And when they denied that, they turned to him, causing their saying: "So sufficient is Allah". That is, the One who encompasses knowledge and power, "as a witness". That is: He is enough for us with a great sufficiency from the testimony which there is no doubt in it in any way nor inclination at all, "between us and you" in that. He witnesses for us and against us; then they began a statement that corrects their denial, saying, confirming that they believed in their knowledge: "Indeed". That is: Indeed we "were". That is: being is a nature for us "about your worship". For us or for others, pure or mixed; and when "Indeed" is the lightened form of the heavy one, it was received with the distinguishing lam between it and the negating one, and it was said: "Surely we were heedless". Because there are no souls in us, so it was not as we command worship and are pleased with it, so the blame is upon you and not upon us. And that is a redemption from the position of humiliation, or when they imagined in the partners attributes that they worshiped for their sake, and they were devoid of it, the denial was correct because they worshiped entities described by attributes that do not exist in reality. Also, they did not worship except the devils that adorned that for them and led them astray. And the estimation is based on what the context indicated: "So We distinguished between them" [Yunus: 28]. That is: We prevented them from what they were in of communication and mutual affection that necessitated supporting the worship of idols. So the polytheists said to their partners when their victory was delayed: "Indeed we used to worship you besides Allah, so relieve us as we used to defend you and support your religion". "And their partners said, 'What were you worshiping?'" [Yunus: 28]. That is: It was revealed to us today by the understanding of Allah that the matter is not as you claimed, and that you did not specify us with worship until it becomes necessary for us to prevent you. If you had specified us, we would not have been able to do that, as the devil said: "I am not your helper, nor are you my helpers" [Ibrahim: 22]. "So sufficient" means: So it resulted from our denial of that, based on what was revealed to us of knowledge, that we say: Sufficient is "Allah as a witness between us and you" in that. He witnesses that you did not specify anyone of Him or us with worship, but you were wavering. And all of this is an indication that mixed worship is not to be considered, nor is it accepted by a lifeless object if it could speak. And whoever deserves worship deserves sincerity in it and that no one should be associated with Him, and that only the One who is capable of relieving distress and preventing the severance between Him and His devotee deserves that. And when the benefit of the witness is to preserve what the two witnesses may forget, they justified their sufficiency with the testimony of Allah by saying: "If we were heedless of your worship" in those times, "we were certainly heedless". So they acknowledged to them what is the truth of what every person with sound reflection knows, that they did not feel their worship at any moment of time before this moment of theirs. They are the most deserving of creation to suffice with the testimony of the witness because they are in a worse state than one who knows what is being witnessed and fears forgetfulness. Or it could be said: The polytheists said to their partners: "Indeed we used to worship you, so are you our helpers or intercessors for us to save us from what we have fallen into?" "And their partners said, 'What were you worshiping?'" [Yunus: 28]. Alone "you were worshiping" [Yunus: 28]. That is: You did not purify for us the worship until it became necessary for us to purify you as Allah, our Lord, and your Lord, who encompasses all things with knowledge, informed us. "So sufficient" means: So it resulted from that that He is sufficient "as a witness between us and you" in that. So it is as if the polytheists said: Your words imply that we worshiped you without the method of sincerity. Did we not worship you? Will you not relieve us of anything? So the partners responded with their saying: "If we were heedless of your worship" whether it was pure or mixed, "we were certainly heedless". So we do not acknowledge for you any worship at all, even if we were certain of sincerity due to the absence of knowledge about what we were in of lifelessness, let alone that we command you or are pleased with your worship. As there is no relief for us on any estimation of estimations; or it could be said - and this is better than what has passed -: "And their partners said" [Yunus: 28] when they realized the punishment, seeking that it be alleviated from them by distributing it upon them and upon all who worshiped them besides them. "What were you" [Yunus: 28] O worshipers of us "specifically" [Yunus: 28]. That is: You were worshiping also others besides us, and this includes, by Allah, everyone who shows off to others with an action while he knows that he is showing off to them and he acknowledges it and does not deny it. And when they understood by denying worship with the condition of specificity that they were worshiping with them others, and that the created being is limited in knowledge and not encompassing it in any way regarding the conditions of his own self, how could he worship with the conditions of others? They caused their saying: "So sufficient is Allah as a witness between us and you that we". That is: in that we "were certainly heedless of your worship". That is: in general, "we were certainly heedless". And the result is that this is a translation of the words of the disbelievers, and it arises from them due to pure dominance, astonishment, excessive grief, regret, and anxiety. So it is not a condition that its meaning be on the most eloquent and most direct path. The miracle is in its structure, and their intent with it is to alleviate the punishment from them, even by sharing with those whom they worshiped with them. It is from the valley of His saying, the Most High: "So are you able to relieve us from the punishment of Allah in anything?" [Ibrahim: 21]. "So are you able to relieve us of a share of the fire?" [Ghafir: 47]. "So give them a punishment double from the fire" [Al-A'raf: 38]. And similar to it: "So there was no favor for you over us, so taste the punishment" [Al-A'raf: 39]. And Allah knows best.