وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا وَغَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَذَكِّرْ بِهِ أَنْ تُبْسَلَ نَفْسٌ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ لَيْسَ لَهَا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيٌّ وَلَا شَفِيعٌ وَإِنْ تَعْدِلْ كُلَّ عَدْلٍ لَا يُؤْخَذْ مِنْهَا أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ أُبْسِلُوا بِمَا كَسَبُوا لَهُمْ شَرَابٌ مِنْ حَمِيمٍ وَعَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ ﴿۷۰﴾ قُلْ أَنَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَنْفَعُنَا وَلَا يَضُرُّنَا وَنُرَدُّ عَلَى أَعْقَابِنَا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ كَالَّذِي اسْتَهْوَتْهُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فِي الْأَرْضِ حَيْرَانَ لَهُ أَصْحَابٌ يَدْعُونَهُ إِلَى الْهُدَى ائْتِنَا قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللَّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى وَأُمِرْنَا لِنُسْلِمَ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ﴿۷۱﴾

﴾70﴿ Wa zaril lazeenat takhazoo deenahum la'ibanwwa lahwanw wa gharrat humul ha yaatud dunyaa; wa zakkir biheee an tubsala nafsum bimaa kasabat laisa lahaa min doonil laahi waliyyunw wa laa shafee'unw wa in ta'dil kulla 'adlil laa yu'khaz minhaa; ulaaa 'ikal lazeena ubsiloo bimaa kasaboo lahum sharaabum min hameeminw wa 'azaabun aleemum bimaa kaanoo yakkfuroon
﴾71﴿ Qul anad'oo min doonil laahi maa laa yanfa'unaa wa laa yadurrunaa wa nuraddu 'alaaa a'qaabina ba'da iz hadaanal laahu kallazis tahwat hush Shayaateenu fil ardi hairaana lahooo ashaabuny yad'oo nahooo ilal huda' tinaa; qul inna hudal laahi huwal hudaa wa umirnaa linuslima li Rabbil 'aalameen

﴾70﴿ And leave those who have taken their religion as play and amusement, and whom the worldly life has deceived. And remind them by the Qur’an, so that no soul may be seized because of what it has earned—there will be for it no protector or intercessor besides Allah, and even if it offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from it. These are the ones who are seized for what they have earned; for them is a drink of boiling water and a painful punishment because they disbelieved.
﴾71﴿ Say: Shall we call upon others besides Allah—those who can neither benefit us nor harm us—and turn back on our heels after Allah has guided us? Like one whom the devils have led astray in the earth, bewildered, while his companions call him to guidance: “Come to us.” Say: Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the only true guidance, and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of all the worlds with sincerity.

[70] This is another etiquette being taught, this time concerning the second type of people—those who consider religion as play and amusement.
This verse is also connected to the previous etiquette: disconnect yourself from such people, and it also includes a warning about the Hereafter.
(اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَلَهْوًا) — There are three interpretations of this phrase:
1. They mock the religion of Tawhid and the Sunnah, considering it meaningless and idle, like a game or pastime—similar to how communists claim that religion is merely like opium.
2. They create a religion out of actual play and amusement—such as holding celebrations at the graves of saints, or singing and dancing, as practiced by some so-called Sufis and malangs, who claim these things are part of the religion.
3. The play and amusement here refer to worldly matters, meaning: they use religion as a tool for worldly gain—seeking wealth and power through it.
For example, some modern-day politicians use the name of the Qur’an and Islam to attain power, and once in position, they neglect the religion entirely.
Similarly, those who work in religious fields solely for monetary gain—reciting the Qur’an or doing religious tasks with the intention of earning money.
The third interpretation is the strongest, and that’s why the phrase (غَرَّتْهُمُ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا) — "The life of this world deceived them" — follows right after.
(وَذَكِّرْ بِهِ) — The pronoun refers to the Qur’an.
This implies that when turning away from such people, it doesn’t mean abandoning the duty of da‘wah (inviting to truth), but rather to continue warning them and prepare them for the possible punishment.
(أَنْ تُبْسَلَ) — There are multiple interpretations of this word:
1. Imprisonment, being bound, surrounded, silenced.
2. Complete shame and humiliation.
The structure of the sentence is originally لئلا تُبسل ("so that they are not ruined").
(شَفِيعٌ) — This refers specifically to the disbelieving polytheists.
Or it means that there will be no intercession without Allah’s permission—making the meaning general for all.
[71] This is the result of previous arguments and a refutation of associating partners with Allah in supplication. It then mentions other etiquettes and methods of teaching. It answers the question: if the worldly polytheists claim that seeking the world only harms those who have no guardian or intercessor besides Allah (i.e., monotheists), then they might say, “Come, take guardians and intercessors other than Allah, and seek help from them, and you will succeed.” The answer to this is found in this verse: what is meant by “guardian” and “intercessor” is (And we are repelled...)—this is a consequence caused by a cause, meaning supplicating to other than Allah leads to apostasy.
(Like the one whom the devils have enticed...)—this is the state in which we become like them. (Istahwathu) is derived from “huwiyah,” meaning a pit—i.e., the devils have thrown him into a pit—or it is derived from “hawa,” meaning desire—i.e., the devils have made him follow their desires. Bukhari says: the devils have misguided him.
(Hayran)—this is a state, meaning he is so confused he cannot recognize the right path.
(Lahu as-hab)—means he does not even accept the words of his companions. The result of the example is: a person goes out with his friends, and then the jinn and devils mislead him. His friends call him back to the right path, but the devils confuse him, so he cannot return to the right way. Similarly, those who consider Allah alone as their guardian and intercessor and call upon Him alone for their needs—then other monotheists invite them to Tawheed (pure monotheism). But misguided elders and religious leaders have a strong influence on their minds, so they do not listen to the words of Tawheed either.
(Qul...)—this is the answer to the question: the polytheist says, “My path is guidance; I will not accept any other way.” The response is: (Say: Verily, the guidance of Allah...)
(Wa umirna...)—this is also an answer to their claim: they say, “Our elders have shown us this path, and we follow them.” The reply is: (And we have been commanded...).