Tafsir of Yunus 10:66

This sentence, along with the confirmation it contains regarding the aforementioned exclusivity of Might to Him (Majestic is His state)—which serves to console the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and ensure he remains unconcerned by the statements of the polytheists—is a preface to the following words of the Almighty: {And those who invoke other than Allah do not follow partners...} It is also proof of the falsehood of their assumptions and the actions built upon them. To limit oneself to only one of the two interpretations is a deficiency, so do not be among those who are deficient.

"Ma" (not) is a negation, and "shuraka'a" (partners) is the object of "yattabi'un" (follow). The object of "yad'un" (invoke) is omitted because it is obvious; that is: "Those who invoke other than Allah do not follow partners," meaning they are not partners in reality, even if they call them partners due to their ignorance. Thus, the intent is the negation of the attribute in reality and in the essence of the matter. Therefore, Abu al-Baqa's claim—that this syntactic interpretation is invalid because it would imply they do not follow the partners at all, even though they do follow them—stems from an oversight regarding what we have mentioned.

It is also permissible that "shuraka'a" is the object of "yad'un," while the object of "yattabi'un" is omitted, as it is understood from the Almighty’s words: {They follow naught but assumption}—meaning, they do not follow certainty, but rather follow their false assumption, or their assumption that they [the deities] are partners, by estimating a noun for "assumption" or treating it as a necessary object. Some estimated the object of "yattabi'un" to be "shuraka'a," leaning toward the active influence of the second verb in the case of "tanazu'" (contention). This has been challenged on the grounds that it cannot be classified under that category, because the object of the first verb is qualified, while the second is not; therefore, the object is not unified, and unification is a condition for that. However, the fact that the qualification is incidental after the action, based on the context of its agent, does not contradict the conditions established for that category, as is not hidden.

It is also permissible that "ma" is interrogative, governed by "yattabi'un," and "shuraka'a" is the object of "yad'un," meaning: "What do the polytheists follow?"—i.e., that which they follow is nothing. Or, that it is a relative pronoun (ma al-mawsula) conjoined to "man" (in the previous verse), meaning: "To Him belongs what the polytheists follow, in terms of creation and ownership, so how could it be a partner to Him?" Specifying this, despite it being included in the previous statement (by expression or implication), is to exaggerate the clarification of the invalidity of this following and the corruption of the assumptions upon which they built it, which is corruption at its peak. Given the possibility of it being a relative pronoun, it may also be an ibtida' (subject) whose predicate is omitted—meaning "is false" or similar—or the predicate is the Almighty’s words: {They follow naught but assumption}, with an omitted referent, meaning: "in his worship or following him."

Al-Sulami read it as tad'un (with the prefix ta for address). This was also narrated from Ali (may Allah honor his countenance). It is a sound reading, contrary to those who claim otherwise. In it, "ma" is interrogative, meant for rebuke and reprimand, the referent returning to "those" (alladhina) is omitted, and "shuraka'a" is an hal (state) of them. The intent by "those" is the angels, the Messiah, and Ezra (peace and blessings be upon them). It is as if it were said: "What do those whom you invoke follow, while they are—in your claim—partners?" This is to establish that they follow Allah (Most High) and obey Him, and to rebuke the polytheists for not following their example in that, similar to the Almighty’s saying: {Those whom they invoke, they themselves seek the means of access to their Lord.} The gist is: those whom you worship worship Allah and do not worship anyone else, so why do you not follow them and imitate them in that?

Then the speech shifts from address to the third person, saying: {They follow naught but assumption}—they do not follow the truth, which the angels and prophets (peace be upon them) follow. {And they are but guessing} (66), meaning: they estimate and judge that they are partners—a false estimation—or they lie in what they attribute to Him (Glorified and Exalted is He). This is based on the idea that "khar's" (guessing) is either in the sense of conjecture and estimation, as is its common usage, or in the sense of lying, for it has been used in that way due to its prevalence in such contexts.