Tafseer of Those drawn up in Ranks · As-Saaffaat · 37:36
And were saying, "Are we to leave our gods for a mad poet?"
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His statement وَيَقُولُونَ أَئِنَّا لَتَارِكُو آلِهَتِنَا لِشَاعِرٍ مَجْنُونٍ ("And they said: 'Shall we then abandon our gods for the sake of a possessed poet?'") (37:36). He, exalted is His remembrance, says: and these polytheists (mushrikīn) of the Quraysh say: shall we abandon the worship of our gods for the sake of a possessed poet? By that they mean the Prophet of Allah ﷺ, and we say: there is no god but Allah.
As Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: وَيَقُولُونَ أَئِنَّا لَتَارِكُو آلِهَتِنَا لِشَاعِرٍ مَجْنُون ("And they said: 'Shall we then abandon our gods for the sake of a possessed poet?'") — they mean Muḥammad ﷺ.
