Surah Ghafir Tafseer

مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ

Then it will be said to them:"Where are (all) those whom you considered partners -- besides Allah,"

means, it will be said to them, `where are the idols whom you used to worship instead of Allah. Can they help you today?'

قَالُوا ضَلُّوا عَنَّا

They will say:"They have vanished from us..."

mean, they have gone away and they cannot do anything for us.'

..

بَل لَّمْ نَكُن نَّدْعُو مِن قَبْلُ شَيْيًا

Nay, we did not invoke (worship) anything before.

means, they will deny that they worshipped them.

This is like the Ayah:

ثُمَّ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَتُهُمْ إِلاَّ أَن قَالُواْ وَاللَّهِ رَبِّنَا مَا كُنَّا مُشْرِكِينَ

There will then be (left) no Fitnah (excuse) for them but to say:"By Allah, our Lord, we were not those who joined others in worship with Allah." (6:23)

Allah says:

كَذَلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ الْكَافِرِينَ

Thus Allah leads astray the disbelievers.

ذَلِكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَفْرَحُونَ فِي الاَْرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَبِمَا كُنتُمْ تَمْرَحُونَ