Blame game is an age old tactics on the part of the wrong doers and criminals who continue to do immoral and unbecoming acts that fall under the jurisdiction of law of society or country so long they are not caught. However, once caught and are produced in a court to be charged with their crime, they throw the blame on those on whose behest they have indulged in their heinous acts. Before we proceed further in our post of tday, herein under is the definition of blame-game:
The "blame game" is a common, unproductive, and often destructive pattern of behavior where individuals or groups involved in a failure or mistake focus on assigning fault to others rather than taking responsibility or finding solutions. It involves mutual accusations, finger-pointing, and, in many cases, the creation of scapegoats to avoid accountability.
Keeping the concept of blame game at the back of our mind, we share three verses from Al Qur'an which form a unique dialogue which will be witnessed on the Day of Judgement in the Divine COurt of the Lord of the universe between a group of people who hade been following their leaders blindly and acting in ways completely tangent to the Divine commandments. Upon hearing their charge sheet they would straightaway blame their masters, while the masters would try to absolve them of the charges saying that it was the fault of their followers to listen to them and act taking their own decisions for their gains.
These three verses (34: 31-33) are from Surah 34. Saba which form one continuous scene. The Qur’an pulls the curtain back on what will happen after denial hardens into regret, especially in societies where people outsource thinking and morality to elites.
The verses (meaning-focused translation)
- (34:31)
- The disbelievers say: “We shall never believe in this Qur'an, nor in any Scripture before it.” If you could only see the wrong-doers arrayed before their Lord, each bandying charges against the other. Those who were suppressed will say to those who waxed arrogant: “Had it not been for you, we would have been believers.”
- That is, the common people who are following their leaders, chiefs, saints and rulers blindly, and are not prepared to listen to any word of advice from a well-wisher against them. When the same people will sec the actual reality and will also remember how their religious leaders used to misrepresent things, and when they will realize what doom they are going to meet on account of following their leaders, they will turn on them, and say, “O wretched people, you led us astray: you are responsible for all our afflictions. Had you not misguided us, we would have listened to the Messengers of Allah and believed in what they said.
- A similar scenario has been painted in Surah 2. Al Baqarah (The Cow) in which the followed will disown their followers saying: (2:166) At that moment those who have been followed will disown their followers, and they will see the chastisement, and their resources will be cut asunder.
Then Allah says: If only you could see when the wrongdoers are made to stand before their Lord, throwing blame back and forth at one another…
- (34:32)
- The arrogant ones will retort to those who were suppressed: “What! Did we bar you from the guidance after it came to you? Not at all; rather you yourselves were evil-doers.
- That is, they will say: We had no power by which a few of us could have compelled hundreds of thousands of the people like you to follow us. If you had the will to believe, you could have deposed us from leadership and power and authority and government. In fact, you were our army, you were the source of our wealth and power. But for your offerings and gifts and taxes we should have been paupers. Had you not sworn allegiance to us, we could not have flourished as saints even for a day. Had you not appreciated and applauded us as leaders, we would have remained unknown.
- (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.” 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?
- That is 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 fate of the followed and followers will be the same as also mentioned in Surah 2. Al Baqarah (2:167) And the followers will then say: “Oh if only we might return again, we would disown them as they have disowned us?” Thus Allah will show them their works in a manner causing them bitter regrets. Never will they come out of the Fire.
Then all of them will conceal regret when they see the punishment.
The core of Framework of these verses
Before we describe the dialogue of these three verses in detail, let us see how these describe a recurring human pattern on the Day of Judgment:
- Followers blame leaders for misguidance
- Leaders deny responsibility and blame followers
- Both are held accountable
That is this is not merely eschatology; it is a diagnosis of social psychology. The Qur’an is exposing how systems of influence operate and how moral responsibility is evaded.
The Qur’anic Framework (in brief)
From 34:31–33, we learn four principles:
- Influence exists (leaders shape thought)
- Choice exists (followers are not coerced)
- Blame-shifting is universal
- Accountability is individual
Now let us return to the context and explanation of these three verses.
Immediate context in Surah Saba
We have already mentioned the context in which Surah Saba was revealed in the Overview and the Exegesis of the surah already published. Herein under is just a brief point wise context with which Surah Saba deals with:
- Denial despite evidence
- Civilizations intoxicated by power
- False confidence in leaders, wealth, and systems
- Collapse followed by blame
- Earlier in the surah: (1) Knowledgeable people recognize truth (34:6), and (2) Sabaʾ collapses due to ingratitude (34:15–19)
Now, in 34:31–33, Allah shows the psychological endgame of denial that is when truth is rejected collectively, no one accepts responsibility individually.
