Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:43

His saying, the Exalted: "Or have they gods that protect them besides Us?"

This is an interruption from describing their turning away, to rebuking them for their reliance upon their gods and their attributing of protection to them. The am (or) is munqati'ah (disjunctive), bearing the meaning of bal (nay) and the interrogative hamzah. "Lahu" (for them) is a predicate placed at the beginning, and "alihatun" (gods) is an initial subject, with the clause "tamna'uhum" (that protect them) being its adjective.

"Min dunina" (besides Us) is said to be an adjective after an adjective; meaning: "Nay, do they have gods who are protectors for them, exceeding Our protection or preservation, such that they rely upon them and trust in their protection?" It has been narrated from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—that there is an inversion in the phrasing, and the original structure is: "Or have they gods besides Us that protect them?" In this reading, "min dunina" is also an adjective. Al-Hufi stated that it is connected to "tamna'uhum," meaning: "Nay, have they gods that protect them from a punishment from Us?"

The interrogation is for the purpose of denying that they have any such gods. In directing the negation and denial toward the very existence of gods described with such attributes—rather than merely toward the attribute itself (by saying, for example, "Do their gods protect them?"), whereby the denial would imply their falling from the rank of existence, let alone the rank of protection—there is a subtle significance that is not hidden.

Some eminent scholars said: The idrab (turning away) contained in "am" returns to the command to ask [the people], similar to the previous idrab, but it is more eloquent, in that asking someone oblivious to a thing is one matter, but asking someone who believes in its opposite is far more profound. Some understood from this that the hamzah here is for taqrir (establishing/affirming) what is in the delusion of the disbelievers, by way of mockery. This was countered by the assertion that this is not definitive; it is permissible that it is for denial—not in the sense that they did not hold such a delusion, but in the sense that such a belief is something that has no reality.

What is most apparent to me is to consider it as returning to the description of their turning away, as you have heard initially. In al-Kashf, it is stated that within the turning away from describing them by their [act of] turning away is an even more eloquent denial; [it implies] that they, in their turning away from the remembrance of the Exalted, are like one who has a protector shielding him from Our might, turning toward his gods, and that they have turned away from the Exalted and preoccupied themselves with them. For this reason, it is supported by what follows, as if it were said: "Leave aside the matter of their turning away, and look at those whom they have turned to instead of their Lord—for this is more grave and calamitous." Reflect upon this, for it is subtle.

His saying, the Exalted: "They cannot help themselves, nor can they be protected from Us."

This is an initiation that confirms what preceded it of denial; meaning: They cannot help themselves or repel from themselves what descends upon them, nor can they be protected from Us by help, nor by anyone who would repel that from them on Our behalf. Thus, they are in the utmost state of weakness and are of no consequence; how then can one imagine in them what is imagined? The pronouns refer to the gods, treating them as if they were rational beings. It is narrated from Qatadah and Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with them both—that they [the pronouns] refer to the disbelievers, meaning: The disbelievers cannot help themselves through their gods, nor does help accompany them from Our side. The first interpretation is more appropriate for the context, even if the latter is further removed from linguistic disjointedness. "Minna" (from Us), according to both views, may be linked to the verb following it, or it may be linked to an implied element acting as an adjective for an omitted noun.