لَقَدْ وُعِدْنَا هَـٰذَا نَحْنُ وَءَابَآؤُنَا مِن قَبْلُ إِنْ هَـٰذَآ إِلَّآ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ 68
Translations
We have been promised this, we and our forefathers, before. This is not but legends of the former peoples."
Transliteration
Laqad wu'idna hadha nahnu wa abaa'una min qablu in hadha illa asatiru al-awwaleen
Tafsir (Explanation)
The disbelievers mock the promise of the Day of Judgment by claiming that they and their ancestors were already told about this resurrection, dismissing it as merely ancient legends and fables. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note that this represents the stubborn rejection of the Hereafter by those who had received clear signs, using the excuse that such concepts are not new but simply inherited falsehoods from earlier generations.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan surah An-Naml, which addresses the arguments and objections of the Quraysh against Islamic teachings. It reflects the historical context of the Meccan period when the polytheists of Mecca persistently rejected the Prophet's message about resurrection and accountability in the Afterlife, attributing Islamic teachings to recycled pagan mythology.
Related Hadiths
Surah Al-Ankabut (29:68) presents a parallel statement about the same objection. The concept is addressed in multiple hadiths about the Quraysh's rejection; for instance, in Sahih Bukhari, the Prophet emphasized that denying the Hereafter was among the greatest forms of disbelief (kufr).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that mere tradition or ancestral practices are insufficient as grounds for belief; we must evaluate teachings on their own merit and truth. It also warns against the spiritual danger of dismissing divine guidance through mockery or false familiarity with religious concepts.