سُوْرَةُ الزُّخْرُفِ
Surah Az-Zukhruf (43) — Ayah 23
وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلَّا قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَىٰٓ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَـٰرِهِم مُّقْتَدُونَ ﴿23﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
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."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَكَذَٰلِكَ
wakadhālika
And thus
مَآ
mā
not
أَرْسَلْنَا
arsalnā
We sent
مِن
min
before you
قَبْلِكَ
qablika
before you
فِى
fī
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 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.
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.
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.
