Tafseer of The Dunes · Al-Ahqaf · 46:22
They said, "Have you come to delude us away from our gods? Then bring us what you promise us, if you should be of the truthful."
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.
The explanation of the saying of the Exalted: قَالُوا أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَأْفِكَنَا عَنْ آلِهَتِنَا فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا إِنْ كُنْتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ (They said: "Have you come to us to turn us away from our gods? Then bring us that with which you threaten us, if you are among the truthful") (46:22).
The Exalted, whose remembrance is exalted, says: the people of ʿĀd said to Hūd, when he said to them "Worship nothing but Allah; indeed, I fear for you the punishment (ʿadhāb) of a tremendous day": have you, O Hūd, come to us to turn us away from the worship of our gods toward the worship of that to which you call us, and to follow you in your word?
And just as we have said concerning the explanation of this, so too have the people of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) spoken.
* Mention of who said that:
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning His saying أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَأْفِكَنَا عَنْ آلِهَتِنَا (Have you come to us to turn us away from our gods?): to make us deviate. And he recited: إِنْ كَادَ لَيُضِلُّنَا عَنْ آلِهَتِنَا لَوْلا أَنْ صَبَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا (He almost led us astray from our gods, had we not been steadfast in adhering to them). He said: he leads us astray, makes us deviate, and turns us away. فَأْتِنَا بِمَا تَعِدُنَا (Then bring us that with which you threaten us) of punishment for our worship of the gods that we worship. إِنْ كُنْتَ (if you are) among the people of truthfulness in your word and your promises.
