"Then why"—meaning, why did they not—"did those they took, besides Allah, as an offering—gods—not help them?" He means: their gods which they worshipped, claiming that they brought them closer to Allah in status. He says: Why did they not help them when the punishment came to them?

Muhammad said: The meaning is: they took them as gods to seek closeness to Allah through them, and this is the meaning of what Yahya said.

Interpretation of Surah al-Ahqaf from verse 29 to verse 32.