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Ayah
Word by Word
وَإِذَا
And when
قِيلَ
it is said
لَهُمُ
to them
ٱتَّبِعُواْ
Follow
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
وَإِذَا
And when
قِيلَ
it is said
لَهُمُ
to them
ٱتَّبِعُواْ
Follow
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
And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allāh 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?
Tafsir
And when it is said to them, the disbelievers, 'Follow what God has revealed', pertaining to affirmation of God's Oneness and the good things that He has made lawful, they say, 'No; but we follow what we found our fathers doing', in the way of idol-worship, deeming unlawful the camel let loose, and [practising] the slitting of the camel's ear (sc. baheera). God says: What? (the hamza [of a-wa-law] is for repudiation), do they follow them, Even if their fathers do not understand anything, concerning religion, and they were not guided?, to the truth.
"The Polytheist imitates Other Polytheists
Allah says;
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ قَالُواْ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ 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:
أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ابَاوُهُمْ
(Would they do that!) even though their fathers,
meaning, those whom they follow and whose practices they imitate, and:
لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْياً وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ
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 كَفَرُواْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِي يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسْمَعُ 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 يُوْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ مَثَلُ السَّوْءِ
For those who believe not in the Hereafter is an evil description. (16:60)
Similarly, Allah said here
وَمَثَلُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ
(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 بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ
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.
فَهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ
So they do not understand.
means, they do not comprehend or understand anything."
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