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وَقَالَ الَّذِيْنَ اَشْرَكُوْا لَوْ شَاۤءَ اللّٰهُ مَا عَبَدْنَا مِنْ دُوْنِهٖ مِنْ شَيْءٍ نَّحْنُ وَلَآ اٰبَاۤؤُنَا وَلَا حَرَّمْنَا مِنْ دُوْنِهٖ مِنْ شَيْءٍ ۗ كَذٰلِكَ فَعَلَ الَّذِيْنَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ ۚفَهَلْ عَلَى الرُّسُلِ اِلَّا الْبَلٰغُ الْمُبِيْنُ   ( النحل: ٣٥ )

waqāla
وَقَالَ
And said
alladhīna
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
ashrakū
أَشْرَكُوا۟
associate partners (with Allah)
law
لَوْ
"If
shāa
شَآءَ
Allah (had) willed
l-lahu
ٱللَّهُ
Allah (had) willed
مَا
not
ʿabadnā
عَبَدْنَا
we (would) have worshipped
min
مِن
other than Him
dūnihi
دُونِهِۦ
other than Him
min
مِن
any
shayin
شَىْءٍ
thing
naḥnu
نَّحْنُ
we
walā
وَلَآ
and not
ābāunā
ءَابَآؤُنَا
our forefathers
walā
وَلَا
and not
ḥarramnā
حَرَّمْنَا
we (would) have forbidden
min
مِن
other than Him
dūnihi
دُونِهِۦ
other than Him
min
مِن
anything"
shayin
شَىْءٍۚ
anything"
kadhālika
كَذَٰلِكَ
Thus
faʿala
فَعَلَ
did
alladhīna
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
min
مِن
(were) before them
qablihim
قَبْلِهِمْۚ
(were) before them
fahal
فَهَلْ
Then is (there)
ʿalā
عَلَى
on
l-rusuli
ٱلرُّسُلِ
the messengers
illā
إِلَّا
except
l-balāghu
ٱلْبَلَٰغُ
the conveyance
l-mubīnu
ٱلْمُبِينُ
clear?

Wa qaalal lazeena ashrakoo law shaaa'al laahu ma 'abadnaa min doonihee min shai'in nahnu wa laaa aabaaa'unaa wa laa harramnaa min doonihee min shai'; kazaalika fa'alal lazeena min qablihim fahal 'alar Rusuli illal balaaghul mubeen (an-Naḥl 16:35)

Sahih International:

And those who associate others with Allah say, "If Allah had willed, we would not have worshipped anything other than Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor would we have forbidden anything through other than Him." Thus did those do before them. So is there upon the messengers except [the duty of] clear notification? (An-Nahl [16] : 35)

1 Mufti Taqi Usmani

The polytheists said, “If Allah had so willed, we would have not worshipped anything other than Him - neither we nor our forefathers - nor would we have made anything unlawful without (a command from) Him.” Similar was the reaction of those who were before them. Therefore, the messengers’ obligation is no more than to convey the message clearly.