Tafseer Ibn Kathir of AL FURQAAN [41]

41. And when they see you, they treat you only in mockery (saying): ”Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a Messenger'' 42. ”He would have nearly misled us from our gods, had it not been that we were patient and constant in their worship!'' And they will know, when they see the torment, who it is that is most astray from the path! 43. Have you seen him who has taken as his god his own vain desire Would you then be a guardian over him 44. Or do you think that most of them hear or understand They are only like cattle -- nay, they are even farther astray from the path. Allah tells us how the disbelievers mocked the Messenger when they saw him. This is like the Ayah,

(And when the disbelievers see you, they take you not except for mockery) (21:36), which means that they tried to find faults and shortcomings in him. Here Allah says:

(And when they see you, they treat you only in mockery (saying): ”Is this the one whom Allah has sent as a Messenger'') i.e., they said this by way of belittling and trying to undermine him, so Allah put them in their place, and said:

(And indeed Messengers before you were mocked at) (6:10)

(He would have nearly misled us from our gods,) They meant: `he nearly turned us away from worshipping idols, and he would have done so, had we not been patient and persevered in our ways.' So Allah said, warning and threatening them:

(And they will know, when they see the torment...)   Then Allah tells His Prophet that if Allah decrees that someone will be misguided and wretched, then no one can guide him except Allah, glory be to Him:

(Have you seen him who has taken as his god his own vain desire) meaning, whatever he admires and sees as good in his own desires becomes his religion and his way. As Allah says:

(Is he then, to whom the evil of his deeds is made fair seeming. So that he consider it as good. Verily, Allah sends astray whom he wills.) ï´¿35:8ï´¾

(Would you then be a guardian over him) Ibn `Abbas said: ”During the Jahiliyyah, a man would worship a white rock for a while, then if he saw another that looked better, he would worship that and leave the first.'' Then Allah said:

(Or do you think that most of them hear or understand) meaning, they are worse than grazing cattle. Cattle only do what they were created to do, but these people were created to worship Allah Alone without associating partners with Him, but they worship others with Him, even though evidence has been established against them and Messengers have been sent to them.