Al-An'am: (56) Say, "Indeed, I have been forbidden..."

(Say, "Indeed, I have been forbidden") This is a command to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to return to addressing those who persist in polytheism, following the command to treat others according to their respective conditions. That is: Say to them—to thwart their vain ambitions that you might incline toward them, and to clarify that what they are upon is pure caprice and unadulterated misguidance—"I have been diverted and prevented, through truthful proofs and Quranic verses, from worshipping those..."—meaning, from the worship of the gods that you call upon (meaning you worship them, or you name them gods)—"...besides Allah," whether they possess intellect or not.

It is sometimes said that the intent here is idols, but they are addressed with the form used for rational beings in accordance with their own claims.

(Say, "I do not follow your desires.") The repetition of the command, despite the closeness of the previous one, indicates the importance of what is commanded. It also signals that the two statements differ in nature: the first is a report of the prohibition that came from Allah (the Exalted), while the second is from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) himself, announcing his cessation from worshipping what they worship. In this statement is an imputation of ignorance to them, and an explicit declaration that in their worship of other than Allah the Exalted, they are merely following false desires and possess nothing of that which constitutes religion at all. It also provides an intimation of the cause for the prohibition and the cessation. In this, as it has been said, is an indication of the insufficiency of mere imitation in such matters. It has also been said—though this is extremely far-fetched—that the intent is: "I do not follow your desires in driving away the believers."

(If I did, I would have strayed) That is: If I were to follow your desires, I would have strayed. This is an independent clause confirming his cessation from what he was forbidden from, establishing that [following them] is the ultimate form of misguidance.

Yahya ibn Wathab read (ḍalaltu) with a kasra on the lam, which is a dialectical variation, while the fatha (ḍalaltu), as Abu Ubaydah said, is the more common usage.

(And I would not be of the rightly guided) This is conjoined to what precedes it. The shift to the nominal sentence structure is to signify permanence and continuity; that is, the permanence and continuity of the negation, not the negation of permanence and continuity. The intent, as has been said, is: "In that case, I would not be in any state of guidance, such that I might be counted among them." In this is an allusion that those who are addressed are in the same state.