Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 17 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:17

مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى ٱسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا فَلَمَّآ أَضَآءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُۥ ذَهَبَ ٱللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتٍ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ

“Their example is that of one who kindled a fire, but when it illuminated what was around him, Allāh took away their light and left them in darkness [so] they could not see.”

Saheeh International

Essence

A fire kindled in the dark lights up the faces around it, then goes out, leaving its makers blinder than before: the hypocrite's borrowed light.

A reflection

Darker than before the match

Four walkers are caught on open moorland after dark, cold and unsure of the path. One of them coaxes a small fire from the last dry matches and a handful of heather. For a few minutes it is wonderful. They can see each other's faces, read the map, feel their hands again. Then a gust of rain sweeps across the hill, and the fire is gone. The dark that follows is worse than the dark before. Their eyes had adjusted to the light.

This is the Quran's first great parable for the hypocrites. Their example is that of one who istawqada a fire: the verb suggests seeking to kindle it, working at it. A concise commentary fills in the scene. He lit it in darkness. When it lit up what was around him, he could see, he grew warm, and he felt safe from what he feared. Then Allah put it out. He was left in darknesses, bewildered about the road, afraid.

One classical commentary adds what the silence in the grammar implies. When the fire lit up everything around him, it died, and they were left stumbling in the dark. They grieved over the lost light, and felt the disappointment of all their effort to bring the fire to life.

The early explanations apply it directly. The hypocrites gained a kind of light by saying the words of faith. They were safe among the Muslims, shared their community, received their protection. One early report says some had entered Islam when the Prophet ﷺ came to Madinah, came to know right from wrong, and then turned back. The light went out, and they no longer knew right from wrong.

The parable has a quiet warning for anyone. Light that is only borrowed for its benefits does not last. It warms you for a while and makes you feel safe. But it was never fed from within. When the wind comes, as it always does, it will not hold.

The question is where my own light comes from. Is my faith a fire I keep feeding, or a warmth I stand near?

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.