Page 135
wa-ʾidhā raʾayta lladhīna yakhūḍūna fī ʾāyātinā fa-ʾaʿriḍ ʿanhum ḥattā yakhūḍū fī ḥadīthin ghayrihī wa-ʾimmā yunsiyannaka sh-shayṭānu fa-lā taqʿud baʿda dh-dhikrā maʿa l-qawmi ẓ-ẓālimīna
When you see those who gossip impiously about Our signs, avoid them until they engage in some other discourse; but if Satan makes you forget, then, after remembering, do not sit with the wrongdoing lot.
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Al-‘An’am, Verse 68
68. "And when you see those who cavil about Our Signs, turn away from them until they enter into (some) other topic. And if Satan causes you to forget, then, after recollection, do not sit with the unjust people."
It has been narrated by Imam Baqir (as) who said:
“When this verse was revealed and Muslims were prohibited from associating with the pagans and those who mocked the verses of the Qur'an, (a group of) Muslims said that if they wanted to treat according to that commandment everywhere, they had to neither enter the Sacred Mosque, nor circumambulate the Ka'bah, because those people were often about inside the Sacred Mosque busy mocking the Divine verses which they heard easily by a short pause. Then the next verse was revealed and ordered Muslims to advise them and guide them as much as they could.” 5
However, since the statements of this Surah are mostly about the circumstances of pagans and idol-worshippers, both in the current verse and in the verse next to it, the Qur'an hints to the affairs concerning them. At first, it tells the Prophet (S) that when he sees the arrogant, illogical opponents are mocking the signs of Allah, he should turn away from them so that they give up the subject and be busy with another topic.
Then the Qur'an adds that this matter is so important that if Satan causes you to forget and you sit with such persons unintentionally, as soon as you remember it, you should leave that meeting and do not sit with these unjust people. The verse says:
There arises a question here: Is it possible that Satan dominates the Prophet (S) and causes him to forget his duty? In answer to this question, it can be said that although the addressee in this verse is the Prophet (S), the main purpose, in fact, is the followers of the Prophet (S). It means that if they are entangled with forgetfulness and they take part in pagans' sinful meetings, they should come out of that meeting and leave the place as soon as they remember it.
The like of this status happens in our daily conversations and in the literature of different languages, that, in speech, one person is addressed but the aim is that others hear that statement.
Footnotes