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Surah Az-Zukhruf, Verse 23

سورة الزخرف، الآية ٢٣

43:23 Juz 25 Hizb 49 Page 491 of the mushaf Meccan surah

Text of verse 43:23

وَكَذَٰلِكَ مَآ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلَّا قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَىٰٓ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِهِم مُّقْتَدُونَ ۝٢٣

Transliteration

wakadhālika mā arsalnā min qablika fī qaryatin min nadhīrin illā qāla mut'rafūhā innā wajadnā ābāanā ʿalā ummatin wa-innā ʿalā āthārihim muq'tadūna

Translation

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."

Translation in another language
Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary Read in the surah

Verse 23 of Surah Az-Zukhruf (43:23), a Meccan surah, is in juz 25, on page 491 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 74 reciters.

Listen to verse 23 of Surah Az-Zukhruf

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Tafsir of verse 23

Al-Mukhtasar

And just as these people have lied and used the blind following of their forefathers as evidence, O Messenger, I did not send any messenger to any community before you, except that those living in luxury in that village said, “Indeed, we found our forefathers upon a belief, and we are following in their footsteps”, so your nation is not any different in that regard.

Tafsir of the whole Surah Az-Zukhruf

Other translations of verse 23

Likewise, We never sent any warner to a town before you except that its affluent ones said, “We found our forefathers on a path, and we are following their footsteps.”

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."

And even so We sent not a warner before thee (Muhammad) into any township but its luxurious ones said: Lo! we found our fathers following a religion, and we are following their footprints.

Just in the same way, whenever We sent a Warner before thee to any people, the wealthy ones among them said: "We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we will certainly follow in their footsteps."

And thus, We did not send before you any warner in a town, but those who led easy lives in it said: Surely we found our fathers on a course, and surely we are followers of their footsteps.

And thus in no way did We send even before you any warner into a town, except that its (population) living in ease and luxury said, "Surely we found our fathers upon a course (Literally: a nation; a community; following a leadership pr a religion) and surely we are emulating (them) upon their tracks."

Verse 23 word by word

  1. وَكَذَٰلِكَ wakadhālika And thus
  2. مَآ mā not
  3. أَرْسَلْنَا arsalnā We sent ر س ل
  4. مِن min before you
  5. قَبْلِكَ qablika before you ق ب ل
  6. فِى fī in
  7. قَرْيَةٍ qaryatin a town ق ر ي
  8. مِّن min any
  9. نَّذِيرٍ nadhīrin warner ن ذ ر
  10. إِلَّا illā except
  11. قَالَ qāla said ق و ل
  12. مُتْرَفُوهَآ mut'rafūhā (the) wealthy ones of it ت ر ف
  13. إِنَّا innā Indeed, we
  14. وَجَدْنَآ wajadnā [we] found و ج د
  15. ءَابَآءَنَا ābāanā our forefathers أ ب و
  16. عَلَىٰٓ ʿalā on
  17. أُمَّةٍ ummatin a religion أ م م
  18. وَإِنَّا wa-innā and indeed, we
  19. عَلَىٰٓ ʿalā [on]
  20. ءَاثَٰرِهِم āthārihim their footsteps أ ث ر
  21. مُّقْتَدُونَ muq'tadūna (are) following ق د و

Verses related to verse 23

Cited by Ibn Kathir in his explanation of this verse

  • Ar-Rum 30:35

    أَمْ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَٰنًا فَهُوَ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يُشْرِكُونَ

    Or have We sent down to them an authority [i.e., a proof or scripture], and it speaks of what they have been associating with Him?

Verses with similar wording

They share a sequence of words with this verse: useful for telling them apart when memorising.

  • Az-Zukhruf 43:22

    بَلْ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا عَلَىٰٓ أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰٓ ءَاثَٰرِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ

    Rather, they say, "Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are in their footsteps [rightly] guided."

  • Saba 34:34

    وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِى قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلَّا قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَآ إِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِۦ كَٰفِرُونَ

    And We did not send into a city any warner except that its affluent said, "Indeed we, in that with which you were sent, are disbelievers."

  • Al-Hijr 15:10

    وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِن قَبْلِكَ فِى شِيَعِ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ

    And We had certainly sent [messengers] before you, [O Muḥammad], among the sects of the former peoples.

All similar verses of Surah Az-Zukhruf

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