And when that was completed, it became known that their advance upon the religious rulings without any evidence at all necessitated that it be said: [Indeed] all that they said regarding the prohibition was invalidated by reason and transmission in a way that nullified their polytheism. So, is there any statement left for them? Then He informed - glorified and exalted is He - of a doubt they would express as an excuse for their ignorance in a way [that alone] is sufficient in indicating the truthfulness of what he says regarding the message. Thus, what he said about the people of misguidance occurred. He said, informing of what they would say before it happened, as a proof of the truth of His messengers and the falsehood of the polytheists in what they oppose them in: ﴿They will say﴾ meaning: in the future. And He made evident the place of the implicit statement as a specification against them and a rebuke to them, saying: ﴿Those who associated partners﴾ (p-311) as a denial from them ﴿If Allah had willed﴾ meaning: He who possesses all perfection, the absence of our associating partners and prohibiting us ﴿We did not associate partners﴾ meaning: with an idol or anything else ﴿Nor did our forefathers﴾ meaning: what occurred of associating partners ﴿Nor did we prohibit anything﴾ meaning: what has been previously mentioned of the water bodies, the sacrificial animals, the crops, and others. Meaning: But He did not will the abandonment and willed the action, so we acted according to His will. And He only wills the truth and wisdom because He is capable. If it were not a truth He is pleased with, He would have prevented us from it, and since He did not prevent us from it, it is indeed true.

And when this was evident obstinacy from them after the clarity of the matter with what He established regarding the truthfulness of His messengers with clear signs - it was as if it were said - in astonishment from them -: Has anyone other than them done like their actions or said like what they said? It was said: Yes, ﴿Likewise﴾ meaning: similar to that distant denial from the truth ﴿Denied those﴾. And since the denial was not general, He included the preposition, saying: ﴿Before them﴾ from the past nations with what they engaged in of this type of argument in their saying that if everything is by the will of Allah, then the obligation would be in vain. Thus, the claims of the prophets would be false. And this statement from the polytheists is obstinacy after the establishment of the messages with miracles and the informing of the messengers that He wills the matter and punishes for it because His dominion is complete and His kingdom is universal. He is not to be questioned about what He does. And their delusion of denial continued ﴿Until they tasted Our punishment﴾ meaning: Our torment due to our greatness. For indeed, He who has all matters is not to be questioned about what He does. Thus, their obstinacy did not benefit them at the time of tasting the punishment. Rather, their resolves dissolved, and they submitted to us and believed in Our messengers. (p-312) Their belief did not benefit them when they saw Our punishment. The verse is from the interweaving: it first established the polytheism as a proof for its removal second, and secondly, the denial as a proof for its removal first. And it will come the indication that it is necessary to mislead one of the two opposing parties, even if everything is by the will of Allah; for there is no barrier from the occurrence of the matter contrary to the will.

And when what they said was a distant semblance from knowledge, the highest degree of it being that it could be from the types of rhetoric, which would lead to suspicion in the greatest matters of the science of principles, in which it is not permissible to rely except on decisive proofs - he was commanded to say to them what would alert them to that. So he said: ﴿Say﴾, meaning: to those who received what the devil casts to them - as was indicated in Surah Al-Hajj - mocking them for their distance from knowledge and their disputation after the proofs had been established: ﴿Do you have﴾, O ignorant ones, and he delved deeper into the question and said: ﴿Any knowledge﴾, meaning: that it is valid to argue with in such a difficult situation ﴿So bring it forth to us﴾, meaning: for me and my followers, even if it is something that should be concealed, presumed to be kept from those who are not worthy of it, it is indeed mockery of them.

And when their response to this was silence; because there was no knowledge with them - he indicated that by saying: ﴿Indeed﴾, meaning: what ﴿you follow﴾, meaning: in your saying this and most of your affairs ﴿is nothing but conjecture﴾, meaning: in the principles of your religion, and it is not permissible to speak in it except with decisive evidence ﴿And indeed﴾, meaning: and what ﴿you are﴾ is nothing but fabricators﴾, meaning: you speak at times with estimation and conjecture, and at times with outright lies with certainty.