Tafsir of An-Nisa' 4:117

(They invoke not besides Him except females): That is, they do not worship or call upon for their needs, besides Allah the Exalted, anything but idols. This sentence is predicated upon the reason of the preceding one, which is why it is not conjoined to it.

The idols were referred to as "females" based on the narration from al-Hasan, stating that every tribe of the Arabs had an idol they worshipped, calling it "the female of such-and-such tribe," because they would adorn it with jewelry and various decorations, just as they did with women. Alternatively, it is because their names are feminine, as it has been said. They used to name what has a feminine name as "female," as in the saying: "And if a male grows large, it is a female, strongly clinging, having no teeth," referring to a tick; as long as it is small, it is called a tick, but when it grows large, it is called a hilmah (a mite), like a fruit. This has been objected to, as there are idols with masculine names, such as Hubal, Wadd, Suwa', and Dhu al-Khalsah, and the claim that this pertains to the majority is not accepted.

It is also said: They are inanimate objects, and these are often referred to in the feminine because of their resemblance to the female in being passive (receivers of action), for they do not act. Thus, referring to them by this name serves to highlight the extremity of their ignorance and the excess of their folly, in that they invoke what is passive while neglecting the One who is Doer of what He wills.

It is also said: The intended meaning of "females" is the dead, for Ibn Jarir and others reported from al-Hasan that "female" refers to every dead thing that has no spirit, like a dry piece of wood or a dry stone. Referring to them this way, rather than as "idols," also conveys the aforementioned warning, though describing the idols as dead is metaphorical.

Others say: Allah the Exalted called them females due to their weakness, lack of benefit, and inability to grant victory. It is also said: Because of the lowliness of their status and the debasement of their rank, based on the fact that the Arabs apply the term "female" to anything whose status is debased, of whatever kind it may be.

It is also said: In every idol there was a female devil who would appear to the keepers and speak to them at times; therefore, He, glory be to Him, informed that they do not worship besides Him except females. This is narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka'b.

It is also said: The intended meaning is the angels, because of their saying: "The angels are the daughters of Allah—Exalted is His Name." This is narrated from al-Dahhak. Inath is the plural of untha (female), like ribab and riba in the dialect of those who kasrah the ra. It is also read as untha (singular) and uthun (with two dammahs), like rusul, which is either an adjective (like imra'at junub) or a plural of naith like qalib and qulub (as in hadid anith), or a plural of inath like thimar and thumar. It is also read as wathan and athana with lightening, heavying, and placing the tha before the nun, as a plural of wathan, like saying asad and usud, with the waw turned into an alif as in ajwuh for wujuh. Ibn Jarir reported that in the codex of Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, it was written "except idols."

(And they invoke not): That is, they do not worship by the worship of those idols, (except a rebellious devil), for he is the one who commanded them to worship them and incited them, so their obedience to him was a form of worship. Thus, the speech is understood metaphorically, and it does not contradict the previous exclusivity. It is also said: The meaning of "they invoke" is "they obey," so there is no contradiction here either. Ibn Abi Hatim reported from Sufyan that he said: "There is no idol that does not have a devil within it."

The manifest meaning is that "devil" here refers to Iblis, which is what is reported from Muqatil and others. The marid (rebellious), marid, and mutamarrid is the one who is tyrannical and deviates from obedience. The root of the material m-r-d pertains to smoothness and stripping; from this is sarh mumarrad (a palace of smooth glass) and shajarah marda (a tree whose leaves have fallen). The devil is described with this either because he is stripped of good or because he is likened to a smooth surface to which nothing adheres. It is also said: It is because of the appearance of his evil, like the appearance of the chin of a beardless youth (amrad) or the appearance of the branches of a bare tree.