Transliteration:( Laa tahsabannal lazeena yafrahoona bimaaa ataw wa yuhibbona ai yuhmadoo bimaa lam yaf'aloo falaa tahsabannahum bimafaazatim minal 'azaabi wa lahum 'azaabun aleem )
“Never think of those who rejoice in their doings and for which they must be praised [430] for what they did not do. Never think of them to be in safety from the punishment. And for them is a painful torment [431].”
This verse addresses those who are pleased with themselves for actions they did not truly perform, and yet seek praise and admiration for those very deeds.
From this we learn:
Bestowing lofty titles upon those who don’t deserve them, such as calling a coward brave, or labeling an ignorant person as a great scholar (e.g., Shamsul Ulama) is a practice of deception, and resembling the ways of non-believers.
It is equally misleading when an ignorant individual considers himself a scholar or claims religious titles through fraudulent or superficial means—a problem that sadly persists today.
The verse condemns both those who accept praise they don’t deserve, and those who grant it falsely.
This verse also serves as a warning to non-believers and those who mislead others intentionally, rejoicing in their ability to:
Distort the truth,
Keep people ignorant,
And seek personal fame or glory by doing so.
Such individuals will not escape divine justice, and are not safe from punishment. Instead, a painful torment awaits them, both for their deception and for their deliberate misguidance of others.
The tafsir of Surah Imran verse 188 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Imran ayat 187 which provides the complete commentary from verse 187 through 189.
(3:188) Do not think that those who exult in their misdeeds and love to be praised for what indeed they have not done,[133] do not think that they are secure from chastisement. A painful chastisement awaits them.
133. Such people expected praises to be lavished upon them for being God-fearing, devout and pious, for being sincere servants of the true faith, for being defenders of God’s Law and for having reformed and purified the lives of people, even though none of this might be true. They wanted people to go about trumpeting that such and such a person had made great sacrifices in the cause of God and had sincerely guided people to the right way even though the facts might be the reverse of what they claimed.
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