The Quran

۞ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَستَحيي أَن يَضرِبَ مَثَلًا ما بَعوضَةً فَما فَوقَها ۚ فَأَمَّا الَّذينَ آمَنوا فَيَعلَمونَ أَنَّهُ الحَقُّ مِن رَبِّهِم ۖ وَأَمَّا الَّذينَ كَفَروا فَيَقولونَ ماذا أَرادَ اللَّهُ بِهٰذا مَثَلًا ۘ يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثيرًا وَيَهدي بِهِ كَثيرًا ۚ وَما يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلَّا الفاسِقينَ

Muhammad Asad

Behold, God does not disdain to propound a parable of a gnat, or of something [even] less than that.¹ Now, as for those who have attained to faith, they know that it is the truth from their Sustainer - whereas those who are bent on denying the truth say, "What could God mean by this parable?" In this way does He cause many a one to go astray, just as He guides many a one aright: but none does He cause thereby to go astray save the iniquitous,

Lit., "something above it", i.e., relating to the quality of smallness stressed here - as one would say, "such-and-such a person is the lowest of people, and even more than that" (Zamakhshari). The reference to "God's parables", following as it does immediately upon a mention of the gardens of paradise and the suffering through hell-fire in the life to come, is meant to bring out the allegorical nature of this imagery.