Surah Ash-Shu'ara — Verse 137

Word Meanings:

• Khuluq (خُلُق): Here it means a way of life, custom, tradition, or moral disposition inherited from previous generations.
• Al-Awwaleen (الأَوَّلِينَ): The people of old, the earlier nations and generations who came before them.

Explanation of the Verse:

After Prophet Hud (peace be upon him) warned his people, the 'Ad, of the punishment of Allah and called them to worship Him alone, they responded with arrogance and denial. They said: "This is nothing but the way of the ancients!" — meaning, this religion and way of life we follow is merely the inherited customs and traditions of our forefathers. They claimed that what they were upon was simply the established practice of earlier peoples, and that there was nothing new or true in what Hud was calling them to. They further implied that they would not be punished for their deeds, as they believed these were just the natural cycles of life — times of prosperity and times of hardship — not divine trials or punishments from Allah.

This statement reflects a deep-rooted fallacy: the blind following of ancestral traditions without questioning their truth. They mistook the natural fluctuations of life — wealth and poverty, ease and difficulty — as mere coincidences of time, rather than recognizing them as tests and signs from Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of all.

A Call to Reflection:

How often do we, too, fall into this trap? We cling to what we inherited from our families and societies, assuming that because "everyone does it" or "our ancestors did it," it must be right. But truth is not determined by majority or tradition — it is determined by revelation and sound reasoning. The Qur'an repeatedly challenges this mindset: "And when it is said to them, 'Follow what Allah has revealed,' they say, 'Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing.' Even if their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?" (2:170).

Dear reader, let this verse be a reminder to you: do not let blind custom and inherited habits veil your heart from the truth. Allah has sent His messengers throughout history to awaken humanity from this slumber of imitation. The message of Islam is one of liberation — liberation from the chains of baseless tradition and the freedom to worship the One True God with clarity and conviction. Embrace this beautiful religion with an open heart, for it is the path of the prophets, the path of reason, and the path that leads to eternal success in this life and the Hereafter.