قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَلْفِتَنَا عَمَّا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَا وَتَكُونَ لَكُمَا ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكُمَا بِمُؤْمِنِينَ 78
Translations
They said, "Have you come to us to turn us away from that upon which we found our fathers and so that you two may have grandeur in the land? And we are not believers in you."
Transliteration
Qalū ajitna litaliftana ʿammā wajadnā ʿalayhi ābaāʾunā wa takūnu lakumā al-kibriyāʾu fī al-arḍ wa mā naḥnu lakumā bi-muʾminīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Egyptian priests and magicians respond to Moses and Aaron by accusing them of attempting to divert people from the faith of their ancestors and seeking dominance in the land through their message. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, they reject the divine message out of arrogance and attachment to inherited practices, refusing to believe despite the clarity of the signs presented. Their response reflects the typical objection of those who prioritize ancestral tradition and worldly power over truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs in the Meccan period account of Prophet Moses (Musa) and Aaron (Harun) before Pharaoh and his court in Egypt. It represents the response of the Egyptian establishment to the prophetic message, paralleling the Meccan disbelievers' rejection of Prophet Muhammad. The surah uses this historical narrative to comfort the Prophet and illustrate how previous nations rejected divine guidance.
Related Hadiths
The hadith of Abu Huraira in Sahih Muslim relates that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Following the ways of those before you hand span by hand span, cubit by cubit,' highlighting how communities blindly follow their predecessors' errors, much like the response in this ayah. Additionally, Surah Al-Zukhruf 43:22-24 contains a parallel theme regarding blind following of forefathers.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that resistance to truth often stems not from lack of evidence but from pride, attachment to tradition, and fear of losing power and status. Believers should examine whether they follow practices due to genuine understanding or mere ancestral habit, and recognize that genuine faith requires courage to abandon false customs regardless of social pressure.