Surah Al-Qasas — Verse 64

Word Meanings:

• ادْعُوا شُرَكَاءَكُمْ — "Call upon your partners": i.e., the false deities and idols you worshipped alongside Allah.
• فَلَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا لَهُمْ — "They did not respond to them": they did not answer or come to their aid in any way.
• وَرَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ — "And they saw the punishment": they witnessed the torment prepared for them with their own eyes.
• لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَهْتَدُونَ — "If only they had been guided": the completion of this wish is understood to be: they would not have followed those false gods, nor would they be facing this punishment now.

Tafsir (Explanation):

On the Day of Judgment, when the disbelievers who worshipped others besides Allah are gathered, a humiliating command will be given to them as a rebuke and a threat: "Call upon those partners you associated with Allah — the idols, the stones, the prophets, or the angels you took as intercessors — and ask them to save you from this punishment!" So they will cry out to them desperately, seeking any help or rescue. But their false deities will remain utterly silent — they will not answer, they will not intercede, and they will not benefit them in the least. At that moment, the disbelievers will see the punishment prepared for them with their own eyes, and a deep, bitter regret will overwhelm them. They will wish — too late — that they had been guided to the truth in the worldly life, for had they been guided, they would never have followed those false gods, and they would never be witnessing this dreadful torment now.

This scene carries a profound lesson for every soul: the false gods people turn to — whether wealth, status, desires, or fabricated deities — are utterly powerless. They cannot benefit nor harm, neither in this world nor the next. Only Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of all, is worthy of worship and supplication. He alone answers the call of the distressed, and He alone grants salvation. How beautiful it is for a believer to realize this truth now, before the Day when regret will be of no avail! Let us turn to Allah in every moment of our lives, for He is the Most Merciful, the Most Responsive — He never disappoints those who sincerely call upon Him.