34:33

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسۡتُضۡعِفُواْ لِلَّذِينَ ٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْ بَلۡ مَكۡرُ ٱلَّيۡلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ إِذۡ تَأۡمُرُونَنَآ أَن نَّكۡفُرَ بِٱللَّهِ وَنَجۡعَلَ لَهُۥٓ أَندَادٗاۚ وَأَسَرُّواْ ٱلنَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُاْ ٱلۡعَذَابَۚ وَجَعَلۡنَا ٱلۡأَغۡلَٰلَ فِيٓ أَعۡنَاقِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْۖ هَلۡ يُجۡزَوۡنَ إِلَّا مَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ

Waqala allatheena istudAAifoo lillatheena istakbaroo bal makru allayli waalnnahari ith tamuroonana an nakfura biAllahi wanajAAala lahu andadan waasarroo alnnadamata lamma raawoo alAAathaba wajaAAalna alaghlala fee aAAnaqi allatheena kafaroo hal yujzawna illa ma kanoo yaAAmaloona

Those who were oppressed will say to those who were arrogant, "Rather, [it was your] conspiracy of night and day when you were ordering us to disbelieve in Allah and attribute to Him equals." But they will [all] confide regret when they see the punishment; and We will put shackles on the necks of those who disbelieved. Will they be recompensed except for what they used to do?

Word by word
  1. وَقَالَAnd will say
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. ٱسۡتُضۡعِفُواْwere oppressed
  4. لِلَّذِينَto those who
  5. ٱسۡتَكۡبَرُواْwere arrogant
  6. بَلۡNay
  7. مَكۡرُ(it was) a plot
  8. ٱلَّيۡلِ(by) night
  9. وَٱلنَّهَارِand (by) day
  10. إِذۡwhen
  11. تَأۡمُرُونَنَآyou were ordering us
  12. أَنthat
  13. نَّكۡفُرَwe disbelieve
  14. بِٱللَّهِin Allah
  15. وَنَجۡعَلَand we set up
  16. لَهُۥٓfor Him
  17. أَندَادٗاۚequals
  18. وَأَسَرُّواْBut they will conceal
  19. ٱلنَّدَامَةَthe regret
  20. لَمَّاwhen
  21. رَأَوُاْthey see
  22. ٱلۡعَذَابَۚthe punishment
  23. وَجَعَلۡنَاAnd We will put
  24. ٱلۡأَغۡلَٰلَshackles
  25. فِيٓon
  26. أَعۡنَاقِ(the) necks
  27. ٱلَّذِينَ(of) those who
  28. كَفَرُواْۖdisbelieved
  29. هَلۡWill
  30. يُجۡزَوۡنَthey be recompensed
  31. إِلَّاexcept
  32. مَا(for) what
  33. كَانُواْthey used to
  34. يَعۡمَلُونَdo
Saba · 34:33Makkah

Your plotting night and day misled us, they say.

Both sides hide their regret


The last exchange
the followersyour scheming, night and day
false promisesyou said we were guided
then
both regreteach by their deeds
How it ends
someone else pays
each repaid for own deeds

The followers answer: it was your plotting night and day, tempting us with promises and telling us we were rightly guided. Ibn Kathir says both the leaders and the followers will feel regret, and each will be repaid according to what they did.

A feed that works on you night and day. Ads, influencers, endless videos that tell you what success looks like. The plotting is constant. You can step out of it a little each day.

The voices around me shape me so much that I cannot help it.

Constant influence is real, but I still answer for my choices. I can step back.

Try this

Mute or unfollow one account today that keeps pulling you away from Allah.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 34:31)

And those who disbelieve say: "We believe not in this Qur'an nor in that which was before it." But if you could see when the wrongdoers are made to stand before their Lord, how they will cast the (blaming) word one to another! Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant: "Had it not been for you, we should certainly have been believers! (31)And those who were arrogant will say to those who were deemed weak: "Did we keep you back from guidance after it had come to you? Nay, but you were criminals. (32)Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant: "Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day, when you ordered us to disbelieve in Allah and set up rivals to Him!" And each of them (parties) will conceal their own regrets, when they behold the torment. And We shall put iron collars round the necks of those who disbelieved. Are they requited aught except what they used to do (33)

How the Disbelievers have agreed in this World to deny the Truth, and how They will dispute with One Another on the Day of Ressurection

Allah tells us about the excessive wrongdoing and stubbornness of the disbelievers, and their insistence on not believing in the Holy Qur'an and what it tells them about the Resurrection. Allah says:

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ بِهَٰذَا الْقُرْآنِ وَلَا بِالَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ۗ 

(And those who disbelieve say: "We believe not in this Qur'an nor in that which was before it.") Allah threatens them and warns them of the humiliating position they will be in before Him, arguing and disputing with one another:

يَرْجِعُ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ الْقَوْلَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا

(how they will cast the (blaming) word one to another! Those who were deemed weak) this refers to the followers –

 لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا 

(to those who were arrogant) – this refers to the leaders and masters –

لَوْلَا أَنْتُمْ لَكُنَّا مُؤْمِنِينَ 

(Had it not been for you, we should certainly have been believers!) meaning, 'if you had not stopped us, we would have followed the Messengers and believed in what they brought.' Their leaders and masters, those who were arrogant, will say to them:

 أَنَحْنُ صَدَدْنَاكُمْ عَنِ الْهُدَىٰ بَعْدَ إِذْ جَاءَكُمْ

(Did we keep you back from guidance after it had come to you?) meaning, 'we did nothing more to you than to call you, and you followed us without any evidence or proof, and you went against the evidence and proof which the Messengers brought because of your own desires; it was your own choice.' They will say:

بَلْ كُنْتُمْ مُجْرِمِينَ - وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا بَلْ مَكْرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ

("...Nay, but you were criminals." Those who were deemed weak will say to those who were arrogant: "Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day...") meaning, 'you used to plot against us night and day, tempting us with promises and false hopes, and telling us that we were truly guided and that we were following something, but all of that was falsehood and manifest lies.' Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said:

بَلْ مَكْرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ

(Nay, but it was your plotting by night and day,) means, "You plotted by night and day." Malik narrated something similar from Zayd bin Aslam.

 إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَا أَنْ نَكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَنْدَادًا

(when you ordered us to disbelieve in Allah and set up rivals to Him!) means, 'to set up gods as equal to Him, and you created doubts and confusion in our minds, and you fabricated far-fetched ideas with which to lead us astray.'

وَأَسَرُّوا النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ 

(And each of them (parties) will conceal their own regrets, when they behold the torment.) means, both the leaders and the followers will feel regret for what they did previously.

وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَغْلَالَ فِي أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا

(And We shall put iron collars round the necks of those who disbelieved.) This is a chain which will tie their hands to their necks.

هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

(Are they requited aught except what they used to do?) means, they will be punished according to their deeds: the leaders will be punished according to what they did, and the followers will be punished according to what they did.

قَالَ لِكُلٍّ ضِعْفٌ وَلَٰكِنْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

(He will say: "For each one there is double (torment), but you know not.")(7:38). Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمَّا سِيقَ إِلَيْهَا أَهْلُهَا تَلَقَّاهُمْ لَهَبُهَا، ثُمَّ لَفَحَتْهُمْ لَفْحَةً فَلَمْ يَبْقَ لَحْمٌ إِلَّا سَقَطَ عَلَى الْعُرْقُوبِ

(When the people of Hell are driven towards it, it will meet them with its flames, then the Fire will burn their faces and the flesh will all fall to their hamstrings.)"