(30:35) وَ يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنزِّلْ...

(30:35) وَ يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللّهِ مَا لَمْ يُنزِّلْ بِهِ سلْطناً وَ مَا لَيْس لهُم بِهِ عِلْمٌ They worship besides Allah that for which He has not sent down any authority, and of which they have no knowledge… (22:71) The link between authority and knowledge is important. Those without legitimate authority don't know what they're talking about.

This would seem to indicate a lack of teaching authority, since the reference to eavesdropping indicates that those condemned lack knowledge on which to base their pronouncements. They are ridiculed by God in the following verse: أَمْ لهمْ سلّمٌ يَستَمِعُونَ فِيهِ فَلْيَأْتِ مُستَمِعُهُم بِسلْطنٍ مّبِين Or do they have a ladder whereby they eavesdrop? If so let their eavesdropper produce a manifest authority.

(52:38) No one becomes privy to the divine knowledge by illegitimate means: يَمَعْشرَ الجِْنِّ وَ الانسِ إِنِ استَطعْتُمْ أَن تَنفُذُوا مِنْ أَقْطارِ ا