Page 72 - The Struggle of the Messengers

70 The Struggle of the Messengers

Also, this ancestral religion contains several misguided
elements. Whereas true religion is based totally on Allah's
revelation, this false religion is severed from true religion and
based on a few myths. For this reason, it has an incorrect
understanding of such matters as faith in Allah and morality.

Therefore, a Messenger and his followers oppose the superstitious
religion of the forebears and call upon their society to practice the
true religion "with which He is pleased" (Surat an-Nur, 55).
Very often, people refuse to abandon their superstitious
ancestral religion. Allah reveals in the Qur'an that this is an
immutable law:
When they are told: "Come to what Allah has sent down and to
the messenger," they say: "What we found our fathers doing is
enough for us." What! Even if their fathers did not know
anything and were not guided! (Surat al-Ma'ida, 104)
Similarly, We never sent any warner before you to any city
without the affluent among them saying: "We found our
fathers following a religion, and we are simply following in

their footsteps." Ask: "What if I have come with a better
guidance than that which you found your fathers following?"
They say: "We reject what you have been sent with." (Surat az-
Zukhruf, 23-24)
So why is it that the elite and others are so devoted to the false
religion of their ancestors?
The reason for this attachment is clear: This false religion is an
important part of the traditional social order. By practicing it, they
ensure the social order's legitimacy, and by following its rules

they can easily make themselves appear religious and gain the
public's confidence.