abbas commented on,

فَالْيَوْمَ نَنسَاهُمْ كَمَا نَسُوا لِقَاءَ يَوْمِهِمْ هَٰذَا

(So this Day We shall forget them as they forgot their meeting of this Day)

"Allah will forget the good about them, but not their evil." And 'Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "We shall forsake them as they have forsaken the meeting of this Day of theirs." Mujahid said, "We shall leave them in the Fire."

As-Suddi said, "We shall leave them from any mercy, just as they left any action on behalf of the meeting on this Day of theirs."

It is recorded in the Sahih that Allah will say to the servant on the Day of Resurrection:

أَلَمْ أُزَوِّجْكَ؟ أَلَمْ أُكْرِمْكَ؟ أَلَمْ أُسَخِّرْ لَكَ الْخَيْلَ وَالْإِبِلَ وَأَذَرْكَ تَرْأَسُ وَتَرْبَعُ؟ فَيَقُولُ: بَلَى، فَيَقُولُ: أَظَنَنْتَ أَنَّكَ مُلَاقِيَّ؟ فَيَقُولُ: لَا، فَيَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى: فَالْيَوْمَ أَنْسَاكَ كَمَا نَسِيتَنِي

("Have I not gotten you married? Have I not honored you? Have I not made horses and camels subservient for you and allowed you to become a leader and a master?" He will say, "Yes." Allah will say, "Did you think that you will meet Me?" He will say, "No." Allah the Exalted will say, 'Then this Day, I will forget you as you have forgotten Me.")