The Quran

Preface

۞ 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

Yusuf Ali

God disdains not to use the similitude of things, lowest¹ as well as highest. Those who believe know that it is truth from their Lord; but those who reject Faith say: “What means God by this similitude?” By it He causes many to stray, and many He leads into the right path; but He causes not to stray, except those who forsake (the path),-

The word for “the lowest” in the original Arabic means a gnat, a byword in the Arabic language for the weakest of creatures. In 29:41, which was revealed before this Sūra, the similitude of the Spider was used, and similarly in 22:73, there is the similitude of the fly. For similitudes taken from magnificent forces of nature, expressed in exalted language, see 2:19 above. To God all His creation has some special meaning appropriate to itself, and some of what we consider the lowest creatures have wonderful aptitude, e.g., the spider or the fly. Parables like these may be an occasion of stumbling to those “who forsake the path”: in other words those who deliberately shut their eyes to God’s Signs, and their Penalty is attributed to God, the Cause of all causes. But lest there should be misunderstanding, it is immediately added that the stumbling and offence only occur as the result of the sinner’s own choice of the wrong course. Verses 26 and 27 form one sentence and should be read together.” Forsaking the path” is defined in 2:27; viz., breaking solemn covenants which the sinner’s own soul had ratified, causing division among mankind, who were meant to be one brotherhood, and doing as much mischief as possible in the life on this earth, for the life beyond will be on another plane, where no rope will be given to evil.
The mention of the Covenant (2:27) has a particular and a general signification. The particular one has reference to the Jewish tradition that a Covenant was entered into with “Father Abraham” that in return for God’s favours the seed of Abraham would serve God faithfully. But as a matter of fact a great part of Abraham’s progeny were in constant spiritual rebellion against God, as is testified by their own Prophets and Preachers and by Muḥammad al-Mustaf a. The general signification is that a similar Covenant is entered into by every creature of God: for God’s loving care, we at least owe Him the fullest gratitude and willing obedience. The Sinner, before he darkens his own conscience, knows this, and yet he not only “forsakes the path” but resists the Grace of God which comes to save him. That is why his case becomes hopeless. But the loss is his own. He cannot spoil God’s design. The good man is glad to retrace his steps from any lapses of which he may have been guilty, and in his case God’s Message reclaims him with complete understanding.