{Those who associated partners with Allah will say, 'If Allah had willed, we would not have associated, nor would our fathers, nor would we have prohibited anything.'} The polytheists of the Arabs said: 'If Allah had disliked what we are upon, He would have diverted us from it.'

{Do you have any knowledge} that what you are upon of polytheism is something I have commanded you to do, {so that you could produce it for us? You follow nothing but assumption} meaning: this is merely an assumption on your part, {and you are not but lying} meaning: you are inventing falsehoods.