سُوْرَةُ المَآئِدَةِ
Surah Al-Maaida (5) — Ayah 104
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ تَعَالَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ وَإِلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ قَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا مَا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۚ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ ﴿104﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when it is said to them: "Come to what Allâh has revealed and unto the Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم for the verdict of that which you have made unlawful)." They say: "Enough for us is that which we found our fathers following," even though their fathers had no knowledge whatsoever nor guidance.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذَا
wa-idhā
And when
قِيلَ
qīla
it is said
لَهُمْ
lahum
to them
تَعَالَوْا۟
taʿālaw
Come
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
مَآ
mā
what
أَنزَلَ
anzala
has (been) revealed
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
(by) Allah
وَإِلَى
wa-ilā
and to
ٱلرَّسُولِ
l-rasūli
the Messenger
قَالُوا۟
qālū
they said
حَسْبُنَا
ḥasbunā
Sufficient for us
مَا
mā
(is) what
وَجَدْنَا
wajadnā
we found
عَلَيْهِ
ʿalayhi
upon it
ءَابَآءَنَآ ۚ
ābāanā
our forefathers
أَوَلَوْ
awalaw
Even though
كَانَ
kāna
(that)
ءَابَآؤُهُمْ
ābāuhum
their forefathers
لَا
lā
(were) not
يَعْلَمُونَ
yaʿlamūna
knowing
شَيْـًۭٔا
shayan
anything
وَلَا
walā
and not
يَهْتَدُونَ
yahtadūna
they (were) guided
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.
104. And when it is said to them, "Come to what Allah has revealed and to the Messenger," they say, "Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our forefathers [152]." Even though their forefathers knew nothing and were not rightly guided? (Will they still follow them?)
[152]
The Condemnation of Blindly Following the Ancestors:
Blindly following the ancestors is, in fact, a type of shirk, because in such a case, the religion of the ancestors is given preference over the commands of Allah and His Messenger. Its beginning is such that every person naturally has a good opinion of his elders, and due to love for them, this opinion takes the form of a belief. He thinks that our elders were much more pious, knowledgeable, and understanding of the religion than us. However, it is an established fact that, except for the Prophets, no one is infallible. And every person can make mistakes, whether knowingly or unknowingly, and in the case of blindly following the ancestors, this mistake continues to be passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, the only way to ascertain the correctness of every belief and action is to present it before the Book and the Sunnah; otherwise, the logical result of merely following the ancestors will be that it will push one towards misguidance.
[152]
The Condemnation of Blindly Following the Ancestors:
Blindly following the ancestors is, in fact, a type of shirk, because in such a case, the religion of the ancestors is given preference over the commands of Allah and His Messenger. Its beginning is such that every person naturally has a good opinion of his elders, and due to love for them, this opinion takes the form of a belief. He thinks that our elders were much more pious, knowledgeable, and understanding of the religion than us. However, it is an established fact that, except for the Prophets, no one is infallible. And every person can make mistakes, whether knowingly or unknowingly, and in the case of blindly following the ancestors, this mistake continues to be passed down from generation to generation. Therefore, the only way to ascertain the correctness of every belief and action is to present it before the Book and the Sunnah; otherwise, the logical result of merely following the ancestors will be that it will push one towards misguidance.
