Nasb-and-the-Nawasib

And when it is said to them, “Follow what God has revealed,” they say, “Rather,
we will follow that which we found our fathers doing.” Even though their fathers
understood nothing, nor were they guided? 1
وَ‏ إِذَ‏ ا قِيْلَ‏ لَهُ‏ مْ‏ تَعَ‏ الَوْ‏ ا إِلَى ٰ مَ‏ ا أَنْزَ‏ لَ‏ اللّٰهُ‏ وَ‏ إِلَى الراَّ‏ سُ‏ وْ‏ لِ‏ قَالُوْ‏ ا حَ‏ سْ‏ بُنَا مَ‏ ا وَ‏ جَ‏ دْ‏ نَا عَ‏ لَيْهِ‏ أ ٰ بَاءَ‏ نَاۚ‏ أَوَ‏ لَوْ‏ كَ‏ انَ‏
أ ٰ بَاؤُ‏ هُ‏ مْ‏ لَ‏ يَعْ‏ لَمُ‏ ونَ‏ شَ‏ يْئاًا وَ‏ لَ‏ يَهْ‏ تَدُ‏ ونَ‏
And when it is said to them, “Come to what God has revealed and to the Messenger,”
they say, “Sufficient for us is that upon which we found our fathers.” Even though
their fathers knew nothing, nor were they guided? 2
بَلْ‏ قَالُوْ‏ ا إِناَّا وَ‏ جَ‏ دْ‏ نَا أ ٰ بَاءَ‏ نَا عَ‏ لٰى أُماَّ‏ ةٍ‏ واَّ‏ إِناَّا عَ‏ لٰى أ ٰ ثَارِهِ‏ مْ‏ مُّ‏ هْ‏ تَدُ‏ وْ‏ نَ‏
Rather, they say, “Indeed, we found our fathers upon a religion, and we are in their
footsteps [rightly] guided.” 3
Therefore, due to Naṣb gaining a lot of traction in the Syrian environment it
engendered negative effects in the formation of the ideas of many of its inhabitants
and their position regarding Amīr al-Muʾminīn I, as said by the poet:
وينشأ ناشئ الفتيان منا على ما كان عوده أبوه
وما دان الفتى بحجا ولكن يعلمه التدين أقربوه
A youngster amongst us grows according to the habits his father instils in
him.
The youngster does not become devoted by way of intellect, rather it is his
relatives who teach him devotion. 4
Likewise another has said:
1 Sūrah al-Baqarah: 170.
2 Sūrah al-Māʾidah: 104.
3 Sūrah al-Zukhruf: 22.
4 Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī: al-Luzūmiyyāt 2/421.
171