Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:86

(And when those who associated partners with Allah see their partners) whom they used to allege were partners to Allah—Glory be to Him and Exalted—and whom they worshipped alongside Him, Mighty and Majestic is He. The intent behind them is everyone taken as a partner to Him, Exalted is He: whether an idol, a statue, a devil, a human, or an angel. Their attribution to the pronoun of the polytheists is due to this act of taking them as partners.

It is said: The intent is their false objects of worship, as previously mentioned, and their attribution to the polytheists is because they assigned them a share of their wealth and livestock. Some restricted this to idols, but the general interpretation is more appropriate. Al-Hasan said: "Their partners are the devils; they associated them in wealth and children." It is also said: They associated them in disbelief, meaning they disbelieved just as they disbelieved. It is also said: They shared with them the consequences of that, as they incited them toward it.

(They say)—that is, with their tongues. It is also said: Allah Almighty sealed their mouths and gave their limbs the power of speech, so they spoke on their behalf: (Our Lord, these are our partners whom we used to invoke besides You)—meaning, whom we worshipped and obeyed. Perhaps they said this out of greed, hoping for the punishment to be distributed among them. It was objected that this does not fit the interpretation of "partners" as idols, but it is argued that they might be brought to a state where they understand their punishment, so there is no harm in this, whether "partners" is interpreted as idols exclusively or in a broader sense.

Abu Muslim said: Their intent is to shift the blame onto the partners, thinking that this will save them from Allah’s punishment or diminish it somewhat. The Qadi refuted this as being far-fetched, because the disbelievers in the Hereafter will know with absolute certainty that the punishment is descending upon them and that there will be no aid, ransom, or intercession. He applied a similar logic to what we mentioned, based on the fact that they also know with absolute certainty that no one can bear any of their punishment. The response to this is that even if we grant that such certain knowledge is obtained at that moment, they may become so distressed and negligent of that fact that they say what they say, hoping for what was mentioned. This is similar to their saying: "Our Lord, lighten for us the punishment for a day," or "O Malik, let your Lord end us," or "Our Lord, bring us out; we will do righteous deeds," and other things they know with certainty—according to some—will not happen. It is said that the people, despite knowing that what they hope for will not happen at all, are overcome by their own selves according to their natural disposition due to the intensity of their state—may Allah protect us—until their hopes cling to the impossible.

It is also said: They said that as an admission that they were misguided in their worship. This was refuted by noting that it does not fit the Almighty’s saying: "besides You," though this requires reflection. Yes, the Almighty's saying: (They throw at them the statement: Indeed, you are liars) is more appropriate to the first interpretation, as their act of labeling them liars is clearly a form of defense and an attempt to escape the catastrophe inherent in the claim.

The apparent meaning is that the denial refers to the claim that they were worshipped or obeyed besides Allah. According to what is said, their intent is: "You did not worship us in truth; rather, you worshipped things you imagined with your corrupt minds and alleged that we were those things. Far be it, far be it; there is no unifying aspect or beneficial relationship between us and them."

It is also said: They denied them even though they had worshipped them, because the idols were not pleased with their worship, so it was as if their worship was not truly worship of them. As the angels—peace be upon them—said: "Rather, they used to worship the jinn," meaning that the jinn were the ones pleased with their worship, not us. And the devils, even if they were pleased with their worship, did not compel them through force or coercion, as Iblis said: "And I had no authority over you except that I invited you, and you responded to me." It is as if they said: "You did not worship us in truth; rather, you worshipped your own desires."

It is also said: It is possible that the devils are liars in their reports that those who worshipped them are liars, just as Iblis—upon whom is the curse—lied in his saying: "Indeed, I deny that you associated me [with Allah] before." It is also permitted that the denial refers to them being partners to Allah, not to the fact that they were worshipped, with their intent being to exalt Allah—Mighty and Majestic is He—above having a partner in that situation. Some specified this by assuming the "partners" refers to the devils. Understand this.

The apparent meaning is that the speaker is all of the partners, and the interpretation that includes idols does not prevent this, as it is not far-fetched for Allah, who gave speech to everything, to give speech to them. Regarding the general interpretation, it is permitted that the speaker is only some of them, namely those who possess intellect. The grammatical construction would have naturally been "they said to them: indeed you are liars," but the text uses the [verbal] structure to signal that they said it to them with such clarity that it is perceived and distinguished from others. It carries an implication of their eagerness to deny them. This is supported by their confirming the sentence that conveys their denial with the most complete confirmation, and it is in the position of a substitute for the statement [of the action], as the Imam said: That is, they threw at them [the statement]: "Indeed, you are liars."