وكذالك زين لكثير من المشركين قتل اولادهم شركاوهم ليردوهم وليلبسوا عليهم دينهم ولو شاء الله ما فعلوه فذرهم وما يفترون ١٣٧
وَكَذَٰلِكَ زَيَّنَ لِكَثِيرٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ قَتْلَ أَوْلَـٰدِهِمْ شُرَكَآؤُهُمْ لِيُرْدُوهُمْ وَلِيَلْبِسُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ دِينَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا فَعَلُوهُ ۖ فَذَرْهُمْ وَمَا يَفْتَرُونَ ١٣٧
Explanation
The majority reading is clearer in denoting that the caretakers of the idols have promoted child sacrifice. Ibn ʿĀmir’s reading (which accords with the Levantine Codex) is explained to mean the same, in that promoting this is tantamount to carrying it out, hence the ‘associates’ are both the ones making this deed alluring in the literal sense, and the killers of those children in the figurative sense [Ibn ‘Ashur].