"Have you seen him who takes his own desire as his god?" (45:23) He is the polytheist who took his desire as a god; so he worshipped idols instead of Allah.
His saying: "And Allah has sent him astray knowingly, and has sealed his hearing," meaning he does not hear the guidance from Allah, i.e., the hearing of acceptance. "And his heart," meaning: and He sealed his heart; so he does not understand the guidance.
"And set a veil over his sight," so he does not see the guidance. "Then who will guide him after Allah?" meaning: no one. "Will you not then remember?"
Muhammad said: "Gishawah" (veil) is a covering, and from it comes the "ghashiyah" (cover) of a saddle, and one of them recited:
I accompanied you when my eye was covered with a veil, then when it cleared, I cut myself off, blaming it.
It is said: "Ghushawah" with the damma on the ghayn, and "ghashwah" with its fatha without an alif, and it has been recited with both.
﴿أَفَرَأَيْتَ مَنِ اتَّخَذَ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ﴾ هُوَ الْمُشرك، اتخذ هَوَاهُ إِلَهًا؛ فعبد الْأَوْثَان من دون الله.
قَوْله ﴿وَأَضَلَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ وَخَتَمَ عَلَى سَمْعِهِ﴾ فَلَا يسمع الْهدى من الله، يَعْنِي سمع قبُول ﴿وَقَلْبِهِ﴾ أَي: وَختم على قلبه؛ فَلَا يفقه الْهدى.
﴿وَجَعَلَ عَلَى بَصَرِهِ غِشَاوَةً﴾ فَلَا يبصر الْهدى ﴿فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِن بَعْدِ اللَّهِ﴾ أَي: لَا أحد ﴿أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ﴾.
قَالَ محمدٌ: غشاوة: غطاء، وَمِنْه غاشيةُ السَّرْج، وَأنْشد بعضُهم:
(صَحِبْتُكَ إذْ عَيْنِي عَلَيْهَا غِشَاوَةٌ … فَلَمَّا انْجَلَتْ قَطَّعْتُ نَفْسِي أَلُومُهَا)
وَيُقَال: غُشاوة بِرَفْع الْغَيْن، وغَشْوة بِفَتْحِهَا بِغَيْر ألف، وَقد قرىء بهما.
