Qala allatheena istakbaroo lillatheena istudAAifoo anahnu sadadnakum AAani alhuda baAAda ith jaakum (surah Saba: 32)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(34:32) The arrogant ones will retort to those who were suppressed: 'What! Did we bar you from the guidance after it came to you? Not at all; rather you yourselves were evil-doers.' *52

Qaalal lazeenas takbaroo lillazeenas tud`ifooo anahnu sadadnaakum `anil hudaa ba`da iz jaaa`akum bal kuntum mujrimeen

*52) That is, 'They will say: We had no power by which a few of us could have compelled hundreds of thousands of the people like you to follow us: If you had the will to believe, you could have deposed us from leadership and power and authority and government. In fact, you were our army: you were the source of our wealth and power. But for your offerings and gifts and taxes we should havc been paupers. Had you not sworn allegiance to us, we could not have flourished as saints even for a day. Had you not appreciated and applauded us as leaders, we would have remained unknown. Had you not become our army and fought against the whole world for our sake, we could not have ruled over a single individual. Now why don't you admit that you yourselves did not want to follow the way that the Messengers had presented before you. You were the slaves of your own lusts and desires, and the demands of your selves could not be fulfilled by the righteous way of life presented by the Messengers but by what we presented before you. You were heedless of the lawful and the unlawful and craved for the luxuries of life, which we only could provide you. You were in search of such guides as could give you the licence to commit any sin, any crime, and take on themselves the responsibility to have you forgiven by God, in exchange for gifts. You wanted to listen to such religious scholars only who could please you by proving every kind of shirk and every innovation in religion and every lust of your self to be the very truth. You needed such forgerers who could invent a new religion by altering the Religion of God after your desires. You wanted to follow such leaders who could help you become prosperous in this world, no matter how you fared in the Hereafter. You wished to have such rulers who were immoral and dishonest so that under their patronage you also could havc the freedom to indulge in any sin, any immorality. Thus, you and we were equal partners in the bargain. Now you cannot delude anyone by saying that you were absolutely innocent and that we had spoiled and corrupted you against your will."