Az-Zukhruf (Ornaments of gold)

21. Or have We given them any Book before this to which they are holding fast?

22. Nay! [It is not so.] They say: We found our fathers following a certain religion, and we have found guidance by following them.

Polytheism and superstition have neither intellectual nor narrational bases. The blessed Verse in question makes a reference to another argument which may be produced by disbelievers.

The Verse says,

“Or We have provided them with any Book before this to which they hold fast,”

i.e., they are supposed to take resort to rational or narrational arguments in order to substantiate their claim; nonetheless, they fail to provide either of the twain since all intellectual arguments as well as the teachings of prophets and scriptures bear witness to Divine Unity.

Verse 22 makes a reference to their main pretext which is no more than a superstitious claim serving as the pivot of another.

The blessed verse in question informs of their false claim:

“We found our fathers following a certain religion and we have found guidance by following them.”

They blindly imitated their ancestors and forefathers. It is interesting to know that they regarded themselves guided to the right path whereas in dogmatic issues no wise person may rely on imitation particularly in the manner of ignorant imitation of the ignorant.

We know that their ancestors possessed no knowledge but they were preoccupied with superstitious beliefs and ignorance wielded a vast sway in their thoughts and society.

The point is that imitation is solely sensible in minor issues and such imitation is supposed to be based on scholarly and expert advice such that patients and non-specialists take the advice of physicians and experts. As a consequence, it may be said that disbelievers’ blind imitation from their ancestors and forefathers was inaccurate.