Tafsir of An-Nahl 16:82

{فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ}

{فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا} If they turn away and do not accept from you, your excuse has been established after you have performed what was incumbent upon you of conveying [the message]. He mentioned the cause of the excuse—which is the conveying—to indicate the effect.

{يَعْرِفُونَ نِعْمَتَ اللَّهِ} Which We have enumerated, as they acknowledge them and [admit] that they are from Allah.

{ثُمَّ يُنكِرُونَهَا} By worshipping others besides the Bestower of the blessing, and by their saying: "It is from Allah, but it is through the intercession of our gods."

It is also said: Their denial is their saying, "We inherited it from our forefathers."

It is also said: It is their saying, "Had it not been for so-and-so, I would not have attained such-and-such," regarding some of Allah’s blessings. Speaking in this manner is only impermissible if one does not believe that it is from Allah, and that He caused it to flow through the hand of so-and-so, making him a means for attaining it.

{وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ} Meaning: The deniers who do not acknowledge.

It is also said: {Ni‘mat Allāh} (Allah’s blessing) refers to the Prophethood of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. They used to recognize it, then deny it out of stubbornness, and most of them are the deniers who reject it in their hearts.

If you ask: What is the meaning of "then" (thumma)? I say: It indicates that their denial is a far-fetched matter after the attainment of knowledge; for the right of one who recognizes a blessing is to acknowledge it, not to deny it.

{وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا ثُمَّ لَا يُؤْذَنُ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَلَا هُمْ يُسْتَعْتَبُونَ * وَإِذَا رَأَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الْعَذَابَ فَلَا يُخَفَّفُ عَنْهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنظَرُونَ}