Al-Kashshaf on An-Nahl 16:20

Surah An-Nahl 16:20

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ﱯ ﱰ ﱱ ﱲ ﱳ ﱴ ﱵ ﱶ ﱷ ﱸ

And those they invoke other than Allah create nothing, and they [themselves] are created.

{And those whom they invoke besides Allah} The deities whom the disbelievers invoke. It is also read with the ta (i.e., tadʿūn - "you invoke"). It is also read as yudʿawn (passive voice: "those who are invoked").

Allah denies them the characteristics of divinity by negating that they are creators, that they are living and immortal, and that they have knowledge of the time of Resurrection. He establishes for them the attributes of creation: that they are created, that they are dead, and that they are ignorant of the unseen.

The meaning of {dead, not alive}: If they were truly gods, they would be alive and not dead—meaning death would be impossible for them, like the Living One who does not die. Their state is the exact opposite of this.

The pronoun in {they are resurrected}: It refers to the worshippers. It means: they do not perceive when their worshippers will be resurrected. This contains mockery of the polytheists, for if their gods do not know the time of their [the worshippers'] resurrection, how could they possibly reward them for their worship? It also indicates that Resurrection is inevitable and a necessary consequence of religious obligation (taklīf).

A second interpretation: It means that people create these idols through carving and sculpting, while the idols are incapable of doing anything similar. Thus, they are more helpless than their worshippers; they are dead, inanimate objects with no life in them.

"Not alive" means: some dead things are followed by life, such as sperm which Allah brings forth as a living being, or the bodies of animals that are resurrected after death. As for stones, they are dead and not followed by life; this is the most profound form of death.

{And they do not perceive when they will be resurrected}: Meaning, these gods do not know when the living will be resurrected. This is a mockery of their state, for the perception of an inanimate object is impossible—so how could they possess knowledge that no living being knows except the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, Glory be to Him?

A third interpretation: It is intended that "those whom they invoke" refers to the angels, as some people used to worship them. "Dead" means they are destined to die; "not alive" means their life is not eternal. "And they do not perceive" means they have no knowledge of the time of their resurrection.

(Note: It is also read as "iyyān" with a kasra on the hamza).

{Your God is one God. But those who do not believe in the Hereafter, their hearts are in denial, and they are arrogant. There is no doubt that Allah knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He does not like the arrogant.}

Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:20-21

Al-Kashshaf

{And those whom they invoke besides Allah} The deities whom the disbelievers invoke. It is also read with the *ta* (i.e., *tadʿūn* - "you invoke"). It is also read as *yudʿawn* (passive voice: "those who are invoked").

{Your God is one God. But those who do not believe in the Hereafter, their hearts are in denial, and they are arrogant. There is no doubt that Allah knows what they conceal and what they declare. Indeed, He does not like the arrogant.}

{And those whom they invoke besides Allah} The deities whom the disbelievers invoke. It is also read with the ta (i.e., tadʿūn - "you invoke"). It is also read as yudʿawn (passive voice: "those who are invoked").