Why the Qur’an stages a dialogue
This is an obvious question some readers may come up with. But this not merely storytelling for drama, for it is moral exposure.
Two groups are identified in these verses are: (1) Al-mustad‘afūn – the socially weak, followers, masses, and (2) Al-mustakbirūn – the arrogant elites, influencers, power-holders.
The Qur’an shows that both are guilty, but in different ways. And if we look around, the same blame game still continues despite these jaw drooping mentions and cautions in Al Qur'an. Let us now expand these verses for better understanding:
The illusion exposed: “We were just following”
When the weak followers, yet offenders and law breakers or not following the path shown to them by the messengers and prophets of Allah, due to their blind following of their deceiving leaders:
- The Excuse of the Weak: “If it were not f or you, we would have believed.”
- This reflects a universal excuse:
- “I was just following society”
- “This is how the system works”
- “Everyone thinks this way”
- “Our leaders/scientists/media said so”
- Qur’anic verdict: Al Qur'an strictly reject such notions for:
- Moral agency cannot be delegated.
- Guidance came to them directly — through revelation, conscience, and signs.
The counter-illusion: “It was their choice”
The elite and the mighty who once occupied the positions of authority and misled their people to follow them or what their forefathers did or how they tried to counter the prophets by enticing their followers to side with them so that their positions could not be harmed. On the Day of Judgement, when they would see their once faithful followers have found courage to speak the truth and themselves being cornered,
- The elites would respond: “Did we block you from guidance?”
- This exposes another false comfort: (1) Leaders claim neutrality, (2) Influencers deny responsibility, and (3) Power structures pretend they only “offer options”
- But the Qur’an immediately unmasks this claim.
“Makr al-layl wa-n-nahār” - “Your plotting night and day” (34:33)
This is the most relevant phrase today, even today. But this is not accidental wording, for t refers to:
- Continuous persuasion
- Normalization of falsehood
- Cultural engineering
- Ideological pressure disguised as progress
Applicability of the verses
The quoted verses apply to people and their leaders in all walks of life. Be it be religion, governments, establishments of all type. As for religions, pushing away the prophets for the sake of faith of the forefathers, supporting ruthless and illegitimate governments despite their cruelty and corruption and siding with the policies of the bosses in organizations no matter how inhuman they may be, or even in societies where the general populations is suppressed by the demagogues. Yet supporting them for own temporary gains will leave them accounted for and will be punished along with those at the helm of the affairs.
And what a strange coincidence that in modern times we still witness the same equivalents like:
- 24/7 media narratives, most of which is to brain wash the viewers with articulately shaping the false news which look like authentic to mislead the audience on the behest of individuals, groups or even government.
- Algorithm-driven influence
- Economic coercion
- Redefining truth, morality, and success
The Qur’an acknowledges systemic manipulation — but does not absolve submission to it.
The most terrifying moment: concealed regret (“They will conceal regret when they see the punishment.”)
A time finally comes when concealing regret is the only thing one can do for: (1) Blame no longer benefits anyone, (2) Truth is now undeniable, and (3) All excuses have expired
This is regret without repentance is of its worst kind, for regretting one's misconduct or unfaithfulness and repenting over it cannot revert the game. Seeing the punishment in front means the time has run out and no excuses can work anymore. That is why man has been reminded time and again to instantly regret one's wrong doings and and seek Divine forgiveness for one never knows when his time is up in this world.
Comparison of the Framework mentioned in 34:31-33 with Pharaoh and his people
Surah Saba 34:31–33 does not name Pharaoh, yet it describes the same moral architecture that the Qur’an repeatedly exposes through Pharaoh’s story. One is abstract and dialogical; the other is historical and concrete. Together they reveal a timeless pattern. Let us just correlate these to connections briefly:
- Pharaoh as the living embodiment of mustakbirūn: Pharaoh personifies what 34:32–33 describes as given in Al Qur'an 10:83 “Indeed, he was arrogant and among the transgressors.”
- Pharaoh Traits: Pharaoh exhibited the exact traits that could be attributed to mustakbirūn.
- Claimed ultimate authority (“I am your highest lord” — 79:24)
- Controlled truth and fear
- Defined loyalty as survival
- This is exactly the arrogant leadership blamed in Surah Saba.
