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Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

Verse 170of 286

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَآ أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۗ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ﴿١٧٠

Translation (Sahih International)

And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allah has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?

Word-by-word meaning

وَإِذَاwa-idhāAnd when
قِيلَqīlait is said
لَهُمُlahumuto them
ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ittabiʿūFollow
مَآwhat
أَنزَلَanzalahas revealed
ٱللَّهُl-lahuAllah
قَالُوا۟qālūthey said
بَلْbalNay
نَتَّبِعُnattabiʿuwe follow
مَآwhat
أَلْفَيْنَاalfaynāwe found
عَلَيْهِʿalayhi[on it]
ءَابَآءَنَآ ۗābāanāour forefathers (following)
أَوَلَوْawalawEven though
كَانَkāna[were]
ءَابَآؤُهُمْābāuhumtheir forefathers
لَا(did) not
يَعْقِلُونَyaʿqilūnaunderstand
شَيْـًۭٔاshayananything
وَلَاwalāand not
يَهْتَدُونَyahtadūnawere they guided

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Polytheist imitates Other PolytheistsAllah states that if the disbelievers and polytheists are called to follow what Allah has revealed to His Messenger and abandon the practices of misguidance and ignorance that they indulge in, they will say, "Rather. We shall follow what we found our fathers following," meaning, worshipping the idols and the false deities.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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