سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 53
قَالُوا۟ وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا لَهَا عَـٰبِدِينَ ﴿53﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They said: "We found our fathers worshipping them."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They said
وَجَدْنَآ
wajadnā
We found
ءَابَآءَنَا
ābāanā
our forefathers
لَهَا
lahā
of them
عَـٰبِدِينَ
ʿābidīna
worshippers
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.
They replied, "We found our forefathers [48] worshipping them."
[48]
The Condemnation of Following Forefathers:
Now, if there had been any practical benefit in worshipping idols, or if they had any reasonable answer, then surely the people of the nation would have explained it to Prophet Ibrahimؑ and satisfied him. But they had no answer to Prophet Ibrahimؑ’s question except that since they had seen their forefathers doing the same, they too were following them in this practice. It is obvious that this was not a reasonable answer to Prophet Ibrahimؑ’s question. The significance of the question at this point is that the Quraysh of Makkah also worshipped idols, and when they were asked the same question, their answer was exactly the same. Furthermore, they also claimed to be followers of Prophet Ibrahimؑ. Thus, this question, in the sense of “spoken in the story of others,” was also directed at the Quraysh of Makkah.
[48]
The Condemnation of Following Forefathers:
Now, if there had been any practical benefit in worshipping idols, or if they had any reasonable answer, then surely the people of the nation would have explained it to Prophet Ibrahimؑ and satisfied him. But they had no answer to Prophet Ibrahimؑ’s question except that since they had seen their forefathers doing the same, they too were following them in this practice. It is obvious that this was not a reasonable answer to Prophet Ibrahimؑ’s question. The significance of the question at this point is that the Quraysh of Makkah also worshipped idols, and when they were asked the same question, their answer was exactly the same. Furthermore, they also claimed to be followers of Prophet Ibrahimؑ. Thus, this question, in the sense of “spoken in the story of others,” was also directed at the Quraysh of Makkah.
