قَالُوا بَلْ لَمْ تَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿۲۹﴾ وَمَا كَانَ لَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ بَلْ كُنْتُمْ قَوْمًا طَاغِينَ ﴿۳۰﴾ فَحَقَّ عَلَيْنَا قَوْلُ رَبِّنَا إِنَّا لَذَائِقُونَ ﴿۳۱﴾ فَأَغْوَيْنَاكُمْ إِنَّا كُنَّا غَاوِينَ ﴿۳۲﴾ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ فِي الْعَذَابِ مُشْتَرِكُونَ ﴿۳۳﴾ إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَفْعَلُ بِالْمُجْرِمِينَ ﴿۳۴﴾ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا إِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ ﴿۳۵﴾ وَيَقُولُونَ أَئِنَّا لَتَارِكُو آلِهَتِنَا لِشَاعِرٍ مَجْنُونٍ ﴿۳۶﴾

﴾29﴿ Qaaloo bal lam takoonoo mu'mineen
﴾30﴿ Wa maa kaana lanaa 'alaikum min sultaanim bal kuntum qawman taagheen
﴾31﴿ Fahaqqa 'alainaa qawlu Rabbinaaa innaa lazaaa'iqoon
﴾32﴿ Fa aghwainaakum innaa kunnaa ghaaween
﴾33﴿ Fa innahum Yawma'izin fil'azaabi mushtarikoon
﴾34﴿ Innaa kazaalika naf'alu bil mujrimeen
﴾35﴿ Innahum kaanooo izaa qeela lahum laaa ilaaha illal laahu yastakbiroon
﴾36﴿ Wa yaqooloona a'innaa lataarikooo aalihatinaa lishaa'irim majnoon

﴾29﴿ They say, (It is) the chiefs, but you were not the believers
﴾30﴿ And we had no authority over you, but you were a rebellious people
﴾31﴿ So the decree of our Lord has been fulfilled upon us; indeed, we are tasting the punishment
﴾32﴿ So we invited you to misguidance because we were among the misguided
﴾33﴿ So indeed, on that Day, they will share in the punishmen
﴾34﴿ Indeed, this is how We deal with the criminals
﴾35﴿ Indeed, they were the ones who, when it was said to them, There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, the Most High, they acted arrogantly
﴾36﴿ And they would say, Should we abandon our gods for the sake of a mad poet

[33,34] When it is established that both groups share in misguidance, it logically follows that they must also share in the punishment (عذاب).
Their mutual consent in falsehood makes them equally accountable in the Hereafter.
[35] This is the reason for the previously mentioned punishment, and it is a rebuke for denying tawḥīd (monotheism).
It becomes clear that a polytheist does not deny Allah Himself, nor His attributes, nor even acts of worship in general—
but rather, what they truly reject is exclusive monotheism (توحید).
As mentioned in Surah Al-Isrā’ (17:46), Surah Ṣād (38:5), and Surah Az-Zumar (39:45)—their discomfort arises only when Allah is mentioned alone.
This shows that the core of shirk is opposition to pure tawḥīd.
[36] This is the second reason for the punishment, and it is a rebuke (زجر) for denying the Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and give him peace).
Their rejection of the Prophet and his message is a direct cause of their deserving punishment.