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( Their example is like that of one who kindled a fire, but when it illuminated what was around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darkness, unable to see ) (17)

Allah has given two examples for these hypocrites: a fiery example and a watery example. As for their fiery example, they are like one who kindled a fire to illuminate himself, but when its light shone and he thought he would benefit from its light, it went out, and its illumination was gone, leaving only its burning. So its owners remained in darkness, unable to see anything or find their way.

( Deaf, dumb, and blind – so they will not return ) (18)

They are deaf, they do not hear the truth with acceptance; dumb, they do not speak of it; blind to its sight, so they will not return from their error.

( Or [it is] like a rainstorm from the sky within which is darkness, thunder and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears against the thunderclaps for fear of death. And Allah encompasses the disbelievers ) (19)

As for their watery example, they are like a heavy rain from a cloud containing accumulated darkness, thunder and lightning, which descends upon a people and causes them great panic. So they plug their ears with their fingertips from the intensity of the thunderclaps for fear of death. And Allah encompasses the disbelievers; they cannot escape Him.

( The lightning almost snatches away their sight. Every time it flashes for them, they walk in its light, and when darkness comes upon them, they stand still. And if Allah willed, He could take away their hearing and their sight. Indeed, Allah is over all things competent ) (20)

The lightning, with its intense brilliance and radiance, almost blinds them. Whenever the lightning flashes and illuminates them, they advance; but if it does not illuminate them, they remain in darkness, unable to move. Had God willed, He could have taken away their hearing and sight by His all-encompassing power, so that they would never return, due to their turning away from the truth. Thus, rain is an example of the Quran, the sound of thunder as an example of its admonitions, and the light of lightning as an example of the truth sometimes appearing to them. The blocking of ears by the intensity of the thunder is an example of their turning away from the truth and their failure to respond to it. The point of similarity between the hypocrites and the people of these two parables is their lack of benefit. In the parable of fire, the one who kindles it gains nothing but darkness and burning. In the parable of water, the people of the rain gain nothing but the terrifying and disturbing thunder and lightning. Likewise, the hypocrites see nothing in Islam but severity and harshness.

( O mankind, worship your Lord, who created you and those before you, that you may become righteous ) (21)

O mankind, worship your Lord alone, without any partners, for He is the One who created you and the nations before you, in the hope that you may protect yourselves from His punishment by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions.

( He who made the earth a bed for you and the sky a canopy and sent down rain from the sky and brought forth thereby fruits as provision for you. So do not set up rivals to God while you know) (22)

He is the One who made the earth a smooth carpet for you and made the sky above it a firmly constructed canopy. He is the One who bestows blessings by sending down rain, and by which He causes various fruits to grow from the earth, to be a provision for you. So do not set up partners or equals to God while you know that there is no creator except God, the Exalted and Majestic.

( And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a chapter like it and call upon your witnesses other than God, if you should be truthful ) (23)

And if you, O people, are in doubt about the Quran revealed to Our servant Muhammad, then we challenge you to produce a single chapter like it, even if it is shorter than it, and call upon whomever you can of your supporters, if you are truthful in what you claim.

( But if you do not—and you will never be able to—then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers ) (24)

But if you do not do that—and you will never be able to—then fear the Fire which is fueled by the people who deserve punishment, and by the various kinds of stones that they used to worship and other things. This Fire has been prepared and made ready by God for the disbelievers.

Benefits of Page 4

. That God Almighty abandons the hypocrites in their most dire and desperate circumstances, as a recompense for their hypocrisy and their turning away from guidance.

. One of the greatest proofs of the obligation to worship God alone is that He is the One who created everything in the universe for us and made it subservient to us.

. The inability of creation to produce anything like a chapter of the Holy Quran indicates that it is a revelation from the All-Wise, the All-Knowing.