283. Scuttling attempts to spread the message by citing ancestors.

These verses (20:51,52) of the Quran speak of the ingenious and at the same time not contradicting the truth replies by Prophet Musa to motivated questions by the tyrant Firoun.

Firon poses a question to Prophet Musa “ You say we are on the wrong path, what do you have to say about our ancestors? 

This was a motivated question by Firon, to elicit a reply from Prophet Musa to say “ Yes, since they were also misguided as hell dwellers.” 

The plan by Firon in posing this question was to motivate the entire community against truth.

People who are buried in pride of traditional values would not accept they are on the wrong path. Such questions were asked to motivate the community against truth by falsely saying that traditional values are being destroyed.

But Prophet Musa, without being drawn into dirty tricks by Firon, responds in an ingenious way by saying the knowledge about the fate of his ancestors rests with the Creator. 

Whenever the message of truth is being spread, questions like “ Does that mean that our ancestors who did not accept truth are hell dwellers” will arise at all times.

This verse serves as a guidance to us at such occasions.