فَلَوۡلَا نَصَرَهُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ قُرۡبَانًا ءَالِهَةَۢۖ بَلۡ ضَلُّواْ عَنۡهُمۡۚ وَذَٰلِكَ إِفۡكُهُمۡ وَمَا كَانُواْ يَفۡتَرُونَ ٢٨
Then why did those they took besides Allāh as deities by which to approach [Him]1 not aid them? But they had strayed [i.e., departed] from them. And that was their falsehood and what they were inventing.
Translation: Saheeh International (English)
1 According to their claim.
Each word's meaning and sound
So why did their idols which they took as gods besides Allah and which they used to seek closeness to through worship and sacrifice not help them? They did not help them at all, but in fact they disappeared from them when they needed them the most. And that is the lie and fabrication they did to themselves, i.e., that these idols will benefit them and intercede for them with Allah.
Al-Mukhtasar in interpreting the Noble Quran