- “Makr al-layl wa-n-nahār” in Pharaoh’s Egypt
- Surah Saba says: “Your plotting night and day…” (34:33)
- Pharaoh’s system operated the same way:
- Killing sons, sparing women (28:4)
- Using magicians as spectacle (7:116)
- Framing Musa ﷺ as a threat to order (40:26)
- This was continuous psychological control, not a single act of oppression.
- Followers’ excuse: “We were powerless”
- In Surah Saba, the followers lamented: “If not for you, we would have believed.”
- In Pharaoh’s story: People feared loss of livelihood as Pharaoh's warned: “Will you leave Musa and his people to cause corruption?” (7:127)
- Qur’anic correction: Fear explains obedience — it does not absolve it.
- Leaders’ denial of responsibility
- Surah Saba leaders say: “Did we block you from guidance?”
- Pharaoh says: “I only show you what I see, and I only guide you to the right path.” (40:29)
- Same claim: (1) “We are neutral” (2) “We are rational” (3) “We offer stability”
- The Qur’an exposes this as false guardianship.
- The moment of regret
- Pharaoh: Believes at drowning — too late (10:90–91)
- People: Follow him into destruction (11:98), Will argue in Hell (40:47–48)
- This mirrors 34:33: “They will conceal regret when they see the punishment.”
- A direct Qur’anic parallel verse: “When they argue with one another in the Fire…” (40:47) - This is the same courtroom scene as Surah Saba — just expressed elsewhere.
- Shared Qur’anic principle: Both narratives establish that (1) Tyrants fall, followers scatter, and no one carries another’s moral burden, and (2) Obedience to false authority is still a choice.
- Relevance to our present life
- Pharaoh is not just a man — he is a pattern: (1) Authoritarian leaders, (2) Ideological states, (3) Cultural tyrannies, (4) Corporate or media Pharaohs.
- And people still say: (1) “We had no alternative” (2) “This was the system” (3) “Everyone followed”
Comparison of 34:31-33 with Surah Al-A‘rāf 7:38–39 (Nations accusing nations)
While 34:31-33 solely mention people with the ones whom they follow, the same blame game on a larger canvas can be witnessed between nations. We are presently witnessing this phenomenon where nations once following the bigger powers have later been complaining of being drawn in the dirty game and blamed those they once willingly followed.
Without going into sufficient details, we just mention the crux of 7:38-30 which tell us of groups enter Hell one after another and each nation curses the previous one for leading them astray. The later ones demand double punishment for the earlier ones. And in reply Allah declares: “For each is double — but you do not know.” That is both the followed and following nations will be paid in full, rather double, for everyone has to get one's due share for disobedience of Divine commandments.
Correlation with our present life
These verses speak directly to today’s world and cautioning us against, specially viewed in the comparison of Pharaoh and his followers presented above:
- Blind following the (1) Political tribes, (2) Celebrity intellectuals, and (3) Cultural norms over conscience
- Elite manipulation like shaping values subtly, not forcefully and replacing God with “systems”, “markets”, “science”, or “self”
- Mutual blame culture wherein citizens blame leaders, Leaders blame masses and thus everyone trying to avoid accountability and throwing blame on others.
That is the Qur’an declares that on the Day of Judgment, no one carries another’s moral burden. This should serve as a caution that guidance does reach the individuals, even when misguidance is organized collectively. It is up to the blind followers to decide now how would the brace them on the Day of Judgement when they will pitched against the real truth.
One lime Summary of Surah Sabah 34:31-33
On the Day of Judgment, followers will realize they chose comfort over conscience, and leaders will realize influence without responsibility is condemnation. But then this realization will be too late.
You may refer to more Selected Verses from Surah 34. Saba (The Sabaeans) already published.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may also refer to our exclusive reference page: Selected verses from selected Surahs of Al-Qurʾān for compiled verses from other surahs.
For verses on Selected Subjects, please refer to our reference page: Selected Verses from Al Qur'an about a Specific Subject (Reference Page) to know more about what Qur'an says about specific subjects and our reference page: Selected Verses from the Qur'an. .
An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs and selected verses of Al-Qurʾān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.
In addition, other sources which have been explored and views of other scholars have been incorporated while explaining meaning of a verse. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites. For expansion of meaning and themes / contextual background help from ChatGPT is also taken.
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