Al-An'am (The Cattle): (21 - 22) And who is more unjust than...

Know that when the Almighty judged those deniers to be in loss in the first verse, He clarifies in this verse the reason for that loss, which consists of two matters:

The First Matter: Fabricating a lie against God. This fabrication encompasses several possibilities:

1. The polytheists of Mecca used to claim that these idols were partners to God, while God Almighty commanded them to worship Him and draw near to Him. They also claimed that the angels were daughters of God, and then they attributed the prohibition of Bahirah (a she-camel spared for idolatry) and Sa'ibah (a she-camel dedicated to idols) to God.
2. The Jews and Christians used to claim that it was established in the Torah and the Gospel that these two laws (their respective dispensations) could not be abrogated or changed, and that no Prophet would come after them.
3. What God Almighty mentioned concerning them: {And when they commit an indecency, they say, "We found our fathers doing so, and God has commanded us to do it"} (Al-A'raf: 28).
4. The Jews used to say: {We are the sons of God and His beloved} (Al-Ma'idah: 18), and they used to say: {The Fire will not touch us except for a few numbered days} (Al-Baqarah: 80).
5. Some of their ignorant people used to say: "God is poor and we are rich," and similar falsehoods they attributed to God are numerous, all of which are fabrications against God.

The Second Matter: Denying the signs (verses) of God. This refers to their disparagement of the miracles of Muhammad (peace be upon him), their criticism of them, and their denial that the Qur'an is an overwhelming, clear miracle.

Then, after recounting these two matters, the Almighty said: {Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed}. This means they will not attain their objectives in this world or the Hereafter; rather, they will remain in deprivation and failure.

As for His saying: {And [mention] the Day We will gather them all}, there are differing opinions regarding the grammatical position of "And the Day":

1. It is an omitted object, meaning: "And [mention] the Day We will gather them," [it was like this and that], left vague to enhance the warning.
2. The implied meaning is: "Mention the Day We will gather them."
3. It is coordinated with an omitted phrase, as if it were said: "The wrongdoers will not succeed ever, and [mention] the Day We will gather them."

As for His saying: {Then We will say to those who associated others [with God], "Where are Your partners whom you used to claim?"}, the purpose is reprimand and rebuke, not inquiry. It could mean: "Where are the partners themselves?" or it could mean: "Where is their intercession for you, and your benefit from them?" In either case, the speech is only for scolding and rebuking their souls, making what they thought was certain turn out to be futile. This serves as a warning to them in the worldly abode about the corruption of this path.

The relative pronoun's return in {whom you used to claim} is omitted. The implied meaning is: "whom you used to claim [to be intercessors]." The object of the verb "to claim" is omitted because the question implies it. Ibn Abbas said: "Every claim mentioned in the Book of God is a lie."