سورة الزخرف، الآية ٢٢
بَلْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَىٰٓ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ ٢٢
bal qālū innā wajadnā ābāanā ʿalā ummatin wa-innā ʿalā āthārihim muh'tadūna
Rather, they say, "Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are in their footsteps [rightly] guided."
Verse 22 of Surah Az-Zukhruf (43:22), a Meccan surah, is in juz 25, on page 490 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.
80 recitations by 74 reciters: pick one and it plays in the player.
No! That has not happened. Rather, they are using their blind following as evidence, saying, “Indeed, we found our forefathers before us upon a belief and they used to worship idols. We are continuing in their footsteps in worshipping them.”
They rather say, “We found our forefathers on a path, and we are seeking guidance in their footsteps.”
Nay! They say: "We found our fathers following a certain way and religion, and we guide ourselves by their footsteps."
Nay, for they say only: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are guided by their footprints.
Nay! they say: "We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we do guide ourselves by their footsteps."
Nay! they say: We found our fathers on a course, and surely we are guided by their footsteps.
No indeed, (but) they have said, "Surely we found our fathers upon a course, (Literally: a nation: a community; following a leadership or a religion) and surely we are guided upon their tracks."
إِنَّ هَٰذِهِۦٓ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَٰحِدَةً وَأَنَا۠ رَبُّكُمْ فَٱعْبُدُونِ
Indeed this, your religion, is one religion, and I am your Lord, so worship Me.
They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.
وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلَّا قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَىٰٓ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِهِم مُّقْتَدُونَ
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."
