وَلَا تَنْفَعُ الشَّفَاعَةُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَذِنَ لَهُ حَتَّى إِذَا فُزِّعَ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ قَالُوا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّكُمْ قَالُوا الْحَقَّ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ ﴿۲۳﴾ قُلْ مَنْ يَرْزُقُكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ قُلِ اللَّهُ وَإِنَّا أَوْ إِيَّاكُمْ لَعَلَى هُدًى أَوْ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ ﴿۲۴﴾

﴾23﴿ Wa laa tanfa'ush shafaa'atu 'indahooo illaa liman azina lah; hattaaa izaa fuzzi'a 'an quloobihim qaaloo maazaa qaala Rabbukum; qaalul haqq, wa Huwal 'Aliyul Kabeer
﴾24﴿ Qul mai yarzuqukum minas samaawaati wal ardi qulil laahu wa innaaa aw iyyaakum la'alaa hudan aw fee dalaalim mubeen

﴾23﴿ And intercession does not benefit before Allah except for whom He permits. (They remain in fear) until when the fear is removed from their hearts, they say, What did your Lord say, They say, The truth. And He is the Most High, the Most Great
﴾24﴿ Say, Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth, Say, Allah. And indeed, either we or you are surely upon guidance or in clear error

[23] This is in refutation of the fourth doubt: that the angels could act as intercessors by compulsion, and thus they are worthy of worship.
So the verse mentions the incapacity of the angels. Likewise, they themselves have no ownership, yet it is imagined that they fulfill our needs before Allah by way of recommendation, and that Allah—due to His love or reverence for them—is compelled to accept their intercession.
The essence of the response is that their intercession is only by Allah’s permission, and it has no benefit without that permission. And Allah’s noble custom is that He does not grant permission to intercede on behalf of disbelievers.
“Until when fear is removed”—this refers to the state of the intercessors at the time permission to intercede is granted.
Meaning, when permission is given to them for intercession, they are in intense fear and awe due to the majesty of Allah.
(A little while later) this awe is lifted from their hearts. Then they ask those angels who bring them the message of Allah’s permission: What has your Lord decreed? They will reply: “The truth”—meaning, He has permitted intercession only for the monotheists.
A second interpretation is that this describes the state of the angels in the world: when Allah reveals a command, they are struck with great awe.
When that fear is lifted from their hearts, the lower-ranking angels ask the higher ones (who brought the command) what Allah decreed. They respond that “He has decreed the truth”, i.e., a just command.
The conclusion from both interpretations is that the intercessors are utterly powerless and deeply fearful of Allah.
So how could they intercede forcibly (without permission), as the polytheists claim?
[24] After refuting the methods of shirk, a conclusive and confessional argument is presented against the polytheists: that the one who solely manages provision is Allah. So why do you seek your needs from others besides Him?
“And indeed, we or you...”—this is a method of preaching and teaching.
It is as if the polytheists say, We and you are equal; there is no difference, or These matters are disputable, and we do not engage in disputed matters.
The response is: This is not so. Rather, these two parties are fundamentally opposed—one is upon guidance and the other upon misguidance.
In other words, this is a matter of foundational difference, not a minor disagreement. You will inevitably fall on one side.