أَفَلَمْ يَدَّبَّرُوا۟ ٱلْقَوْلَ أَمْ جَآءَهُم مَّا لَمْ يَأْتِ ءَابَآءَهُمُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ 68
Translations
Then have they not reflected over the word [i.e., the Qur’ān], or has there come to them that which had not come to their forefathers?
Transliteration
Afalam yadabbarū al-qawl am jāʾahum mā lam yaʾti ābaʾahum al-awwalīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah poses a rhetorical challenge to the disbelievers, questioning whether they have reflected deeply upon the Qur'an or whether they reject it simply because it presents teachings their ancestors never received. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, the ayah rebukes those who dismiss the Qur'an without contemplation, using blind adherence to ancestral traditions as their justification. The passage emphasizes that the Qur'an's novelty of message does not negate its truth; rather, its coherence, wisdom, and divine origin should compel rational consideration.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period of Surah Al-Mu'minun, which addresses the disbelievers of Mecca who stubbornly rejected the Prophet Muhammad's message. The broader context of this surah deals with the characteristics of true believers and the refutation of polytheistic practices, setting this ayah within a section that directly confronts the Meccan opposition's reasoning for rejecting Islamic monotheism.
Related Hadiths
The principle reflected here relates to Hadith Qudsi: 'I am as My slave thinks I am' (Sahih Bukhari 7405), emphasizing the importance of sincere reflection. Additionally, the Qur'an 7:28 states a similar theme about those who follow ancestors blindly without knowledge.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers the imperative to reflect critically upon the Qur'an rather than accepting faith passively or merely following inherited customs, and it warns against dismissing truth simply because it challenges established traditions—a lesson applicable to modern readers in evaluating beliefs through reason and evidence.