ONE AYAT A DAY
۞ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيٖٓ اَنْ يَّضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَّا بَعُوْضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا ۗ فَاَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا فَيَعْلَمُوْنَ اَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَّبِّهِمْ ۚ وَاَمَّا الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا فَيَقُوْلُوْنَ مَاذَآ اَرَادَ اللّٰهُ بِهٰذَا مَثَلًا ۘ يُضِلُّ بِهٖ كَثِيْرًا وَّيَهْدِيْ بِهٖ كَثِيْرًا ۗ وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهٖٓ اِلَّا الْفٰسِقِيْنَۙ
Innallāha lā yastaḥyī ay yaḍriba maṡalam mā ba‘ūḍatan famā fauqahā, fa'ammal- lażīna āmanū faya‘lamūna annahul-ḥaqqu mir rabbihim, wa ammal-lażīna kafarū fayaqūlūna māżā arādallāhu bihāżā maṡalā(n), yuḍillu bihī kaṡīraw wa yahdī bihī kaṡīrā(n), wa mā yuḍillu bihī illal-fāsiqīn(a).
Indeed, Allāh is not timid to present an example - that of a mosquito or what is smaller than it. And those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who disbelieve, they say, "What did Allāh intend by this as an example?" He misleads many thereby and guides many thereby. And He misleads not except the defiantly disobedient,
In his Tafsir, As-Suddi reported that Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud, and some Companions said; "When Allah gave these two examples of the hypocrites" meaning Allah's statements, مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ الَّذِى اسْتَوْقَدَ نَاراً (Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire), and, أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ (Or like a rainstorm from the sky), "The hypocrites said, `Allah's far more exalted than for Him to make such examples.' So Allah revealed these Ayat (2:26-27) up to: هُمُ الْخَـسِرُونَ (Who are the losers)". Sa`id said that Qatadah said, "Allah does not shy away from the truth when He mentions a matter as a parable, whether this matter is significant or not. When Allah mentioned the flies and the spider in His Book, the people of misguidance said, `Why did Allah mention these things.' So Allah revealed; إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَسْتَحْىِ أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلاً مَّا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا (Verily, Allah is not ashamed to set forth a parable even of a mosquito or so much more when it is bigger (or less when it is smaller) than it)." A Parable about the Life of This World Abu Ja`far Ar-Razi reported that Ar-Rabi` bin Anas commented on this Ayah (2:26); "This is an example that Allah has given for the life of this world. The mosquito lives as long as it needs food, but when it gets fat, it dies. This is also the example of people whom Allah mentioned in the Qur'an: when th…