“They will have therein whatever they wish, abiding there forever. It is a promise binding upon your Lord, ever sought. (16) And on the Day when He gathers them together with those they worship besides Allah, He will say, ‘Was it you who led these servants of Mine astray, or did they themselves lose the way?’ (17) They will say, ‘Glory be to You! It was not fitting for us to take any protectors besides You. But You granted them and their forefathers enjoyment until they forgot the Reminder and became a ruined people.’ (18) Thus they will deny what you say, and you will be unable either to avert punishment or to obtain help. And whoever among you commits wrongdoing, We shall make him taste a great punishment. (19)”
“They will have therein whatever they wish, abiding there forever. It is a promise binding upon your Lord, ever sought”: that is, requested. This is because the believers asked their Lord for it in this world when they said, “Our Lord, grant us what You promised us through Your messengers” (Al Imran: 194). That is, Allah promised the believers an eternal Garden in return for their obedience to Him in this world and for their asking Him for it.
Muhammad ibn Kab al-Qurazi said: The request is made by the angels on behalf of the believers, as in their words: “Our Lord, admit them into the Gardens of perpetual residence which You promised them” (Ghafir: 8).
“And on the Day when He gathers them”: Ibn Kathir, Abu Jafar, Yaqub, and Hafs recited it as “He gathers them,” while the rest recited it as “We gather them.” “Together with those they worship besides Allah”: Mujahid said, “Among the angels, jinn, and human beings, including Jesus and Ezra.” Ikrimah, al-Dahhak, and al-Kalbi said that it refers to the idols. Then He addresses them: “He will say.” Ibn Amir recited it as “We will say,” while the others recited it as “He will say.” “Was it you who led these servants of Mine astray, or did they themselves lose the way?” That is, they missed the path.
“They will say, ‘Glory be to You!’”: they declare Allah far above having any god alongside Him. “It was not fitting for us to take any protectors besides You”: that is, it was not fitting for us to take Your enemies as allies; rather, You are our Protector, apart from them. It was also said: It was not for us to command them to worship us while we ourselves worshipped You. Abu Jafar recited it in the passive, “that we be taken,” in which case the second occurrence of min is supplementary.
“But You granted them and their forefathers enjoyment” in this world through long life, health, and blessings, “until they forgot the Reminder”: that is, they abandoned admonition and faith in the Quran. It was also said: they abandoned Your remembrance and became heedless of it. “And they became a ruined people”: that is, a people destroyed, overcome by wretchedness and abandonment. The singular is ba'ir, and the plural is bur. Its origin is from stagnation and corruption; thus, the stagnation of merchandise means that it does not sell. It was also said to be a verbal noun, like “falsehood,” applying equally to the singular, dual, and plural, as well as to the masculine and feminine.
“Thus they will deny what you say”: this is addressed to the idolaters; that is, those whom you worship will deny you “in what you say”—namely, your claim that they are gods. “And you will be unable”: Hafs recited it in the second person plural, referring to the worshippers, while the others recited it in the third person plural, referring to the alleged gods.