Transliteration:( Wa qaalal lazeenastud'ifoo lillazeenas takbaroo bal makrul laili wannahaari iz ta'muroonanaaaa an nakfura billaahi wa naj'ala lahooo andaadaa; wa asarrun nadaamata lammaa ra awul 'azaab; wa ja'alnal aghlaala feee a'naaqil lazeena kafaroo; hal yujzawna illaa maa kaanoo ya'maloon )
"And those who were deemed weak [101] will say to the boastful: 'No, it was your plotting [102] of night and day, when you used to bid us that we should disbelieve in Allah, setting up equals [103] for Him.' And they will conceal remorse when they see [104] the punishment. And We shall put shackles on the necks of those who had disbelieved [105]. What they shall be awarded is but only to the extent of their deeds [106]."
Those considered weak and powerless—whether financially, intellectually, or socially—will accuse the arrogant leaders who misguided them. These followers had been pulled into disbelief not due to reasoned rejection, but due to influence and pressure, highlighting the danger of blind allegiance to those who misuse their position.
The proud ones were engaged in relentless propaganda day and night, luring others away from the truth. They used their power and manipulation to make disbelief appear desirable. Their strategies were not passive; they were active conspirators in spreading falsehood, making them all the more guilty.
Their core sin was inviting others to shirk, treating idols or false deities as equals to Allah. Though they may not have openly rejected Allah, their rejection of the Prophet and worship of others amounted to the same. This underlines how rejecting a Messenger is rejecting Allah Himself.
When faced with the punishment, these people will try to hide their regret, but Allah will expose their inner remorse. This shows the depth of their despair, and the humiliation of realizing too late that they were wrong.
The shackles around the necks of the disbelievers symbolize eternal disgrace. This punishment is exclusive to infidels, and will serve as a clear sign distinguishing them from sinful believers. The latter may be punished, but never in this humiliating manner.
Each person will be rewarded or punished according to their actions. Thus, minor children or those without deeds—like mentally incapable people—will not enter Hell. On the other hand, some will enter Paradise by Allah’s grace, even without many good deeds, simply through His mercy.
The tafsir of Surah Saba verse 33 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Saba ayat 31 which provides the complete commentary from verse 31 through 33.
(34:33) Those who were suppressed will say to those who waxed arrogant: “By no means; it was your scheming, night and day, when you would enjoin us to disbelieve in Allah and set up others as equals to Him.”[53] When they are confronted with the chastisement, they will be remorseful in their hearts. We shall put fetters around the necks of the unbelievers. Can people be requited except for their deeds?
53. In other words, the common people’s reply will be: “How can you hold us as equal partners in this responsibility? Do you also remember what sort of trickeries and deceptions and false propaganda you practiced and what efforts you used to make to tempt and entice the people day and night. It is not just that you presented the world before us and we were allured, but this is also a fact that you used to befool us by your frauds and deceptions and each one of you brought a new bait every day to tempt and lure the simple people.”
The Quran has made mention of the dispute between the religious guides and their followers at different places in different ways. For details, see Surah Al-Aaraf, Ayats 38- 39; (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 21); (Surah Al-Qasas, Ayat 63); (Surah Al-Ahzab, Ayat 66-68); (Surah Al-Mumin, Ayat 47-48); (Surah HaMim As-Sajdah, Ayat 29).
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