وَهُدُوا إِلَى الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ وَهُدُوا إِلَى صِرَاطِ الْحَمِيدِ ﴿۲۴﴾ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ الَّذِي جَعَلْنَاهُ لِلنَّاسِ سَوَاءً الْعَاكِفُ فِيهِ وَالْبَادِ وَمَنْ يُرِدْ فِيهِ بِإِلْحَادٍ بِظُلْمٍ نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ ﴿۲۵﴾

﴾24﴿ Wa hudooo ilat taiyibi minal qawli wa hudooo ilaaa siraatil hameed
﴾25﴿ Innal lazeena kafaroo wa yasuddoona 'an sabeelil laahi wal Masjidil Haraamil lazee ja'alnaahu linnaasi sawaaa'anil 'aakifu feehi walbaad; wa mai yurid feehi bi ilhaadim bizulmin nuziqhu min 'azaabin aleem

﴾24﴿ And they have been guided to the pure word, and they have been guided to the path of the Praiseworthy
﴾25﴿ Indeed, those who disbelieve and hinder others from the path of Allah and from the Sacred Mosque, which We have made for all people—equal are those who reside there and those who come from afar—and whoever intends in it deviation or wrongdoing, We will make him taste a painful punishment

[24] In this verse, the reason for the glad tidings is mentioned.
The phrase “الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ” (the good word) refers to the word of monotheism (kalimah of tawḥīd).
And “صِرَاطِ الْحَمِيدِ” (the path of the Praiseworthy) refers to the Holy Qur’an.
[25] In this verse, there is a warning directed at disbelievers whose disbelief is transgressive and who openly show hostility—because they prevent others from the path of Allah.
The verb “وَيَصُدُّونَ” (they hinder) is in the present tense, indicating that this prevention is ongoing and repeated, not limited to a specific event like Hudaybiyyah, as some commentators have claimed.
The phrase “وَالْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ” specifically refers to the Sacred Mosque itself, regarding which scholars agree that both residents and travelers have equal rights—yet these disbelievers prevent people from it.
After “وَالْبَادِ”, an implied phrase like “they suffered loss and were ruined” is intended as the result clause for “إِنَّ”.
The phrase “وَمَنْ يُرِدْ” indicates that even merely intending to commit a sin in the Haram is blameworthy. This is narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd.
The phrase “بِظُلْمٍ” (wrongfully) is general—it includes shirk, kufr, killing without right, hunting, cutting trees, entering the Haram without ihram while intending ‘umrah or hajj, insulting, false oaths, etc.
The meaning is: since merely intending sin in the Haram deserves punishment, then actually hindering others from it makes one deserving of a much greater punishment.
A sound hadith mentions that three kinds of people are most detested by Allah the Exalted, and one of them is the one who commits deviation (ilḥād) in the Haram.