Afaraayta mani ittakhatha ilahahu hawahu waadallahu Allahu AAala AAilmin wakhatama AAala samAAihi (surah Jathiyah: 23)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(45:23) Did you ever consider the case of him who took his desire as his god, *30 and then Allah caused him to go astray despite knowledge, *31 and sealed his hearing and his heart, and cast a veil over his sight? *32 Who, after Allah, can direct him to the Right Way? Will you not take heed? *33

Afara`ayta manit takhaza ilaahahoo hawaahu wa adal lahul laahu `alaa `ilminw wa khatama `alaa sam`ihee wa qalbihee wa ja`ala `alaa basarihee ghishaawatan famany yahdeehi mim ba`dil laah; afalaa tazakkaroon

*30) "To make one's lust one's god" implies that one should become a slave of one's lusts and desires: one should do whatever one likes whether God has forbidden it, and should not do what one dislikes, whether God has made it obligatory. When a man starts obeying somebody like this, it means that his deity is not God but the one whom he is obeying without question, no matter whether he calls him his Iord (with the tongue) or not, and carves out an image of him and worship: him or not. For when he has worshipped him directly without question, it is enough to make him a deity and after this practical shirk one cannot be absolved from the guilt of shirk only because one did not call the object of one's worship one's deity with the tongue, nor prostrated oneself before it. The other major commentators also have given the same commentary of this verse. Ibn Jarir says: the forbidden things by Allah as forbidden, nor regarded the things made lawful by Him as lawful." Abu Bakr al-Jassas gives this meaning: "He obeys his lusts as one should obey one's God." Zamakhshari explains it, thus: "He is obedient to the lusts of his self: He follows his self wherever it beckons him, as if he serves him as one should serve one's God. " (For further explanation, scc E.N. 56 of AIFurqan, E.N. 63 of Saba, E N. 53 of Ya Sin, and E.N. 38 of Ash-Shura).
*31) The words adalla hulla-hu 'ala 'ilm-in may either mean: "The person in spite of being knowledgeable was driven astray by Allah, for he had become a slave of his lusts ;" or "Allah, by virtue of His knowledge that he had made his lusts his god, drove him astray."
*32) For the commentary of letting a person go astray and setting a seal upon his heart and ears and a coveting on his eyes, scc AI-Baqarah: 7, 18, AIAn'am:25 and E.N. 28, Al-A'raf: 100, At-Taubah: 87, 93, Yunus: 74 and E.N. 73, Ar-Ra'd: 27, Ibrahim: 4, 27, An-Nahl: 108, Bani Isra'il: 46, Ar-Rum; 59, Fatir: 8 and E.N.'s 16, 17, and E.N. 54 of Al-Mu'minun).
*33) From the context in which this verse occurs, it becomes obvious that only those people deny the Hereafter, who want to serve their lusts and who regard belief in the Hereafter as an obstacle to their freedom. Then, once they. have denied the Hereafter, their servitude of the self goes on increasing and they go on wandering further into deviation. They commit every kind of evil without feeling any qualms; they do not hesitate to usurp the rights of others; they cannot be expected to restrain themselves when there is an opportunity for them to commit an excess or injustice only because of a regard for justice and truth in their hearts. The events and incidents that can serve as a warning for a man, are witnessed by them too, but they draw the wrong conclusion that whatever they are doing is right and they should do the same. No word of advice moves them; no argument, which can stop a man from evil, appeals to them; but they go on devising and furnishing more and more arguments to justify their unbridled freedom, and their minds remain day and night engaged only in devising ways and means of fulfilling their own interests and desires in every possible way instead of engaging in a good thought. This is an express proof of the fact that the denial of the Hereafter is destructive for human morals. The only thing that can restrain man within the bounds of humanity is the feeling that tnan is not irresponsible but has to render an account of his deeds before God. Being devoid of this feeling even if a person is highly Iearned, he cannot help adopting an attitude and behaviour worse than that of the animals.