وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِن دُونِهِۦ مِن شَىْءٍۢ نَّحْنُ وَلَآ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِن دُونِهِۦ مِن شَىْءٍۢ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ فَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ فَهَلْ عَلَى ٱلرُّسُلِ إِلَّا ٱلْبَلَٰغُ ٱلْمُبِينُ
Wa qaalal lazeena ashrakoo law shaaa'al laahu ma 'abadnaa min doonihee min shai'in nahnu wa laaa aabaaa'unaa wa laa harramnaa min doonihee min shai'; kazaalika fa'alal lazeena min qablihim fahal 'alar Rusuli illal balaaghul mubeen
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?

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Tafsir

82%59%58%Al-JalalaynIbn AbbasIbn Kathir
Scholars largely agree on this ayah

And the idolaters from among the Meccans say ‘Had God willed we would not have worshipped anything besides Him — neither we nor our fathers — nor would we have deemed anything sacred besides Him’ in the way of those camels called bahīras and sā’iba. In other words our idolatry and our deeming these animals sacred are effected by His will; therefore He must be satisfied with this. God exalted He be says So did those before them that is they denied their messengers regarding that which they the messengers brought them. Yet are messengers charged with anything save plain conveyance of the Message? It is not their duty to guide.

Related Hadiths

Jami` at-Tirmidhi #3238Narrated 'Abdul-Hamid bin Ja'far:Hasan
"My father informed me, from Ibn Mina, from ABu Sa'eed bin Abi Fadalah Al-Ansari - and he was one of the Companions - who said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "When Allah gathers the people on the Day of Judgement - a Day in which there is no doubt in - a caller will call out: 'Whoever committed Shirk in any of his deeds he did for Allah - then let him seek his reward from other than Allah. For indeed Allah is the most free of the partners from any need of Shirk."
Sahih Muslim #174It is narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. Mas'ud that Waki told (him) that the Messenger of Allah had observed and Ibn Numair asserted:Sahih
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: He who dies associating anything with Allah would enter the Fire (of Hell). 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud said: I say that he who died without associating anything with Allah entered Paradise.
Sunan Ibn Majah #4163`Abdullah bin Abi Mulaikah narrated that his father entered upon `A'ishah and said something to her about the Divine Decree:Hasan
She said: "I heard The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Whoever says anything about the Divine decree will be questioned about that on the Day of Resurrection, and whoever does not say anything about it will not be questioned about it.'" Another chain with similar wording.
Sahih Muslim #6570Jabir reported that Suriqa b. Malik b. Ju'shuin came and said:Sahih
Allah's Messenger, explain our religion to us (in a way) as if we have been created just now. Whosoever deeds we do today, is it because of the fact that-the pens have dried (after recording them) and the destitiles have began to operate or these have effects in future? Thereupon he said: The pens have dried tmd destinies have begun to operate. (Suraqa b. Malik) said: If it Is so, then what is the use of doing good deeds? Zuhair said: Then Abu Zubair said something but I could not understand that and I said. What did he say? Thereupon he said: Act, for everyone is facilitated what he intends to do.
Jami` at-Tirmidhi #2194Ibrahim At-Taimi narrated from his father:Da'if
"'Ali delivered a Khutbah for us in which he said: 'Whoever claims that we have some book to read other than Allah's Book and this paper, which include camel's ages and things related to (relatiation for) wounds, then he has lied." And he said in it: "Al-Madinah is sacred, what is between 'Air to Thawr, so whoever introduces in it any innovation or shelters an innovator then upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels, and all people. On the Day of Judgment, Allah will not accept his compulsory nor optional good deeds. And whoever claims someone else to be his father, or claims Wala' for someone other than his Mawali, then upon him is the curse of Allah, the angels, and the people; his compulsory and optional good deeds shall not be accepted. The covenants of the Muslims are one, it covers the rest of them. This Hadith is Hasan Sahih. Some of them reported it similarly from Al-A'mash, from Ibrahim At-Taimi, from Al-Harith bin Suwaid from 'Ali. .

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About Quran 16:35