Following the Forefathers: A Comparative Look at 2:170 and 5:104

By Br. Nouman Ali Khan:

It is well known that one of the most popular reasons for disbelief in our Messenger ص and the numerous before him was an adherence to ones ancestral legacy. By accepting a messenger’s claim, one would have to acknowledge that the heritage that had been a source of pride and identity is now reduced to a history of misguidance, ignorance and a legacy of false beliefs and practices. It is not an easy thing to accept, much less to declare for anyone. Incidentally, we have it much easier now than the contemporaries of any prophet as they had to take one man’s word over their entire tribe, community, leadership and over and above all, their own family legacy. The Qur’an captures the thought process of those who follow their family’s religious, social & ethical legacy in two very similar ayaat. A shallow reading of the ayaat yields the conclusion that they are saying pretty much the same thing. When comparing the two ayaat, you will not have any trouble picking out the similarities but you will also notice some subtle differences. These differences carry within them lessons of great significance. So the point of this article is that, even though the two ayaat are saying very similar things, they are not saying the same thing. The oversimplified translation offered throughout this article is my own.

Most words in Arabic have a whole story behind them which may be important to discuss at certain occasions throughout this write but in the end I’ll have to pick a single English word in the interest of conciseness. Let us look at the two ayaat in question:


When it is said to them, “follow what Allah has sent down”, they say “Rather we will follow what we found our forefathers practicing. Wasn’t it the case that their ancestors didn’t understand a thing and were void of guidance


When it is said to them, “come to what Allah has sent down and to the Messenger”, they say “What we found our forefathers committed to is quite enough for us! Wasn’t it the case that their ancestors didn’t know a thing and were void of guidance.

Here is the list of the three comparisons we’re going to observe:A Closer Look at 2:170

a. The word اتَّبَعَ ittaba’a in 2:170

It literally means to walk behind someone precisely. The word projects an image of a follower whose path has been ordained by the one who’s leading the journey. The follower sticks to the tracks and does so because there is complete trust that the leader knows the way.

b. وإذا قيل لهم اتبعوا ما أنزل الله When it is said to them “follow what Allah has sent down”.

The use of the passive opens up the scope of this statement. Allah didn’t mention the one making the statement. Therefore this statement can correctly be applied to the prophet ص , previous prophets in dialogue with their nations and any callers to Islam other than the prophets. The ayah is therefore laying down a universal observation about this particular scenario. The people in question are being told to ‘follow’ in a way that is precise and in which there is no room for veering away. The use of ittiba’ therefore implies that the revelation (that which they are to follow) is a precisely ordained path.

You will notice that in the ayah that we are comparing this to, there is mention of coming to what Allah sent down and to the messenger but this ayah makes no mention of the latter. We will deal with the mention of the messenger in 5:104 a bit later but in 2:170, it is important to note that by using the word ittaba’a, the phrase implies following the messenger anyway. How is the Arab to follow what Allah sent down unless he goes to the one receiving His instructions?

The bottom line is that the ayah is calling for practical change & compliance; a change that demands that the person ‘follow’ a path other than the one they’re on.

c. نَتَّبِعُ ما أَلْفَيْنا عَليْهِ آباآءَنا rather we follow what we found our forefathers practicing.

Let us first explore the verbal idiom ألْفى فُلاناً على شَيْءٍ Alfaa Fulaanan ‘Alaa Shai’in which implies “to find someone practicing something”. L-F-W in its base form means the removal of a veil or cover that was lying in front of something, thereby exposing the thing in question. ألفى literally speaks of something to come forward or manifest itself clearly (shedding its veils). The usage in the ayah also signifies the continuity with which their practices were passed on (without any obstruction or discontinuation from one generation to the next). Incidentally, other words used in the Qur’an for ‘finding’ are based on W-J-D, TH-Q-F, D-R-K.


Continue reading: http://muslimmatters.org/2008/09/15/following-the-forefathers-a-comparative-look-at-2170-and-5104/

is the brother, (nouman) interpreting these ayyahs himself and is he qualified to do so?

He's giving a grammatical analysis, which he is quite qualified to do so. Here's a brief bio:

http://www.islamicboard.com/854736-post1.html

^ jazakAllaah khair for answering

This just went *woosh* right past me....I'll try understanding it some day insha'Allah....