“Ajʿal lanā Dhāt Anwāṭ” (Appoint for us a Dhatu Anwat): they asked him to establish something of the same kind for them.

“Allāhu akbar”: the loftiest and most emphatic formula of amazement.

“al-Sunan” (the paths) – with a ḍamma on the sīn: meaning the ways; i.e., you have followed the blameworthy courses pursued by those before you.

“Isrāʾīl”: Jacob son of Isaac son of Abraham the Friend, peace be upon them all.

“Sunan man kāna qablakum” (the paths of those who were before you): with a ḍamma on the sīn it means their paths, and it may also be read with a fatḥa, meaning their way.

Overall meaning of the ḥadīth: Abu Wāqid relates an incident full of wonder and admonition. They had marched with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ against the tribe of Hawāzin while they were still recent converts to Islam, so the reality of shirk was not yet clear to them. When they observed the idolaters seeking blessing from the tree, they asked the Messenger ﷺ to set up a similar tree for them. The Prophet ﷺ pronounced the takbīr, rejecting the request, glorifying Allah, and expressing astonishment. He explained that their words resembled those of the Children of Israel to Moses when they saw people worshipping idols: “Appoint a god for us just as they have gods,” and that this was merely walking in their footsteps. He ﷺ then informed them that this ummah would indeed follow the ways of the Jews and Christians, adopting their methods and deeds—a statement of censure and a warning against such conduct.

Relevance of the ḥadīth to the chapter: it serves as evidence that seeking blessing through trees and similar objects constitutes shirk, setting up rivals alongside Allah.

Points gleaned from the ḥadīth:

1. Seeking blessing from trees is shirk, and the same ruling applies to stones and other objects.
2. A person who has recently abandoned falsehood is not safe from retaining some residual attachment to it