وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا لِلَّذِينَ اسْتَكْبَرُوا بَلْ مَكْرُ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ إِذْ تَأْمُرُونَنَا أَن نَّكْفُرَ بِاللَّهِ وَنَجْعَلَ لَهُ أَندَادًا وَأَسَرُّوا النَّدَامَةَ لَمَّا رَأَوُا الْعَذَابَ وَجَعَلْنَا الْأَغْلَالَ فِي أَعْنَاقِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ
Those who were abased will say to those who were arrogant, ‘No, [it was your] night and day plotting, when you prompted us to forswear Allah and to set up equals to Him.’ They will hide their remorse when they sight the punishment, and We will put iron collars around the necks of the faithless. Shall they not be requited for what they used to do?
Agha Ali Puya Commentary
Commentary on Quran 34:33
[Pooya/Ali Commentary 34:33] The more intelligent who exploit the less intelligent are constantly plotting night and day to keep the latter under their thumb. To remain in power the intelligent among men, who also become arrogant, show the ways of evil to the ignorant. Aqa Mahdi Puya says: Asarru has been interpreted by some commentators to mean: "they expressed"; and by others to mean: "they hid their regret." Both interpretations are justified in the sense that by throwing the blame on each other their regret is exposed without any individual directly expressing his fault. The "shackles" are their own deeds which shall hang around their necks weighing them down.