min dūni l-lahi qālū ḍallū ʿannā bal lam nakun nadʿū min qablu shayan kadhālika yuḍillu l-lahu l-kāfirīna
Translation
Other than Allāh?" They will say, "They have departed from us; rather, we did not used to invoke previously anything." Thus does Allāh put astray the disbelievers.
Verse 74 of Surah Ghafir (40:74), a Meccan surah, is in juz 24, on page 475 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 72 reciters.
Listen to verse 74 of Surah Ghafir
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Tafsir of verse 74
Al-Mukhtasar
Besides Allah, from your idols who could not benefit or harm?” The disbelievers will say: “They have disappeared from us, so we cannot see them. In fact, we did not worship anything in the world which deserved to be worshipped”. In the way these people were led astray, Allah leads the disbelievers astray from the truth in every era and place.
with Allah?” They will say, “We have lost them; rather, we never used to call upon anything before.” This is how Allah causes the disbelievers to stray.
"Besides Allâh"? They will say: "They have vanished from us: Nay, we did not invoke (worship) anything before." Thus Allâh leads astray the disbelievers.9
Notes
[9] (V.40:74) See the footnote of (V.2:165).
Beside Allah? They say: They have failed us; but we used not to pray to anything before. Thus doth Allah send astray the disbelievers (in His guidance).
"In derogation of Allah?" They will reply: "They have left us in the lurch: Nay, we invoked not, of old, anything (that had real existence)." Thus does Allah leave the Unbelievers to stray.
Besides Allah? They shall say: They are gone away from us, nay, we used not to call upon anything before. Thus does Allah confound the unbelievers.
Apart from Allah?" They will say, "They have erred away from us; no indeed, we used not to invoke anything earlier." Thus Allah leads the disbelievers into error.
And who is more unjust than one who invents about Allāh a lie or denies His verses? Those will attain their portion of the decree until, when Our messengers [i.e., angels] come to them to take them in death, they will say, "Where are those you used to invoke besides Allāh?" They will say, "They have departed from us," and will bear witness against themselves that they were disbelievers.
