Surah An-Nahl 16:25

The Destruction of the Disbelievers and Intensification of their Punishment for rejecting the Revelation

Allah informs us that when it is said to those liars,

("What is it that your Lord has revealed" They say,) not wanting to answer,

("Tales of the men of old!") meaning nothing is revealed to him, what he is reciting to us is just tales of the men of old, taken from the previous Books. As Allah says,

(And they say: "Tales of the ancients, which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon.") (25:5) i.e., they tell lies against the Messenger and say things contradicting one another, but all of it is false, as Allah says,

(Look at the parables they make of you, so they have gone astray, and they are not able to find the right way.)(17:48) Once they have gone beyond the bounds of the truth, whatever they say will be in error. They used to say that he (the Prophet ) was a sorcerer, a poet, a soothsayer, or a madman, then they settled on an idea proposed by their leader, an individual known as Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumi, when:

(He thought, and plotted. So let him be cursed, how he plotted! And once more let him be cursed, how he plotted! Then he thought. Then he frowned and he looked in a bad tempered way; then he turned back, and was proud. Then he said: "This is nothing but the magic of old.") (74:18-24) meaning something that had been transmitted and passed down. So they dispersed having agreed on this opinion, may Allah punish them.

(They will bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and also of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge.) meaning, `We decreed that they would say that, so they will carry the burden of their own sins and some of the burden of those who followed them and agreed with them,' i.e., they will be held guilty not only for going astray themselves, but also for tempting others and having them follow them. As it says in a Hadith:

(Whoever invites people to guidance, he will receive a reward like that of those who follow him, without diminishing their reward in the least. And whoever invites people to misguidance, he will bear a burden of sin like that of those who follow him, without diminishing their burden in the least.) Allah says;

(They shall bear their own loads, and other loads besides their own; and they shall be questioned about their false allegations on the Day of Resurrection.) (29:13) Al-`Awfi reported from Ibn `Abbas that it is like the Ayah:

(That they may bear their own burdens in full on the Day of Resurrection, and also of the burdens of those whom they misled without knowledge.) (16:25) Allah says,

(They shall bear their own loads, and other loads besides their own) (29:13). Mujahid said: "They will bear the burden of their own sins, and they will bear the sins of those who obeyed them, but that will not lessen the punishment of those who obeyed them at all."

Allah swt menjelaskan bahwa ucapan mereka yang congkak itu menyebabkan mereka harus memikul dosa-dosa mereka sendiri dan dosa orang-orang yang secara taklid buta mengikuti ucapan itu. Orang yang mengikuti disamakan hukumnya dengan orang yang diikuti karena mereka masing-masing telah diberi akal untuk menilai ucapan orang-orang yang diikuti itu. Akan tetapi, mereka tidak menggunakan akal itu sehingga mereka mengikuti tanpa dasar pijakan sedikit pun. Sedangkan orang yang diikuti, di samping menanggung dosa sendiri, juga menanggung dosa orang yang disesatkan. Mereka dianggap sebagai penyesat dan penyebab orang-orang lain berkeyakinan seperti keyakinan mereka. Sabda Rasulullah saw:

Barang siapa mengajak orang-orang kepada petunjuk (agama Islam), maka ia memperoleh pahala orang-orang yang mengikutinya, dan hal itu tidak mengurangi pahala-pahala mereka sedikit pun. Dan barang siapa mengajak kepada kesesatan ia memperoleh dosa seperti dosa-dosa yang mengikuti, yang hal itu tidak mengurangi dosa-dosa mereka sedikit pun. (Riwayat Ahmad dan Muslim dari Abu Hurairah)

Dan firman Allah:

Dan mereka benar-benar akan memikul dosa-dosa mereka sendiri, dan dosa-dosa yang lain bersama dosa mereka, dan pada hari Kiamat mereka pasti akan ditanya tentang kebohongan yang selalu mereka ada-adakan. (al-'Ankabut/29: 13)

Mereka diancam dengan ancaman yang berat karena menilai firman Allah yang disampaikan kepada Rasulullah dengan penilaian yang tidak wajar. Mereka telah mengotori pikiran dan jiwa mereka sendiri sehingga mereka berani berbuat berbagai macam tipu daya untuk menjatuhkan pribadi Rasul di hadapan para pengikutnya. Mereka diberi ancaman keras karena perbuatan dosa yang mereka lakukan. Bahkan mereka memikul dosa-dosa orang-orang yang mengikutinya pada hari akhir. Lalu Allah menyatakan bahwa dosa yang mereka pikul itu adalah dosa yang paling berat.