Quran Universe
36:24

إِنِّيٓ إِذٗا لَّفِي ضَلَٰلٖ مُّبِينٍ

Innee ithan lafee dalalin mubeenin

Indeed, I would then be in manifest error.

Word by word
  1. إِنِّيٓIndeed,I
  2. إِذٗاthen
  3. لَّفِيsurely would be in
  4. ضَلَٰلٖan error
  5. مُّبِينٍclear
Ya-Sin · 36:24Makkah

Then I would be clearly lost.

Calling his own alternative by its name

His verdict on himself
worship othersinstead of Allah
would mean
plain error
How to talk about it
they are lostpointing at them
I would be lostspeaking of himself

He does not say you are in error. He says I would be in plain error if I took them as gods. Ibn Kathir explains it means if I were to take them as gods instead of Allah. He speaks of himself to soften their hearts.

When you want to correct someone, it is easy to say: you are wrong. This man said: if I did that, I would be wrong. That is how you invite without attacking.

Calling out other people's mistakes is the way to help them.

Speaking about myself first lets the truth reach others without a fight.

Try this

In your next disagreement, use an I sentence instead of a you sentence.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 36:20)

And there came a man running from the farthest part of the town. He said, "O my people! Obey the Messengers. (20)"Obey those who ask no wages of you, and who are rightly guided. (21)"And why should I not worship Him Who has created me and to Whom you shall be returned. (22)"Shall I take besides Him gods? If the Most Gracious intends me any harm, their intercession will be of no use for me whatsoever, nor can they save me. (23)"Then verily, I should be in plain error. (24)"Verily, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me! (25)

Quoting what reached him from Ibn 'Abbas, Ka'b Al-Ahbar and Wahb bin Munabbih – Ibn Ishaq reported that, "The people of the city resolved to kill their Messengers, then a man came running to them from the farthest part of the town, i.e., to help them against his people. They said, his name was Habib, and he used to work with ropes. He was a sickly man who suffered from leprosy, and he was very charitable, giving half of his earnings in charity, and his Fitrah (natural inclination) was sound." Shabib bin Bishr said, narrating from 'Ikrimah, from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the name of the man mentioned in Ya Sin was Habib An-Najjar, and he was killed by his people.

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اتَّبِعُوا الْمُرْسَلِينَ

(He said: "O my people! Obey the Messengers.") – he urged his people to follow the Messengers who had come to them.

اتَّبِعُوا مَنْ لَا يَسْأَلُكُمْ أَجْرًا

(Obey those who ask no wages of you,) means, 'for the Message which they convey to you, and they are rightly-guided in what they are calling you to, the worship of Allah Alone with no partner or associate.'

وَمَا لِيَ لَا أَعْبُدُ الَّذِي فَطَرَنِي 

(And why should I not worship Him Who has created me) means, 'and what is there to stop me from sincerely worshipping the One Who has created me, and worshipping Him Alone, with no partner or associate?'

 وَإِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ

(and to Whom you shall be returned.) means, 'on the Day of Resurrection, when He will requite you for your deeds: if they are good then you will be rewarded and if they are evil then you will be punished.'

أَأَتَّخِذُ مِنْ دُونِهِ آلِهَةً 

(Shall I take besides Him gods?) This is a rhetorical question intended to rebuke and chastise.

إِنْ يُرِدْنِ الرَّحْمَٰنُ بِضُرٍّ لَا تُغْنِ عَنِّي شَفَاعَتُهُمْ شَيْئًا وَلَا يُنْقِذُونِ

(If the Most Gracious intends me any harm, their intercession will be of no use for me whatsoever, nor can they save me.) means, 'these gods whom you worship instead of Him possess no power whatsoever, if Allah wills me some harm,'

فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ

(none can remove it but He)(6:17). 'These idols can neither cause any harm nor bring any benefit, and they cannot save me from the predicament I am in.'

إِنِّي إِذًا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ 

(Then verily, I should be in plain error.) means, 'if I were to take them as gods instead of Allah.'

إِنِّي آمَنْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ فَاسْمَعُونِ

(Verily, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me!) Ibn Ishaq said, quoting from what had reached him from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Ka'b and Wahb, "He said to his people:

إِنِّي آمَنْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ

('Verily, I have believed in your Lord) in Whom you have disbelieved,

فَاسْمَعُونِ

(so listen to me!)' means, listen to what I say." Or it may be that he was addressing the Messengers when he said:

إِنِّي آمَنْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ 

(Verily, I have believed in your Lord,) meaning, 'Who has sent you,'

فَاسْمَعُونِ

(so listen to me!) meaning, 'bear witness to that before Him.' This was narrated by Ibn Jarir, who said, "And others said that this was addressed to the Messengers, and he said to them: 'Listen to what I say and bear witness to what I say before my Lord, that I have believed in your Lord and have followed you.' This interpretation is more apparent, and Allah knows best. Ibn Ishaq said, quoting from what had reached him from Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Ka'b and Wahb, 'When he said that, they turned on him as one, and killed him at once, and he had no one to protect him from that.'" Qatadah said, "They started to stone him while he was saying, 'O Allah, guide my people for they do not know, and they kept stoning him until he died a violent death, and he was still praying for them.' May Allah have mercy on him."