Surah Al-Baqara 2:170 — Meaning, Translation & Reflection
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · Medinan · Verse 170 of 286
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَآ أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۗ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ
English: But when it is said to them, ‘Follow the message that God has sent down,’ they answer, ‘We follow the ways of our fathers.’ What! Even though their fathers understood nothing and were not guided?
Bengali: আর যখন তাদেরকে কেউ বলে যে, সে হুকুমেরই আনুগত্য কর যা আল্লাহ তা’আলা নাযিল করেছেন, তখন তারা বলে কখনো না, আমরা তো সে বিষয়েরই অনুসরণ করব। যাতে আমরা আমাদের বাপ-দাদাদেরকে দেখেছি। যদি ও তাদের বাপ দাদারা কিছুই জানতো না, জানতো না সরল পথও।
Reflect with the Five Lenses
Maani's framework for Tadabbur (heart-centred reflection) on Surah Al-Baqara 2:170:
- Wording. Look closely at the specific words and structure. Which word stands out, and why might Allah have chosen it here?
- Quranic Worlds. Place the verse in its context — what is happening around it, and what world does it open up?
- Personal Experience. Ask not just what this means, but what it means TO me and FOR me, right now in my life.
- Connections. How does this verse connect to other verses, to the Sunnah, or to themes across the Quran?
- General Lessons. What timeless lesson or action point can I carry away and live by?