Tafsir of Al Imran 3:80

Ibn Amir, Hamza, ‘Asim, and Ya‘qub read it (wa la ya’murakum) in the accusative case (nasb), as a conjunction linked to yaqul (He says). The la (no/not) is either pleonastic, intended to emphasize the meaning of negation, which is common in usage—especially when a long time has passed or when an interruption has occurred in the discourse. The meaning is: It is not for any human being that Allah, the Exalted, should grant him such status and send him to invite [people] to worship Him exclusively and to abandon [other] rivals, and then [for him] to command the people to be his servants and command you to take the angels and the prophets as lords. It is like saying: "It is not for Zayd that I should honor him, and then he humiliates me and treats me lightly."

Or, the la is not pleonastic, based on the fact that the Prophet, may Allah exalt him and grant him peace, used to forbid the worship of the angels, the Messiah, and Ezra—peace be upon them. So, when it was said to him, "Should we take you as a lord?", it was said to them: "It is not for a human being that Allah, the Exalted, should take him as a prophet, and then [that prophet] command the people to worship him, while he forbids them from the worship of the angels and the prophets." Furthermore, whoever desires to enslave a person would say to him, "You ought to worship those who are my peers and equals." According to this, the intent behind the lack of command—even if it is more general—is that it is more relevant to the intended goal and more consistent with reality.

The remaining seven [reciters] read it (wa la ya’murukum) in the nominative case (raf‘), as an inception (isti’naf), and it is also possible that it denotes a state (hal). It has been said that the nominative as an inception is more apparent, and this is supported by the reading (wa lan ya’murakum - "And he will never command you"). The preference for this reading is justified by its avoidance of the forced interpretation of equating "lack [of command]" with "prohibition," and by the fact that a conjunction would require it to be placed before the word "but" (lakin), as would the state (hal). It was also read with a quiescent ra’ to avoid the succession of vowels. In all the readings, the pronominal subject refers back to "a human being" (bashar). It has been deemed permissible in some readings for it to refer back to Allah, the Exalted. Both possibilities were also deemed permissible in the words of the Almighty: "Does he command you to disbelieve after you have become Muslims?" The interrogation there is for the purpose of denunciation. The fact that the referent of the pronoun in one of the two possibilities is an indefinite noun makes it general.

Al-Khatib used this as evidence that the verse was revealed concerning the Muslims who said, "Shall we not prostrate to you?" based on the literal meaning. The explanation for the address being directed toward the disbelievers—and that the verse was revealed concerning them—is that it is permissible to say to the People of the Scripture, "Does he command you to disbelieve after you have become Muslims?" meaning: "compliant and prepared for the true religion." This is a way of giving them free rein and leading them on. The claim that everyone who believes in his prophet is a "Muslim," and that the claim that his prophet commanded him to do something that necessitates his disbelief is a claim that he "commanded him to disbelieve after his Islam," makes this evidence [that the address is] to the Muslims extremely weak and fallacious, as is not hidden.