And leave those: that is, abandon them and refrain from debating them.
They deviate: ilhād (deviation) literally means to incline; here it denotes turning the Names away from what is right—either by denying the Names themselves, denying their meanings, or assigning them to certain created beings.
They deviate concerning His Names: i.e. they associate others with Him in His Names, such as calling an idol “ilāh” (god).
They will be recompensed for what they used to do: a severe warning and threat that punishment will befall them.
And from him: i.e. from Ibn ʿAbbās.
“They called al-Lāt…” etc.: this explains the meaning of ilhād in His Names—their fashioning of idol names derived from His Names.
They introduce into them what does not belong to them: meaning, they insert into Allah’s Names what He has not named Himself with, nor has His Messenger named Him with.
Overall meaning of the verse: Allah informs us that He possesses Names that have reached the pinnacle of beauty and perfection. He commands His servants to ask Him and seek nearness to Him through those Names, and to shun the people who divert these majestic Names from the correct path, twisting them in various misguided ways. Such people will meet their deterring recompense.
Benefits drawn from the verse:
- Affirmation of Allah’s Names and Attributes in a manner befitting His Majesty.
- Allah’s Names are Most Beautiful.
- The command to invoke Allah and seek nearness to Him by means of His Names.
- The prohibition of ilhād in Allah’s Names by denying them, misinterpreting them, or applying them to some