( فإن تولوا ) أي : تتولوا ، يعني : تعرضوا عما دعوتكم إليه ، ( فقد أبلغتكم ما أرسلت به إليكم ويستخلف ربي قوما غيركم ) أي : إن أعرضتم يهلككم الله عز وجل ويستبدل بكم قوما غيركم أطوع منكم ، يوحدونه ويعبدونه ، ( ولا تضرونه شيئا ) بتوليكم وإعراضكم ، إنما تضرون أنفسكم . وقيل : لا تنقصونه شيئا إذا أهلككم لأن وجودكم وعدمكم عنده سواء ، ( إن ربي على كل شيء حفيظ ) أي : لكل شيء حافظ ، يحفظني من أن تنالوني بسوء .
He told them that if they continued to turn away from what he brought them, then he had no responsibility to do more than convey the message to them. He had delivered to them everything that Allah had sent him with and instructed him to convey. The proof would be against them, and his Lord would destroy them and bring another people to succeed them. They would not do Allah the slightest harm through their rejecting and turning away, because He has no need of His creation. He told them that his Lord watches over all things, and that it was He Who protected him from the evil they plotted against him.