Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:193

"And if you call them to guidance, they do not follow you."

This is an explanation of their inability to perform even what is lesser and easier than the aforementioned aid—namely, the mere act of pointing toward a desired object or guiding to the path of its attainment, without the seeker even needing to reach it. The address is directed to the polytheists by way of iltifat (shifting the mode of address), as indicated by what follows. This signifies an increased emphasis on the matter of rebuke and silencing. That is, even if you were to call upon the idols, O polytheists, to guide you toward obtaining what you desire or toward escaping what you detest, they would not follow you toward your goal, nor would they respond, for they are incapable of doing so. Nafi’ recited "yattabi'ukum" with the takhfif (lightening the tashdid).

"It is the same for you whether you call upon them or you are silent."

This is a new sentence (isti’naf) that confirms the content of the preceding verse and clarifies the manner of their non-following. It means: both your calling upon them and your remaining silent are equal regarding the lack of benefit; your condition remains unchanged in both states, just as their condition does not change due to their inherent state of being inanimate objects.

Although the appearance of the text suggests the use of a verb after "am" (since what falls under the interrogative hamza of parity is interpreted as a verbal noun), it shifted to a nominal sentence. This is to signify that the occurrence of calling is set against the continuity of silence, which contains an implicit exaggeration that is not hidden. It has been said that the nominal form holds the meaning of the verbal form, and it was chosen because it serves as the end of the verse (fasilah). However, it is argued against this that if "tasmutun" (you remain silent) had been used, the intended meaning would have been fulfilled.

It has also been said that the pronoun in "tad’u" refers to the Prophet (may Allah grant him peace and blessings) and the believers—or to him alone, using the plural for magnification—while the object pronouns refer to the polytheists, with "guidance" meaning the true religion. This would mean: "If you call the polytheists to Islam, they will not follow you," i.e., they will not acquire it from you nor be characterized by it. This is refuted by the fact that the context and flow of the noble arrangement do not support it at all. Furthermore, if it were so, it would have been said "alayhim" (on them) instead of "alaykum" (on you), as in the saying of the Exalted: "It is all the same for them whether you warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe" (2:6). For the parity between calling and not calling only exists with respect to the polytheists, not with respect to the callers, for the callers are successful through the virtue of the call. Perhaps the attribution of this interpretation to al-Hasan is not authentic, and al-Tabarsi is like "a night-gatherer of firewood" (collecting indiscriminately).