Al-Baqarah: 170

Ayah

Word by Word

وَإِذَا

And when

قِيلَ

it is said

لَهُمُ

to them

ٱتَّبِعُواْ

مَآ

what

أَنزَلَ

has revealed

ٱللَّهُ

Allah

قَالُواْ

they said

بَلۡ

Nay

نَتَّبِعُ

we follow

مَآ

what

أَلۡفَيۡنَا

we found

عَلَيۡهِ

[on it]

ءَابَآءَنَآۚ

our forefathers (following)

أَوَلَوۡ

Even though

كَانَ

[were]

ءَابَآؤُهُمۡ

their forefathers

لَا

(did) not

يَعۡقِلُونَ

understand

شَيۡـٔٗا

anything

وَلَا

and not

يَهۡتَدُونَ

were they guided

Translation

When it is said to them: "Follow what Allah hath revealed:" They say: "Nay! we shall follow the ways of our fathers." What! even though their fathers Were void of wisdom and guidance?

Tafsir

"The Polytheist imitates Other Polytheists

Allah says;

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ قَالُواۡ بَلۡ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلۡفَيۡنَا عَلَيۡهِ ابَاءنَا

When it is said to them:""Follow what Allah has sent down.""

They say:""Nay! We shall follow what we found our fathers following.""

Allah 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.

Allah criticized their reasoning:

أَوَلَوۡ كَانَ ابَاوُهُمۡ

(Would they do that!) even though their fathers,

meaning, those whom they follow and whose practices they imitate, and:

لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ شَيۡياً وَلَا يَهۡتَدُونَ

did not understand anything nor were they guided.

meaning, they had no sound understanding or guidance.

Ibn Ishaq reported that Ibn Abbas said that this was revealed about a group of Jews whom Allah's Messenger called to Islam, but they refused, saying, ""Rather, we shall follow what we found our forefathers following."" So Allah revealed this Ayah (2:170) above.""

The Disbeliever is just like an Animal

Allah says;

وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي يَنۡعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسۡمَعُ إِلاَّ دُعَاء وَنِدَاء

And the example of those who disbelieve is as that of him who shouts to those (flock of sheep) that hear nothing but calls and cries.

Allah made a parable of the disbelievers, just as He said in another Ayah:

لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُوۡمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ مَثَلُ السَّوۡءِ

For those who believe not in the Hereafter is an evil description. (16:60)

Similarly, Allah said here

وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواۡ

(And the example of those who disbelieve...),

meaning, in their injustice, misguidance and ignorance, they are just like wandering animals, not understanding what they are told; if the shepherd heralds them or calls them to what benefits them, they would not understand what is actually being said to them, for they only hear unintelligible sounds.

This is what is reported from Ibn Abbas, Abu Al-Aliyah, Mujahid, Ikrimah, Ata, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ata Al-Khurasani and Ar-Rabi bin Anas.

صُمٌّ بُكۡمٌ عُمۡيٌ

They are deaf, dumb, and blind.

means, they are deaf, as they do not hear the truth; mute, as they do not utter it; and blind, as they do not see or recognize its path and way.

فَهُمۡ لَا يَعۡقِلُونَ

So they do not understand.

means, they do not comprehend or understand anything."