Tafseer of The Groups · Az-Zumar · 39:15
So worship what you will besides Him." Say, "Indeed, the losers are the ones who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Unquestionably, that is the manifest loss."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His statement: ( Say: Indeed, the losers are those who have brought loss upon themselves ) — He, exalted is His mention, says: Say to them, O Muḥammad: Indeed, the ruined ones are those who have deceived themselves, and whose family members have perished together with them through the punishment of Allah, so that when they entered the Fire (al-nār), they had no family there, whereas in the worldly life they did have family members.
And similar to what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation have said.
* Mention of who said that:
ʿAlī related to me, saying: Abū Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His statement: ( Say: Indeed, the losers are those who have brought loss upon themselves and their family members on the Day of Resurrection ). He said: they are the disbelievers (kuffār) whom Allah created for the Fire and for whom He created the Fire; the worldly life has departed from them, and the Garden (janna) is forbidden to them. Allah has said: He has lost the world and the Hereafter (22:11).
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His statement: ( Say: Indeed, the losers are those who have brought loss upon themselves and their family members on the Day of Resurrection ). He said: these are the people of the Fire; they brought loss upon themselves in the worldly life, and they lost their family members, so that in the Fire they found no family, whereas in the worldly life they did have a family.
It was related to me, on the authority of Ibn Abī Zāʾida, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: they deceived themselves and their family members. He said: they lose their family members, so that they have no family to whom they may return, and they lose themselves, so that they perish in the Fire — they die while they are alive — and thus they lose both.
And His statement: ( Indeed, that is truly the manifest loss ) — He, exalted is His mention, says: Indeed, the loss of these polytheists (mushrikīn) with regard to themselves and their family members on the Day of Resurrection, and that is their ruin, is truly the manifest loss. He, exalted is His mention, says: it is the ruin that makes clear to whoever beholds and knows it that it is truly the loss.
