قَالُوا۟ طَـٰٓئِرُكُم مَّعَكُمْ ۚ أَئِن ذُكِّرْتُم ۚ بَلْ أَنتُمْ قَوْمٌ مُّسْرِفُونَ 19
Translations
They said, "Your omen [i.e., fate] is with yourselves. Is it because you were reminded? Rather, you are a transgressing people."
Transliteration
Qālū ṭā'iruka ma'akum, 'a-in dhukkiritum. Bal antum qawmun musrifūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
The messengers' people respond to the warning by saying, 'Your ill-omen is with you'—attributing misfortune to the messengers themselves rather than accepting their message. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain this as the people's rejection of divine guidance through superstition and stubbornness, with the phrase 'ṭā'ir' (bird/omen) reflecting their pre-Islamic custom of divining from bird flight. Allah's response—'Rather, you are a transgressing people'—rebukes their extravagance in disbelief and their refusal to heed the reminder.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the story of the messengers sent to the people of an unnamed city (traditionally identified with Antioch) in Surah Ya-Sin. The context depicts the escalation of the people's rejection: they first deny the messengers, then attribute divine punishment to the messengers themselves, demonstrating hardened hearts and spiritual blindness despite clear signs.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this ayah, Surah Ya-Sin itself is mentioned in Sahih Muslim as having special virtues. More broadly, hadiths about superstition and 'ṭiyārah' (bad omens) such as those in Sunan Ibn Majah address the prohibition of believing in omens rather than trusting Allah's decree.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah warns against allowing cultural superstitions or preconceptions to prevent us from recognizing and accepting truth; it teaches that blaming external factors for our misfortunes—rather than examining our own spiritual state—is a form of transgression that distances us from Allah's guidance.