وَعَلَامَاتٍ وَبِالنَّجْمِ هُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ ﴿۱۶﴾ أَفَمَنْ يَخْلُقُ كَمَنْ لَا يَخْلُقُ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿۱۷﴾ وَإِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿۱۸﴾ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُسِرُّونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ ﴿۱۹﴾ وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَا يَخْلُقُونَ شَيْئًا وَهُمْ يُخْلَقُونَ ﴿۲۰﴾ أَمْوَاتٌ غَيْرُ أَحْيَاءٍ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ أَيَّانَ يُبْعَثُونَ ﴿۲۱﴾

﴾16﴿ Wa 'alaamaat; wa bin najmi hum yahtadoon
﴾17﴿ Afamany yakhluqu kamallaa yakhluq; afalaa tazak karoon
﴾18﴿ Wa in ta'uddoo ni'matal laahi laa tuhsoohaa; innal laaha la Ghafoorur Raheem
﴾19﴿ Wallaahu ya'lamu maa tusirroona wa maa tu'linoon
﴾20﴿ Wallazeena yad'oona min doonil laahi laa yakhluqoona shai'anw wa hum yukhlaqoon
﴾21﴿ Amwaatun ghairu ahyaaa'inw wa maa yash'uroona aiyaana yub'asoon

﴾16﴿ (And He has created) signs, and by the stars, they are guided
﴾17﴿ Is the one who creates like the one who cannot create, Will you not then take heed
﴾18﴿ And if you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to encompass them in number. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful
﴾19﴿ And Allah knows what you conceal and what you reveal
﴾20﴿ And those whom they call upon besides Allah cannot create anything; rather, they are themselves created
﴾21﴿ They are dead, not alive (in the worldly sense), and they do not know when they will be resurrected

[16] This is the thirteenth reason. The meaning of “‘alāmāt” (signs) is the markers that exist along the paths by which one can reach a destination. Or it could mean that mountains are intended by the signs—that Allah has made them markers for different lands and regions. The meaning of “al-najm” is specific stars like Jady (Polaris) and Farqadayn (the two stars near Polaris); through these, the north is identified, and by that, the Qiblah can also be determined.
[17] This is a warning for the polytheists, that they worship the created as if it were the Creator.
[18] This is a reminder that blessings are not limited to those previously mentioned, but are countless. In this, there is also a reference to the evidence of Tawḥīd (Oneness of Allah). And since these blessings are innumerable, a person is unable to give thanks for all of them—therefore, it is said: “Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”
[19] In this, there is a refutation of associating partners with Allah in knowledge. It points to the fact that whether someone shows gratitude or ingratitude openly or secretly, Allah the Exalted knows it all.
[20] In this, there is a refutation of associating partners with Allah in supplication (du‘ā'), along with a refutation of associating partners in control and management (taṣarruf).
[21] This too is a refutation of associating partners with Allah in control (taṣarruf) and knowledge (‘ilm). It means that the deities of these polytheists—other than Allah the Exalted—are dead, and the dead possess neither knowledge nor control. So why do they seek help from them? Note: This verse is not limited to idols, because the wording of the verse is general. Rather, these six attributes—(1) they cannot create, (2) they are created themselves, (3) they are dead, (4) life has left them, (5) they have no perception, (6) their resurrection will occur after death—apply to beings of intellect. Idols are only included metaphorically. Therefore, when the reality (intellectual beings) is present, there's no need to apply the verse to the metaphor (idols). For this reason, the Tafsīr Rūḥ al-Ma‘ānī mentions that this verse includes angels, prophets, and saints. If someone objects that angels and ‘Īsā (peace be upon him)—whom the polytheists worship—are not dead, the first answer is: the meaning of “amwāt” (dead) is that death will come to them, and the meaning of “ghayr aḥyā’” (not alive) is that they are not eternally alive. So whether they have died already or not, the verse includes both cases. The second answer is: the verse refers specifically to those deities who have died and are worshipped after death—such as in the case of grave-worshippers. So the meaning becomes: O grave-worshippers, your deities are dead. The meaning of “ghayru aḥyā’” is that they have no worldly life, though barzakhī (intermediate) life is established for them by other evidence. From this, it can be reasoned that saints and martyrs who have died do not have worldly life, rather they have barzakhī life.