His saying, Most High: “And He made them testify concerning themselves: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes indeed; we testify’—lest you should say...” That is, He made some of them witnesses over others. Abu Amr recited an yaqulu (“that they may say”) and yaqulu (“they may say”) with a yā’ in both instances, while the others recited both with a tā’.

They differed concerning His saying, shahidna (“we testify”). Al-Suddi said: “It is a statement from Allah concerning Himself and His angels: that they bore witness to the affirmation made by the children of Adam.” Others said: “It reports the words of the children of Adam when Allah made some of them witnesses over others. They said, ‘Yes indeed; we testify.’” Al-Kalbi said: “These are the words of the angels, with an omission understood in the wording. Its sense is: when the descendants said, ‘Yes indeed,’ Allah said to the angels, ‘Bear witness,’ and they replied, ‘We testify.’”

His saying, an yaqulu (“lest they say”), means that He made them testify concerning themselves so that they would not say—or to prevent them from saying. According to the recitation with a tā’, the meaning is: “I address you: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘We were unaware of this’”—that is, unaware of this covenant and affirmation.

If it is asked: How can the proof be binding upon someone who does not remember the covenant? The answer is that Allah has made clear the proofs of His oneness and of the truthfulness of His messengers in what they conveyed. Whoever denies this is obstinate, violates the covenant, and the proof is binding against him. Their forgetfulness and failure to retain it do not invalidate the case against them after the truthful bearer of a miracle has informed them.

“Or lest you should say, ‘It was only that our fathers associated partners with Allah before us, and we were descendants after them. Will You then destroy us for what the followers of falsehood have done?’ (173) Thus do We set out the signs in detail, so that perhaps they may return. (174) And recite to them the account of the one to whom We gave Our signs, but who cast them off; so Satan pursued him, and he became one of those who went astray. (175)”

His saying, Most High: “Or lest you should say, ‘It was only that our fathers associated partners with Allah before us, and we were descendants after them,’” means: He took the covenant from you so that you, O polytheists, would not say, “Our fathers only associated partners with Allah before us, violated the covenant, and we were descendants after them”—that is, we were their followers and followed their example—thereby making this an excuse for yourselves and saying, “Will You then destroy us for what the followers of falsehood have done?” That is, “Will You punish us for the wrongdoing of our fathers who followed falsehood?” They therefore cannot advance such an argument after Allah Most High has reminded them that He took the covenant for monotheism.

“And thus do We set out the signs in detail,” that is, We clarify the signs so that the servants may reflect upon them. “So that perhaps they may return,” from disbelief to monotheism.