وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَآ أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۗ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ 170
Translations
And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allāh has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?
Transliteration
Wa-idha qila lahumu ittabi'u ma anzala Allahu qalu bal nattabi'u ma alfayna 'alayhi abaana. Aw lau kana aba'uhum la ya'qiluna shay'an wa la yahtadun.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rebukes those who reject divine guidance in favor of blindly following ancestral traditions and customs. When called to follow Allah's revelation, they stubbornly respond that they will instead follow what their forefathers practiced, to which Allah responds with rhetorical questioning—would they still follow their ancestors even if those ancestors possessed no understanding and were not guided? Ibn Kathir notes this addresses the pre-Islamic Arabs' attachment to jahiliyyah practices, while Al-Qurtubi emphasizes that blind taqlid (imitation) of forefathers without reason contradicts the very purpose of intellect ('aql) that Allah has granted humanity.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the second section of Surah Al-Baqarah, which addresses the characteristics of those who reject faith and the diseases of the heart. It was revealed in Madinah in response to the Jews and Arabs who clung to pre-Islamic practices and rejected the Prophet's message, even when presented with clear proofs from Allah's revelation. The context reflects the broader theme of the surah—distinguishing between guidance and misguidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those of my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them' (Sahih Bukhari 2652), highlighting the importance of following righteous guidance over blind tradition. Additionally, the hadith 'Whoever imitates a people is one of them' (Sunan Abu Dawud 4031) relates to the dangers of uncritical imitation.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must not follow traditions—however ancient—that contradict divine revelation simply out of loyalty to the past or lack of independent thinking. True wisdom lies in evaluating beliefs and practices against the standards of the Quran and Sunnah, using the intellect Allah has granted us, rather than surrendering our judgment to inherited customs.