أَوَءَابَآؤُنَا ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ 17
Translations
And our forefathers [as well]?"
Transliteration
Awa-abauna al-awwalun
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah records the disbelievers' objection to the concept of resurrection, where they mockingly question whether their forefathers will also be resurrected. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this reflects the pagan Arabs' denial of the afterlife and their attachment to ancestral traditions, using their ancestors as a rhetorical device to ridicule the message of resurrection. The ayah highlights how disbelievers often resort to sophistry and appeal to custom rather than engaging with rational arguments about divine power.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within Surah As-Saffat (a Meccan surah) in a passage where the disbelievers' various objections to the Qur'an and belief in the afterlife are presented and refuted. The broader context (37:10-17) depicts the disbelievers' mocking responses to the message of monotheism and resurrection, which were common objections in early Meccan preaching.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to Hadith Qudsi narrated by Abu Hurairah in Sahih Bukhari where Allah states His displeasure with those who deny resurrection. Additionally, Surah Al-Mu'minun (23:83) contains a parallel verse on the same theme, showing the consistent refutation of this objection throughout the Qur'an.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that cultural tradition and ancestral precedent should never supersede the pursuit of truth and rational belief in God's omnipotence. Following the majority or relying on 'this is how our ancestors did it' is a weak argument when faced with clear evidence of divine reality and accountability in the afterlife.