Surah Zukhruf ayat 23 Tafsir Quran 43:23

﴿وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِي قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلَّا قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَا إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا عَلَىٰ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِم مُّقْتَدُونَ﴾
[ الزخرف: 23]

43:23 And similarly, We did not send before you any warner into a city except that its affluent said, "Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are, in their footsteps, following."

And thus We never sent a warner before you into any city without that its affluent folk those of comfortable means said the like of what your people say ‘Lo! we found our fathers following a certain creed and so we are indeed following in their footsteps’.

But then, We never sent a Messenger before you O Muhammad, to a people but stood those with the riches similitude exact of your people and said: We have found our fathers bent on a particular system of faith and worship and in their foot steps we walk

The Idolators have no Proof Allah condemns the idolators for worshipping others instead of Allah with no evidence or proof for doing so. أَمْ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ كِتَـباً مِّن قَبْلِهِ ( Or have We given them any Book before this ) means, before their idolatry. فَهُم بِهِ مُسْتَمْسِكُونَ ( to which they are holding fast ) means, with regard to what they are doing.
This is not the case.
This is like the Ayah: أَمْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَـناً فَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَا كَانُواْ بِهِ يُشْرِكُونَ ( Or have We revealed to them an authority (a Scripture ), which speaks of that which they have been associating with Him) ( 30:35 ) meaning, that did not happen.
Then Allah says: بَلْ قَالُواْ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ ( Nay! They say: "we found our fathers following a certain way and religion (Ummah ), and we guide ourselves by their footsteps.") meaning, they have no grounds for their belief in idolatry apart from the fact that they are imitating their fathers and forefathers who were following a certain Ummah or way, i.e., religion.
The word Ummah is used in a similar manner elsewhere, where Allah says: إِنَّ هَـذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ( And verily, this your religion (Ummah ) is one religion) ( 23:52 ), and they said; وَإِنَّا عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِم ( and we by their footsteps ) means, behind them مُّهْتَدُونَ ( We guide ourselves ) This is their claim with no evidence.
Then Allah points out that what these people say was already said by those who were like them among the nations of the past who disbelieved in the Messengers.
Their hearts and their words are similar. كَذَلِكَ مَآ أَتَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ قَالُواْ سَـحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ - أَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِهِ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ طَـغُونَ ( Likewise, no Messenger came to those before them but they said: "A sorcerer or a madman!" Have they transmitted this saying to these Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds! ) ( 51:52-53 ) And Allah says here: وَكَذَلِكَ مَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلاَّ قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِم مُّقْتَدُونَ ( And similarly, We sent not a warner before you 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.") Then He says: قُلْ ( Say ) -- `O Muhammad, to these idolators --' أَوَلَوْ جِئْتُكُمْ بِأَهْدَى مِمَّا وَجَدتُّمْ عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَكُمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُمْ بِهِ كَـفِرُونَ ( "Even if I bring you better guidance than that which you found your fathers following" They said: "Verily, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent." ) `Even if they were convinced of the truth of what you have brought to them, they will not follow it, because of their evil intentions and their arrogance towards the truth and its people.' فَانتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ ( So We took revenge on them ) means, on the disbelieving nations, by inflicting various kinds of punishments, as Allah has described in the stories of those nations. فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ ( then see what was the end of those who denied ) means, see what became of them, how they were destroyed and how Allah saved the believers.

