Tafseer of The Bee · An-Nahl · 16:35
And those who associate others with Allah say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped anything other than Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything through other than Him." Thus did those do before them. So is there upon the messengers except [the duty of] clear notification?
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Allah the Exalted says: the polytheists who venerated idols and images alongside Allah said: we worship these idols only because Allah has approved of our worship of them; and we do not forbid what we forbid of the baḥāʾir and sawāʾib animals, except that Allah has willed that we and our fathers forbid this and that this pleases Him. Were it otherwise, He would have changed it by means of some chastisement or by guiding us to something else. Allah the Exalted says: thus also did the polytheistic peoples before them, from whom these took over the custom — they said the same as they did and trod their path by denying the messengers of Allah and following the deeds of their misguided fathers. His word فَهَلْ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ إِلا الْبَلاغُ الْمُبِينُ — Allah the Exalted says: is there, O you who say: had Allah willed, we would not have ascribed partners to Him, nor would our fathers — is there upon Our messengers whom We sent to warn you against Our chastisement for your unbelief (kufr), anything other than the clear conveyance? That is to say: nothing other than that they convey to you what We have entrusted to them as a message. By His word الْمُبِينُ He means: that which makes its meaning clear to him who receives it, and renders it comprehensible to him to whom it is sent.
