Tafseer Ibn Kathir of SABA' [40]

40. And (remember) the Day when He will gather them all together, then He will say to the angels: ”Was it you that these people used to worship'' 41. They (the angels) will say: ”Glorified be You! You are our Protector instead of them. Nay, but they used to worship the Jinn; most of them were believers in them.'' 42. So Today, none of you can profit or harm one another. And We shall say to those who did wrong: ”Taste the torment of the Fire which you used to deny.'' Allah tells us that on the Day of Resurrection, He will rebuke the idolators before all of creation. He will ask the angels whom the idolators used to worship, claiming that their idols were in the form of these angels and that they could bring them nearer to Allah. He will ask the angels:

(Was it you that these people used to worship) meaning, `did you command them to worship you' Allah says in Surat Al-Furqan:

(Was it you who misled these My servants or did they (themselves) stray from the (right) path) (25:17). And He will say to `Isa, peace be upon him:

(Did you say unto men: ”Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah,' He will say: ”Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say).'') (5:116). Similarly, the angels will say:

Glorified be You! meaning, exalted and sanctified be You above the notion that there could be any god besides You.

You are our Protector instead of them. means, we are Your servants and we disown these people before You.

(Nay, but they used to worship the Jinn;) meaning, the Shayatin, because they are the ones who made idol worship attractive to them and who misguided them.

most of them were believers in them. This is like the A0yah:

(They invoke nothing but females besides Him, and they invoke nothing but Shaytan, a persistent rebel! Allah cursed him) (4:117-118). Allah says:

(So Today, none of you can profit or harm one another.) means, `none of those idols and rivals whom you hoped would benefit you, will be of any avail to you, those whom you worshipped in the hope that they would help you at times of stress and calamity. Today they will have no power either to benefit you or to harm you.'

And We shall say to those who did wrong: -- meaning the idolators --

(”Taste the torment of the Fire which you used to deny.'') meaning, this will be said to them by way of rebuke.