سُوْرَةُ الْاَحْزَابِ
Surah Al-Ahzaab (33) — Ayah 67
وَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّآ أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَآءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا ٱلسَّبِيلَا۠ ﴿67﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And they will say: "Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the (Right) Way.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقَالُوا۟
waqālū
And they will say
رَبَّنَآ
rabbanā
Our Lord
إِنَّآ
innā
Indeed, we
أَطَعْنَا
aṭaʿnā
[we] obeyed
سَادَتَنَا
sādatanā
our chiefs
وَكُبَرَآءَنَا
wakubarāanā
and our great men
فَأَضَلُّونَا
fa-aḍallūnā
and they misled us
ٱلسَّبِيلَا۠
l-sabīlā
(from) the Way
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.
And they will say: "Our Lord! We obeyed our leaders and our elders, but they led us astray from the (right) path [106]."
[106]
Who are the leaders and the elders Meant Here?
Several points are derived from these two verses. First, that the path of Allah means obedience to Allah and His Messenger. Second, that those who turn people away from obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ are of two types. One type consists of worldly leaders, rulers, chiefs, landlords, etc., who have influence over the masses. They desire that, instead of obeying Allah and His Messenger, people should obey them. The second type consists of scholars and spiritual leaders, that is, religious authorities. Their way of leading people astray is completely different from that of worldly leaders. They spread polytheistic customs and innovations among the people, issue incorrect religious verdicts, instill awe regarding the powers of the friends of Allah, and in this way, obtain various benefits. The aim of both is love of wealth and status. Thirdly, both the obedient and the obeyed—that is, those who are led astray and those who lead astray—are all dwellers of Hell. When they see the punishment of Hell, in order to lessen their own guilt and thus their punishment, the followers will lay the blame on their leaders and religious authorities, saying that these were the ones who led us astray. Therefore, O Lord! Give them double punishment. In other words, their plea will be that our punishment should be half compared to theirs. The dialogue between these two groups has already been mentioned at several places earlier in the Quran.
[106]
Who are the leaders and the elders Meant Here?
Several points are derived from these two verses. First, that the path of Allah means obedience to Allah and His Messenger. Second, that those who turn people away from obedience to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ are of two types. One type consists of worldly leaders, rulers, chiefs, landlords, etc., who have influence over the masses. They desire that, instead of obeying Allah and His Messenger, people should obey them. The second type consists of scholars and spiritual leaders, that is, religious authorities. Their way of leading people astray is completely different from that of worldly leaders. They spread polytheistic customs and innovations among the people, issue incorrect religious verdicts, instill awe regarding the powers of the friends of Allah, and in this way, obtain various benefits. The aim of both is love of wealth and status. Thirdly, both the obedient and the obeyed—that is, those who are led astray and those who lead astray—are all dwellers of Hell. When they see the punishment of Hell, in order to lessen their own guilt and thus their punishment, the followers will lay the blame on their leaders and religious authorities, saying that these were the ones who led us astray. Therefore, O Lord! Give them double punishment. In other words, their plea will be that our punishment should be half compared to theirs. The dialogue between these two groups has already been mentioned at several places earlier in the Quran.
