Tafsir Ibn Kathir -> Surah Al-An'am -> The Polythiests Shall be Questioned About the Shirk They Committed

About the polytheists, Allah said:

﴿وَيَوْمَ نَحْشُرُهُمْ جَمِيعاً﴾

(And on the Day when We shall gather them all together,) This is on the Day of Resurrection, when He will ask them about the idols and rivals that they worshipped instead of Him. Allah will say to them,

﴿أَيْنَ شُرَكَآؤُكُمُ الَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ﴾

(Where are your partners (false deities) whom you used to assert (as partners in worship with Allah)) Allah said in Surat Al-Qasas,

﴿وَيَوْمَ يُنَـدِيهِمْ فَيَقُولُ أَيْنَ شُرَكَآئِىَ الَّذِينَ كُنتُمْ تَزْعُمُونَ ﴾

(And (remember) the Day when He will call to them, and say, "Where are My (so-called) partners whom you used to assert'') ﴿28:62﴾. Allah's statement,

﴿ثُمَّ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَتُهُمْ﴾

(There will then be (left) no Fitnah for them) means, argument. `Ata' Al-Khurasani said that,

﴿ثُمَّ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَتُهُمْ﴾

(There will then be (left) no Fitnah for them) in the face of the affliction that will be placed on them,

﴿إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ﴾

(but to say: "By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who joined others (in worship with Allah).'') Allah said next,

﴿انظُرْ كَيْفَ كَذَبُواْ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَفْتَرُونَ ﴾

(Look! How they lie against themselves! But the (lie) which they invented will disappear from them.) which is similar to His other statement,

﴿ثُمَّ قِيلَ لَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُمْ تُشْرِكُونَ - مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ قَـالُواْ ضَـلُّواْ عَنَّا بَل لَّمْ نَكُنْ نَّدْعُواْ مِن قَبْلُ شَيْئاً كَذَلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الْكَـفِرِينَ ﴾

(Then it will be said to them: "Where are (all) those whom you used to join in worship as partners. Besides Allah'' They will say, "They have vanished from us: Nay, we did not invoke (worship) anything before.'' Thus Allah leads astray the disbelievers.) ﴿40:73-74﴾