Lesson – 47 Resemblances of the Word of God

Lesson – 47

 Resemblances of the Word of God

Surah ‘Al-‘Baqarah (The Cow) – Chapter – 2)

Stage – 1, Verse – 26a of 286, Section – 3 of 40 (Part - 1)

BisMIllaahir-Rahmaanir-Rahiim

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

26a.  Lo! Allah disdaineth not to coin the similitude of a gnat or even anything above that.

26 a.  ‘InnAllaaha laa yastah-yiii ‘any-yazriba masalam-maa ba-‘uuzatan- famaa fawqahaa.

Lesson

  

Fawqahaa – (Above that), literal meaning of fawq is “upper, over, above”. It aims “more lean and ignoble thing than it”.

In the previous verses, God Almighty invited the disbelievers and infidels for proving the truth of Holy Qur’aan that if they consider that it is not Word of God (we seek refuge in God), then they should produce any Word like this. But they could neither give its answer till to-date and nor may they until the Doomsday. In such condition of helplessness, they could do nothing. However they began to find faults in the Holy Qur’aan and said: How is it an extraordinary that God, having too much high position and greatness, gives similitude of so contemptible and lean things?

The fact is that mention of the biggest creatures has also come in the Holy Qur’aan at different places as well as the smallest too. Where animals like elephants, camels and horses etc. have been mentioned, there is ant, fly and mosquito etc. also. For causing to understand the people, God has described similes of these animals. For example; somewhere He says that idols of infidels are too weak and helpless to create a fly. But when a fly or mosquito sits on their faces they cannot let it fly. Somewhere He says that the religion of the Infidels is weak like spider’s web. Hearing such similitude, some Infidels began to say that God of Muslims speaks so strange (we seek refuge in Allah) that He does not hesitate to mention likenesses of so small things. God replied to their criticism in this verse.

Similitude means “such thing, for which the example is given, should be impressed upon mind to bold and bright. Now that simile will be the best which fulfills this object, whether that thing is much customary or small itself. The mosquito is a too much ignoble and unimportant creature. Now where there is a need to explain unreality of the idols or any other creature, there example of mosquito will be appropriate. Criticizing it is proof of folly and immaturity.

 

Summary of above mentioned verse is that Allah Almighty does not hesitate from giving similitude of a mosquito or smaller thing than it, because purpose of giving example is to explain about something. The example will be given as something exists. There is nothing to hesitate or take bad from it.

Transliterated Holy Qur’an in Roman Script & Translated from Arabic to English by Marmaduke Pickthall, Published by Paak Company, 17-Urdu Bazaar, Lahore, Lesson collected from Dars e Qur’aan published By Idara Islaah wa Tableegh, Lahore (translated Urdu to English by Muhammad Sharif)