(43:23) And thus it is: whenever We sent any warner to a city its affluent ones said: 'We found our forefathers on a way and we continue to follow in their footsteps.' *23

And similarly, We did not send before meaning

*23) Here, the point worth consideration is why the well-to-do people of every community only have resisted the Prophets and upheld the imitation of their forefathers in every age.
Why have they alone been in the forefront to oppose the Truth and to endeavor to maintain the established falsehood and to beguile and incite the common people against them ? Its basic causes were two: ( 1 ) The well to-do and affluent people are so absorbed in making and enjoying the world of their own that they are not inclined to bother themselves about the useless debate ( as they assume it to be ) between the Truth and falsehood.
Their love of ease and mental lethargy renders them so heedless of religion and conservative that they want the established order, no matter whether it is based on truth or falsehood, to retrain in force so that they do not have to take the trouble of thinking about the new order at all for themselves.
( 2 ) Their interests become so dependent on the established order that when they get the first glimpse of the order presented by the Prophets they start feeling that if it came, it would not only put an end to their leadership but also would deprive them of the freedom to consume the lawful and commit the unlawful.
( For further details, sec AI-An`am: 103; Al-A'raf: 66-70.
75, 88 109, 127; Hud: 27-28; Bani Isra`il : 16; AI-Mu'minun: 24-33, 46; Saba: 34 and the corresponding E.N.'s ).

 

The Idolators have no Proof Allah condemns the idolators for worshipping others instead of Allah with no evidence or proof for doing so. أَمْ ءَاتَيْنَـهُمْ كِتَـباً مِّن قَبْلِهِ ( Or have We given them any Book before this ) means, before their idolatry. فَهُم بِهِ مُسْتَمْسِكُونَ ( to which they are holding fast ) means, with regard to what they are doing.
This is not the case.
This is like the Ayah: أَمْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَـناً فَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَا كَانُواْ بِهِ يُشْرِكُونَ ( Or have We revealed to them an authority (a Scripture ), which speaks of that which they have been associating with Him) ( 30:35 ) meaning, that did not happen.
Then Allah says: بَلْ قَالُواْ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ ( Nay! They say: "we found our fathers following a certain way and religion (Ummah ), and we guide ourselves by their footsteps.") meaning, they have no grounds for their belief in idolatry apart from the fact that they are imitating their fathers and forefathers who were following a certain Ummah or way, i.e., religion.
The word Ummah is used in a similar manner elsewhere, where Allah says: إِنَّ هَـذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً ( And verily, this your religion (Ummah ) is one religion) ( 23:52 ), and they said; وَإِنَّا عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِم ( and we by their footsteps ) means, behind them مُّهْتَدُونَ ( We guide ourselves ) This is their claim with no evidence.
Then Allah points out that what these people say was already said by those who were like them among the nations of the past who disbelieved in the Messengers.
Their hearts and their words are similar. كَذَلِكَ مَآ أَتَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ قَالُواْ سَـحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ - أَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِهِ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ طَـغُونَ ( Likewise, no Messenger came to those before them but they said: "A sorcerer or a madman!" Have they transmitted this saying to these Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds! ) ( 51:52-53 ) And Allah says here: وَكَذَلِكَ مَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلاَّ قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى ءَاثَـرِهِم مُّقْتَدُونَ ( And similarly, We sent not a warner before you 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.") Then He says: قُلْ ( Say ) -- `O Muhammad, to these idolators --' أَوَلَوْ جِئْتُكُمْ بِأَهْدَى مِمَّا وَجَدتُّمْ عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَكُمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُمْ بِهِ كَـفِرُونَ ( "Even if I bring you better guidance than that which you found your fathers following" They said: "Verily, we disbelieve in that with which you have been sent." ) `Even if they were convinced of the truth of what you have brought to them, they will not follow it, because of their evil intentions and their arrogance towards the truth and its people.' فَانتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ ( So We took revenge on them ) means, on the disbelieving nations, by inflicting various kinds of punishments, as Allah has described in the stories of those nations. فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ ( then see what was the end of those who denied ) means, see what became of them, how they were destroyed and how Allah saved the believers.

( And even so ) just as your own folk said ( We sent not a warner ) a warning prophet ( before thee (Muhammad ) into any township) to the inhabitants of any township ( but its luxurious ones ) the tyrants among them ( said: Lo! We found our fathers following a religion ) following this religion, ( and we are following their footprints ) and we are emulating their religion and actions.

And similarly, We sent not a warner before you (O Muhammad SAW) 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."

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