Tafsir Ibn Abbas: Az-Zukhruf, Ayah 20
وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنُ مَا عَبَدْنَٰهُم ۗ مَّا لَهُم بِذَٰلِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ ۖ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا يَخْرُصُونَ
And they said, "If the Most Merciful had willed, we would not have worshipped them." They have of that no knowledge. They are not but falsifying.
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And they say ‘Had the Compassionate One so willed we would not have worshipped them’ the angels therefore our worship of them happens by His will and so He must be satisfied with it. God exalted be He says They do not have any knowledge of that which is said of His being satisfied with the worship of these angels; and they are only surmising inventing lies in this respect and so punishment will befall them as a result thereof.
Ibn Abbas Commentary
(And they) i.e. the Banu Malih (say: If the Beneficent One had (so) willed) if the Beneficent one had repelled and warned us, (we should not have worshipped them) they said this out of mockery, �but He commanded us to worship them and never warned us against such a worship�. (They have no knowledge whatsoever of that) they have no proof or warrant for what they say. (They do but guess) they do but lie against Allah because they were forbidden from worshipping them.