أُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ ﴿۲۱﴾ لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّهُمْ فِي الْآخِرَةِ هُمُ الْأَخْسَرُونَ ﴿۲۲﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَأَخْبَتُوا إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ ﴿۲۳﴾ مَثَلُ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كَالْأَعْمَى وَالْأَصَمِّ وَالْبَصِيرِ وَالسَّمِيعِ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿۲۴﴾

﴾21﴿ Ulaaa'ikal lazeena khasirooo anfusahum wa dalla 'anhum maa kaanoo yaftaroon
﴾22﴿ Laa jarama annahum fil Aakhirati humul akhsaroon
﴾23﴿ Innal lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati wa akhbatooo ilaa Rabbihim ulaaa'ika Ashaabul Jannati hum feehaa khaalidoon
﴾24﴿ Masalul fareeqaini kal a'maa wal asammi walbaseeri wassamee'; hal yastawiyaani masalaa; afalaa tazakkaroon

﴾21﴿ This refers to those who have lost their own souls and what they used to falsely invent has departed from them
﴾22﴿ Indeed, verily they are, in the Hereafter, the greatest losers
﴾23﴿ Indeed, those who believe and do good deeds, following the way of the Prophet and humbly submit to their Lord—these are the inhabitants of Paradise, where they will abide eternally
﴾24﴿ The example of these two groups is like the blind and deaf, and like the seeing and hearing. Are they equal in example, So, do you not take heed

[21,22] This passage explains the reason for the punishment and serves as a warning to the deniers, while the second verse contains the fear of the Hereafter.
(خَسِرُوا) — the loss is due to shirk, as all other good deeds become void because of associating partners with Allah.
(ضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ) — the fabrications refer to their false deities.
ضَلَّ can mean disappeared — i.e., their false gods vanished in the Hereafter; or the fabrications may refer to the myths and stories of shirk, with ضَلَّ meaning forgotten — that they will forget all those tales in the face of truth.
(لَا جَرَمَ) — according to Farra’, it means undoubtedly or certainly, and is also used to mean truly.
According to Zajjaj, لا negates the assumption of the people, and جَرَمَ means earning or committing, so the meaning becomes: What they assumed is not true; rather, their deeds earned them loss in the Hereafter.
Sibawayh says لا is to negate people’s assumptions, and جَرَمَ means truth or certainty.
According to Khateeb Shirbini, from verse 18 up to this verse, fourteen conditions and attributes of those who do not believe (لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ) are mentioned.
(أَخْبَتُوا) — when followed by إِلَى, it means contentment of the heart; and when followed by لِ, it means humility and submission.
Thus, this refers to internal actions of the heart, while (عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ) refers to physical righteous deeds.
[23] After the warning to the deniers, this verse gives the glad tidings of the Hereafter to the believers.
(أَخْبَتُوا) — has multiple meanings:
1. Turning back to Allah in repentance (انابت)
2. Obedience (اطاعت)
3. Humility and helplessness (خشوع و عجز)
4. Sincerity (اخلاص)
[24] This too is included among the glad tidings, and in this verse, the blind and deaf are used as a metaphor for the polytheist, while the seeing and hearing are a metaphor for the monotheist.
This is a rebuttal to those who do not distinguish between a disbeliever and a believer — and in our time, this ideology is referred to as secularism.