سُوْرَةُ هُوْدٍ
Surah Hud (11) — Ayah 62
قَالُوا۟ يَـٰصَـٰلِحُ قَدْ كُنتَ فِينَا مَرْجُوًّا قَبْلَ هَـٰذَآ ۖ أَتَنْهَىٰنَآ أَن نَّعْبُدَ مَا يَعْبُدُ ءَابَآؤُنَا وَإِنَّنَا لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَآ إِلَيْهِ مُرِيبٍ ﴿62﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They said: "O Sâlih! You have been among us as a figure of good hope (and we wished for you to be our chief) till this [new thing which you have brought that we leave our gods and worship your God (Allâh) Alone]! Do you (now) forbid us the worship of what our fathers have worshipped? But we are really in grave doubt as to that to which you invite us (monotheism)."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They said
يَـٰصَـٰلِحُ
yāṣāliḥu
O Salih
قَدْ
qad
Verily
كُنتَ
kunta
you were
فِينَا
fīnā
among us
مَرْجُوًّۭا
marjuwwan
the one in whom hope was placed
قَبْلَ
qabla
before
هَـٰذَآ ۖ
hādhā
this
أَتَنْهَىٰنَآ
atanhānā
Do you forbid us
أَن
an
that
نَّعْبُدَ
naʿbuda
we worship
مَا
mā
what
يَعْبُدُ
yaʿbudu
our forefathers worshipped
ءَابَآؤُنَا
ābāunā
our forefathers worshipped
وَإِنَّنَا
wa-innanā
And indeed we
لَفِى
lafī
surely (are) in
شَكٍّۢ
shakkin
doubt
مِّمَّا
mimmā
about what
تَدْعُونَآ
tadʿūnā
you call us
إِلَيْهِ
ilayhi
to it
مُرِيبٍۢ
murībin
suspicious
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
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.
62. They said, "O Salih, before this you were a source of hope for us [73]. Do you forbid us from worshipping what our forefathers used to worship? And indeed, we are in grave doubt about that to which you are calling us, a doubt that has disturbed us [74]."
[73] That is, considering you intelligent, promising, and trustworthy, we had attached many expectations to you that you would bring honor to the name of your forefathers. But instead, you have rebelled against the religion of your forefathers. In fact, you are even preventing us from it, which means that we and our forefathers—all of us—were in the wrong.
[74]
The Reason for Confusion Among Disbelievers Due to the Prophet’s Call:
The call of the Prophets has a twofold effect on the individuals of their nation: those who believe in them develop inner peace and tranquility, and it is this inner peace that gives them the courage to endure the hardships from the opponents. For the deniers, however, this very call becomes a cause of confusion and inner turmoil. The reason is that the Prophet presents his call with arguments, and his own previous life is a great proof of this call. But the deniers have no argument except the imitation of their forefathers, and everyone knows how much weight this argument carries: some elder introduced a wrong custom, which was then passed down from generation to generation, and those who came later, out of fanaticism, dressed it in the garb of religion. Therefore, the confusion of such people gradually continues to increase. The second reason for this confusion is that if a person from a disbelieving household becomes Muslim, his relatives cause him distress and become hostile towards him. The one who embraces Islam, despite enduring their hardships, attains inner peace, but those who inflict hardship remain disturbed and deeply troubled. And since it is not just one person but several individuals who embrace Islam, a general atmosphere of anxiety and restlessness prevails in all the households of the disbelievers, which keeps inciting them to further aggression.
[73] That is, considering you intelligent, promising, and trustworthy, we had attached many expectations to you that you would bring honor to the name of your forefathers. But instead, you have rebelled against the religion of your forefathers. In fact, you are even preventing us from it, which means that we and our forefathers—all of us—were in the wrong.
[74]
The Reason for Confusion Among Disbelievers Due to the Prophet’s Call:
The call of the Prophets has a twofold effect on the individuals of their nation: those who believe in them develop inner peace and tranquility, and it is this inner peace that gives them the courage to endure the hardships from the opponents. For the deniers, however, this very call becomes a cause of confusion and inner turmoil. The reason is that the Prophet presents his call with arguments, and his own previous life is a great proof of this call. But the deniers have no argument except the imitation of their forefathers, and everyone knows how much weight this argument carries: some elder introduced a wrong custom, which was then passed down from generation to generation, and those who came later, out of fanaticism, dressed it in the garb of religion. Therefore, the confusion of such people gradually continues to increase. The second reason for this confusion is that if a person from a disbelieving household becomes Muslim, his relatives cause him distress and become hostile towards him. The one who embraces Islam, despite enduring their hardships, attains inner peace, but those who inflict hardship remain disturbed and deeply troubled. And since it is not just one person but several individuals who embrace Islam, a general atmosphere of anxiety and restlessness prevails in all the households of the disbelievers, which keeps inciting them to further aggression.
