Tafsir of Ash-Shu`ara' 26:74

They said, "Rather, we found our forefathers doing likewise."

They turned away from the notion that [the idols] could hear, benefit, or harm, acknowledging what there was no way for them to deny. They were compelled to reveal that they had no basis other than imitation. It is as if they said, "They do not hear, they do not benefit us, and they do not harm us; rather, we found our forefathers doing as we do and worshipping them just as we worship them, so we followed them." The direct object [‘kadhālik’ – thus] was placed before the verb to maintain the rhyming cadence.