سُوْرَةُ الزُّخْرُفِ

Surah Az-Zukhruf (43) — Ayah 23

Ornaments of gold · Meccan · Juz 25 · Page 491

وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلَّا قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَىٰٓ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَـٰرِهِم مُّقْتَدُونَ ﴿23﴾
And similarly, We sent not a warner before you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم) to any town (people) but the luxurious ones among them said: "We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we will indeed follow their footsteps."
وَكَذَٰلِكَ wakadhālika And thus
مَآ not
أَرْسَلْنَا arsalnā We sent
مِن min before you
قَبْلِكَ qablika before you
فِى in
قَرْيَةٍۢ qaryatin a town
مِّن min any
نَّذِيرٍ nadhīrin warner
إِلَّا illā except
قَالَ qāla said
مُتْرَفُوهَآ mut'rafūhā (the) wealthy ones of it
إِنَّا innā Indeed, we
وَجَدْنَآ wajadnā [we] found
ءَابَآءَنَا ābāanā our forefathers
عَلَىٰٓ ʿalā on
أُمَّةٍۢ ummatin a religion
وَإِنَّا wa-innā and indeed, we
عَلَىٰٓ ʿalā [on]
ءَاثَـٰرِهِم āthārihim their footsteps
مُّقْتَدُونَ muq'tadūna (are) following

Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

(Ayah 23) ➊ {وَ كَذٰلِكَ مَاۤ اَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ فِيْ قَرْيَةٍ … :} In this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is comforted that not only are these people afflicted with such foolishness and ignorance, but those before them also used to say the same to their messengers, so you should be patient with their words.
➋ Mufassir Kilani writes: “From this verse, it is understood that the strongest supporters and most insistent adherents of ancestral imitation are the well-off, affluent, and chieftain-type people. The reason for this is that if they accept the words of the Messenger, they would have to step down from their position of leadership and join the ranks of ordinary people, living as obedient followers of the Messenger. Another reason is that the Messenger imposes various restrictions on their means of livelihood, both in earning and spending wealth. If they accept these restrictions, their affluence itself is put at risk, so they consider it in their best interest to remain firm on ancestral imitation and keep the masses aligned with them.” (Tayseer al-Qur’an)

Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.

23. And similarly, whenever We sent a warner to any town, its affluent people said, "We found our forefathers following a certain way [22], and we are following in their footsteps."

The Class of the Wealthy Who Support the Imitation of Forefathers:
From this verse, it is understood that the strongest supporters and most insistent adherents of following the ways of their forefathers are the affluent people, that is, those who are well-off and of the chieftain type. The reason for this is that if they accept the words of the Messenger, they would have to step down from their position of leadership and join the ranks of ordinary people, living as obedient followers of the Messenger. Another reason is that the Messenger imposes various restrictions on their means of livelihood—both on earning wealth and on spending it. If they accept these restrictions, their very comfort and affluence are put at risk. Therefore, they consider it in their best interest to remain steadfast in the imitation of their forefathers and to keep the masses aligned with them.