لَمَن ضَرُّهُۥٓ أَقْرَبُ

2447

Commentary:

There may seem to be some contradiction between the subject-matter of this and the previous verse. But in reality there is none. The preceding verse only means that false gods are devoid of all power to do any good or ill to anybody, so it is foolish to worship such worthless objects. The present verse, however, means that the moral injury that the worship of false gods does to their votaries is immediate and quite patent inasmuch as the worshippers degrade themselves before lifeless things and thus do a great injury to their dignity and self-respect, but any benefit that they hope to get from it is imaginary and far-fetched. The verse may also signify that the unreal, temporary and insubstantial worldly gain that the idolaters hope to gain by associating themselves with the community of polytheists is nothing compared with the moral and spiritual injury they do to themselves by their worship of the idols.