Tafsir of Al-A'raf 7:194

(Indeed, those whom you call upon) is a confirmation of what preceded regarding their not following them. To "call upon" (du‘a) is either in the sense of worship—naming the whole by its part—or in the sense of naming, as in "calling Zayd [by his name]." Its two objects are omitted; that is, "Indeed, those whom you worship" (other than Allah) or "whom you name as gods other than Him, Glorified and Exalted is He."

(Are servants like you) means: they are similar to you in that they are owned by Allah Almighty, subjected to His command, and incapable of benefit or harm. As Al-Akhfash said: their similarity to them in this—despite the fact that their incapacity for both [benefit and harm] is more evident and stronger than theirs—is only because of their [the idolaters'] admission of their own incapacity and their false claim that these [idols] possess the power to perform them [benefit and harm]; for this is what invites them to worship them and seek their help.

It is said: It is possible that because they carved the idols in the form of humans, He, Glorified be He, said to them: The ultimate extent of their status is that they might be living, rational beings like you, so they would not deserve your worship, just as some of you do not deserve the worship of others. Thus, the similarity is in animality and rationality by way of hypothesis and supposition, as they are in the image of living, rational beings.

Sa‘id ibn Jubayr read Inna alladhina tad‘una (Indeed, those whom you call upon) with a light nun (non-emphatic) and ‘ibadan (servants) in the accusative case. Ibn Jinni interpreted this as in being a particle of negation acting like ma (the Hijazi negation), which is the position of Al-Kisa'i and some Kufans. This was objected to, firstly, because no such usage has been established, and secondly, because it necessitates negating that they are servants like them, while the famous reading affirms it, so the two readings would contradict each other.

It was answered regarding the first that the proponent says: It is established in the speech of the Arabs, such as the saying: "In huwa mustawliyan ‘ala ahadin illa ‘ala ad‘afi al-majanin" (He is not prevailing over anyone except the weakest of the madmen). Regarding the second, it was answered that there is no contradiction, because the famous reading affirms similarity in some respects, while this [reading] negates it in all respects, or in another respect, for idols are inanimate objects, while those who call upon them are not.

It is also said that it is in (the lightened form) of inna (the heavy form), and it is according to the dialect of those who use it to put both the subject and the predicate in the accusative, like the saying: "If the fold of night turns black, then come, and let your steps be light; for our guards are lions in judgment." It is not hidden that using the lightened form and putting both parts in the accusative is both rare and weak. Hence, it was said that it is muhmala (neglected/inoperative), the predicate of the subject is omitted, and it is what governs the accusative ‘ibadan. Amthalukum (like you), according to both readings, is an adjective for ‘ibad (servants).

It was also read as anna (with a heavy nun) with ‘ibadan in the accusative as a state (hal) of the omitted pronoun, and amthalukum in the nominative as the predicate of anna. It was also read in the nominative in the reading of the lightened nun with ‘ibadan in the accusative, and that was explained as [functioning] both as a state and as a predicate.

(Then let them respond to you) is a realization of the content of what preceded through incapacitating and rebuking them; meaning: then call upon them to remove harm or bring benefit, if you are truthful in your claim that they are capable of what you are incapable of.