Translation of the meanings Ayah 37 Surah Al-A‘rāf - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 37

فَمَنۡ أَظۡلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفۡتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوۡ كَذَّبَ بِـَٔايَٰتِهِۦٓۚ أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ يَنَالُهُمۡ نَصِيبُهُم مِّنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِۖ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءَتۡهُمۡ رُسُلُنَا يَتَوَفَّوۡنَهُمۡ قَالُوٓاْ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡ تَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِۖ قَالُواْ ضَلُّواْ عَنَّا وَشَهِدُواْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمۡ أَنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ كَٰفِرِينَ

(37) Who does more wrong than one who fabricated lies against Allah or rejected His Signs; those their share ˹as˺ per the Book will catch up with them^[1613], until when Our messengers^[1614] come upon them to terminate their lives, they would say: “Where is it that you were invoking besides Allah?” They said: “They have deserted us!”^[1615] They bore witness against themselves that they were Deniers^[1616].

[1613] Even those who chose to Deny will get their allocated provisions and will go on living their lives as per what is written in the Book, the Preserved Tablet (al-lawḥ al-maḥfūẓ) (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī, al-Shinqīṭī): “Those who Deny, let their Denying not grieve you ˹Muhammad˺. To Us is their return and We shall inform them what they have done. Surely, Allah is the All-Knower of what is in the hearts ˹of people˺. *We let them enjoy for a little while ˹in this world˺, then We shall oblige them to enter a rough Punishment ˹in the Hereafter˺” (31: 23-24).
[1614] The angels who are tasked with claiming peoples’ lives. (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Shinqīṭī, al-ʿAdhb al-Namīr)
[1615] Their so-called gods whom they Associate with God; they ‘deserted’ them at the time of their most pressing need! (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Shinqīṭī, al-ʿAdhb al-Namīr)
[1616] Only at the time of their death did they realize the Truth! (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, Ibn ʿĀshūr)