وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ وَإِلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ قَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۚ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ 104
Translations
And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allāh has revealed and to the Messenger," they say, "Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our fathers." Even though their fathers knew nothing, nor were they guided?
Transliteration
Wa-idha qeela lahum ta'alaw ila ma anzala Allahu wa-ila ar-rasul qaluh hasbuna ma wajadna alayhi abaana aw-walaw kan abauhum la ya'lamun shay'an wa-la yahtadun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah rebukes those who reject the Qur'an and the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by clinging blindly to the customs and beliefs of their ancestors, even when those ancestors were ignorant and misguided. Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this reflects the stubbornness of the polytheists of Quraysh and other nations who prioritized ancestral tradition (taqlid) over divine revelation, demonstrating that mere inheritance of belief without understanding or verification is spiritually destructive.
Revelation Context
This ayah addresses the common objection of pre-Islamic Arabs and obstinate disbelievers who refused to accept Islam, claiming that their fathers' religion was sufficient. The surah discusses various groups—Jews, Christians, and polytheists—who rejected the Prophet's call, and this verse specifically targets the mindset of blind adherence to tradition rather than seeking truth.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best of you are those of my generation, then those who come after them, then those who come after them' (Sahih Bukhari). This contrasts with the ayah's criticism, showing that following good predecessors with understanding is praiseworthy, while blind imitation regardless of truth is condemned.
Themes
Key Lesson
Every individual bears personal responsibility before Allah to seek and verify the truth rather than passively accepting inherited beliefs; true guidance comes from conscious submission to Allah's revelation, not from unthinking adherence to cultural or familial traditions, regardless of their age or prevalence.
Related Ayahs
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُ ٱتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ أَخَذَتْهُ ٱلْعِزَّةُ بِٱلْإِثْمِ ۚ فَحَسْبُهُۥ جَهَنَّمُ ۚ وَلَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ
And when it is said to him, "Fear Allāh," pride in the sin takes hold of him. Sufficient for him is Hellfire, and how wretched is the resting place.
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَىٰ وَقَوْمَهُۥ لِيُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَءَالِهَتَكَ ۚ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَـٰهِرُونَ
And the eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, "Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?" [Pharaoh] said, "We will kill their sons and keep their women alive; and indeed, we are subjugators over them."
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمُ ٱتَّبَعُوا۟ مَآ أَسْخَطَ ٱللَّهَ وَكَرِهُوا۟ رِضْوَٰنَهُۥ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ
That is because they followed what angered Allāh and disliked [what earns] His pleasure, so He rendered worthless their deeds.
فَذَاقَتْ وَبَالَ أَمْرِهَا وَكَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ أَمْرِهَا خُسْرًا
And it tasted the bad consequence of its affair [i.e., rebellion], and the outcome of its affair was loss.