وَلَئِنْ أَطَعْتُم بَشَرًا مِّثْلَكُمْ إِنَّكُمْ إِذًا لَّخَـٰسِرُونَ 34
Translations
And if you should obey a man like yourselves, indeed, you would then be losers.
Transliteration
Wa la'in ata'tum basharan mithlakum innakum ithan lakhsirun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah, spoken by the believers among the people of Musa (Moses) to those who wanted to follow the golden calf, warns against blindly following human beings who are equal to oneself in nature and capabilities. The scholars, including Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir, emphasize that obeying a mere mortal in place of Allah and His guidance leads to spiritual ruin and loss. The ayah serves as a powerful critique of idolatry and blind adherence to human leaders without divine authority, establishing that true guidance comes only from Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the narrative of Surah Al-Mu'minun, which recounts the stories of previous prophets and their struggles against their peoples' disbelief. The specific context here involves the account of the Israelites' deviation when they began worshipping the golden calf under the influence of the Samaritan, and the believers among them warning their people against this misguidance. The surah emphasizes the consequences of rejecting divine revelation in favor of human whims.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said: 'Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah' (Sahih Bukhari). This hadith clarifies that obedience to human leadership is valid only when that leadership is aligned with divine guidance, contrasting with blind obedience to ordinary mortals without religious authority.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers must exercise critical thinking and not blindly follow any human leader or ideology simply because they are charismatic or popular; true guidance comes exclusively from Allah and His revelation. In our modern age, this warns against cult-like adherence to influencers, ideologies, or leaders who lack divine authority and accountability to Islamic principles.