فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُفْلِحُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ﴿۱۷﴾ وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ قُلْ أَتُنَبِّئُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا لَا يَعْلَمُ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ ﴿۱۸﴾

﴾17﴿ Faman azlamu mimmanif taraa 'alal laahi kaziban aw kazzaba bi Aayaatih; innahoo laa yuflihul mujrimoon
﴾18﴿ Wa ya'budoona min doonil laahi maa laa yadurruhum wa laa yanfa'uhum wa yaqooloona haaa'ulaaa'i shufa'aaa 'unaa 'indal laah; qul 'a tunabbi 'oonal laaha bi maa laa ya'lamu fis samaawaati wa laa fil ard; subhaanahoo wa Ta'aalaa 'ammaa yushrikoon

﴾17﴿ So who is more unjust than the one who fabricates lies against Allah or denies His signs? Surely, such criminals will not find salvation
﴾18﴿ And these people worship besides Allah, those who can neither harm them nor benefit them, and they say, These are our intercessors with Allah Say, Do you inform Allah of something He does not know in the heavens or on the earth? (meaning it does not exist). Exalted is Allah and far above what they associate with Him

[17] This too is a warning to the deniers and the polytheists. (Aftarā ‘ala Allāhi kadhiban)—One meaning refers to the polytheist who commits shirk and attributes its permissibility to Allah, and even ascribes a child to Allah, the Exalted.
The second meaning refers to those who alter the words of Allah and fabricate meanings and phrases from themselves.
According to the first interpretation, the connection is that I am not among the wrongdoers, because to fabricate lies against Allah is a great injustice.
(Aw kadhdhaba bi-āyātihi)—this indicates that both the one who fabricates lies against Allah and the one who denies His verses are equal in disbelief.
[18] From this verse up to verse (30) is the second section. In this verse, there is a refutation of the polytheists’ belief that their partners are intercessors. There are five warnings, an example of the perishing nature of this world, a promise of the Hereafter, and fear of the Hereafter.
In verse (18), there is a refutation of shirk in worship and the belief of the polytheists that their deities are intercessors.
Their core belief was that although they acknowledged Allah as One, they worshipped others besides Him—such as Lāt, Manāt, Hubal, and others—believing that these beings fulfill their needs before Allah: providing sustenance, children, healing from sickness, and so on.
Those among them who believed in the Hereafter also said that these deities would save them from punishment on the Day of Judgment and certainly intercede for their forgiveness with Allah. This belief is called shirk-based means and compulsory intercession (i.e., without Allah’s permission).
Imam Razi says: Their example in our time is like the grave-worshippers, who show undue reverence to the graves of saints—such as prostrating to them, circumambulating them, offering vows and thanksgivings in their names, covering them with cloths and decorative coverings—with the belief that such acts will definitely cause these saints to fulfill their needs before Allah, and save them on the Day of Judgment.
This belief is certainly shirk, because at the end of the verse, Allah says: (yushrikūn)—“they commit shirk.”
This belief is refuted in three ways in the verse:
1. These deities do not possess any power to harm or benefit.
2. Among the creation of Allah, there is no one known to have the quality of compulsory intercession—so are you informing Allah of something He does not know? (bimā lā ya‘lam)—this implies nonexistence, because Allah knows everything that exists.
3. This belief is outright shirk, and Allah is far above all forms of shirk.
(Mā lā yaḍurruhum wa lā yanfa‘uhum)—this is a general negation of both harm and benefit. Some have specified that harm refers to what might happen if worship is stopped, and benefit refers to what is hoped from worship.
(Subḥānahu)—this glorification refers to rejection of any partner in worship, while (ta‘ālā) refers to denying the supposed intercessors.
Note: In this world, there are three types of intercession (recommendation) that may be sought to save a sinner or fulfill a need:
First: Intercession through love (shafā‘at bi’l-maḥabbah)—the guilty or needy person brings forward someone who is deeply beloved and dear to the one being asked (the interceded-with) in hopes that, out of love, their request will be accepted.
Second: Intercession through status (shafā‘at bi’l-wajāhah)—the guilty or needy person brings forward someone who holds a position of honor and prestige in the eyes of the one being asked, so that their request will be accepted out of respect for their status.
In both these types, the interceded-with (the one being asked) becomes compelled, giving up his own will and setting aside his rules, and is bound to accept the intercession of the beloved or the honored person. These two types are known as compulsory intercession (shafā‘at qahriyyah).
The polytheists believed both of these types of intercession existed in Allah’s court through their so-called intercessors—but this is shirk, because Allah, the Exalted, is not compelled by anyone’s love or status.
Third: Intercession by permission—this is when someone, within their own law, declares: “I cannot give up my will nor violate my law—unless such and such person intercedes for it; in that case, I will accept it.” In this case, the intercessor has no power over the one being asked.
This type of intercession is established in Allah’s court in three ways:
1. A living person making du‘ā for another living person.
2. A living person making du‘ā for someone who has passed away.
3. The righteous and forgiven intercede for sinful believers.
All three types are proven through Islamic teachings.
A fourth type—the du‘ā of a deceased person for the living—has no basis in Shari‘ah, and this belief has reached the level of shirk in our time.