43أَمِ اتَّخَذوا مِن دونِ اللَّهِ شُفَعاءَ ۚ قُل أَوَلَو كانوا لا يَملِكونَ شَيئًا وَلا يَعقِلونَMuhammad AsadAnd yet,1 they choose [to worship], side by side with God, [imaginary] intercessors !2Say: "Why - even though they have no power over anything, and no understanding?"3This is the meaning of the particle am in this context (Zamakhshari), implying that despite all the evidence of God's almightiness, many people tend to disregard it.I.e., intercessors who could act as such independently of God's permission - an assumption which the Qur'an categorically denies (see surah 10, note 7).A reference to the adoration of dead saints or their tombs or relics. as well as of inanimate representations of saints, of imaginary deities, etc.