انْظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُوا عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ ﴿۲۴﴾ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَنْ يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا وَإِنْ يَرَوْا كُلَّ آيَةٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَا حَتَّى إِذَا جَاءُوكَ يُجَادِلُونَكَ يَقُولُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا أَسَاطِيرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ ﴿۲۵﴾ وَهُمْ يَنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَيَنْأَوْنَ عَنْهُ وَإِنْ يُهْلِكُونَ إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ ﴿۲۶﴾ وَلَوْ تَرَى إِذْ وُقِفُوا عَلَى النَّارِ فَقَالُوا يَا لَيْتَنَا نُرَدُّ وَلَا نُكَذِّبَ بِآيَاتِ رَبِّنَا وَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۲۷﴾

﴾24﴿ Unzur kaifa kazaboo 'alaaa anfusihim, wa dalla 'anhum maa kaanoo yaftaroon
﴾25﴿ Wa minhum mai yastami'u ilaika wa ja'alnaa 'alaa quloobihim akinnatan ai yafqahoohu wa feee aazaanihim waqraa; wa ai yaraw kulla Aayatil laa yu'minoo bihaa; hattaaa izaa jaaa'ooka yujaadiloonaka yaqoolul lazeena kafaroo in haazaa illaaa asaateerul awwaleen
﴾26﴿ Wa hum yanhawna 'anhu wa yan'awna 'anhu wa iny yuhlikoona illaa anfusahum wa maa yash'uroon
﴾27﴿ Wa law taraaa iz wuqifoo 'alan Naari faqaaloo yaa laitanaa nuraddu wa laa nukaz ziba bi Aayaati Rabbinaa wa nakoona minal mu'mineen

﴾24﴿ See how they have lied against themselves, and what they used to invent will be lost from them.
﴾25﴿ And some of them are those who listen to you, but they do not understand—because We have placed a covering over their hearts (so they do not comprehend the Qur’an) and deafness in their ears. Even if they see every kind of sign, they will not believe in it. Until, when they come to you (to argue), those who disbelieve say, “This is nothing but tales of the ancients.”
﴾26﴿ And they prevent others from it and keep away from it themselves, but they only destroy themselves, and they do not realize it.
﴾27﴿ And if you could see them when they are made to stand before the Fire, they will say, “Alas for us! If only we could be sent back (to the world), we would not deny the signs of our Lord and would be among the believers.”

[24] The false tales of shirk that they had invented themselves will be forgotten by them, or those deities whom they used to worship besides Allah, the Exalted, will be absent from them.
[25] This is a warning: they listen to the Qur’an, but with the intention of rejecting and mocking it, so they do not understand its true purpose, which is Tawhid, because their hearts, ears, and eyes have been sealed from the truth.
They argue with the one who explains the Qur’an and claim that it is nothing but the false tales of the ancients.
(Wa ja‘alnā) – this indicates that it is Allah, the Exalted, who has sealed their senses, so no one can change that. This is called a taqdeeri (preordained) making.
(Wa in yaraw kulla āyah) – this refers to their blindness from the truth, which is a calamity of the eyes. A similar expression is in verse (57) of Surah Al-Kahf.
(Ḥattā idhā) – means that at first, they listen from a distance, then out of hostility, they come near to argue.
(Yujādilūnaka) – jidaal refers to verbal disputes and debates.
(Asāṭīr) – plural of ustūrah, meaning something written. Even now, the polytheists’ opinion about the Qur’an is that it is a collection of ancient tales.
Some also claim that its revelations are disconnected myths revealed piece by piece—thus, they try to confine it to mere fables, without accepting it as anything beyond that.
[26] This is also a warning and is connected (in meaning) to the previous statement.
One interpretation is that they prevent others from (listening to or following) the Qur’an, while they themselves keep away from it as well.
Another meaning is that they stop others from following the obligations placed by this Prophet, yet they themselves do not accept him either—
as was the case with Abu Talib, whose poetry has been narrated by Al-Sharbini, As-Sam‘ani, and others.
[27] This is about the fear of the Hereafter and expresses regret over the Qur’an and Tawhid.
(Wa law tarā) – the consequence is left unspoken, meaning: “You would certainly see their terrible state.”
(ʿAlā an-nār) – the word ʿalā (upon) indicates that they are made to stand very close to the Fire.
(Yā laytanā nuraddu) – expresses their wish to return to the world. This longing is mentioned in many verses: Surah As-Sajdah (12), Surah Fatir (37), and Surah Al-Mu’minun (99).
(Wa lā nukadhdhiba) – with bā (ب) being implicit and estimated as the response to the wish, just like the phrase nakūn (we would be).
Meaning: “If we are returned, we will not deny again.”