وَانطَلَقَ الْمَلَأُ مِنْهُمْ أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَىٰ آلِهَتِكُمْ ۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَيْءٌ يُرَادُ (6)
(38:6) And the elders among them went forth *6 saying: 'Go ahead and be steadfast in adhering to your deities. *7 What is being said is with a design.' *8
*6) The allusion is to the chiefs who got up and left Abu Talib when they had heard what the Holy Prophet said.
*7) "This thing" : the Holy Prophet's asking them to affirm faith in "La ilaha ill-Allah " so as to overpower both Arabia and the adjoining lands.
*8) What they meant to say was this: "Muhammad has some vested interests: He is extending this invitation to us in order to subjugate us and rule us as his subjects."