Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 26

(Ayah 26) Before this, two examples of the hypocrites have been mentioned; in addition, in the Noble Qur’an, the fly [ حج : ۷۳ ], the spider [ عنکبوت : ۴۱ ], the dog [ اعراف : ۱۷۶ ], and the donkey [ جمعہ : ۵ ] have been presented as examples. When the disbelievers and hypocrites could not respond to the challenge of the Qur’an, they objected as to why Allah Almighty needed to present such examples. It was said that Allah Almighty can present anything as an example; it is not a flaw that Allah would feel shy about it. Whether the example is of a mosquito or something even more insignificant than it, such as a mosquito’s wing or a particle. “Something greater than a mosquito” can also refer to things bigger than it, such as a fly, a spider, etc. In reality, just as the greatest of creatures indicate Allah’s power and the helplessness of others besides Allah, likewise, the smallest of creatures are also masterpieces of Allah’s power. Then, if to make a point clearer, the example of a small creature is more appropriate, what is there to be shy about? {”اَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ“} in { ”اَنَّهُ“ } due to the information of { ”الْحَقُّ“ } coming as a definite noun, the translation "it is the very truth" has been made.

26. 1 When Allah proved the miraculous nature of the Quran through arguments, the disbelievers objected in another way, saying that if this were divine speech, then such a great being would not include examples of trivial things in His revelation. In response, Allah said that there is no harm in clarifying matters and presenting parables for the sake of perfect wisdom, and thus there is no modesty or reservation in this. The meaning of فَوْقَھَا can also be "greater than this." In that case, the meaning would be a mosquito or something greater than it. The word فَوْقَھَا accommodates both interpretations.

26. 2 The examples given by Allah increase the faith of the believers and increase the disbelief of the disbelievers, and all of this happens under Allah's law of power and will, as the Quran says (نُوَلِّهٖ مَا تَوَلّٰى) 4:115 "Whichever way one turns, We turn him to that way." Fisq means to depart from obedience to Allah, which can be committed temporarily and momentarily even by a believer. But in this verse, fisq means complete departure from obedience, i.e., disbelief. As is clear from the next verse, in which the qualities of disbelievers are mentioned in contrast to the qualities of believers.

26. Allah is not ashamed to set forth the example of a mosquito or anything even smaller. [33] So those who have believed know that it is the truth from their Lord, but those who disbelieve say, "What does Allah mean by such an example?" By it He leads many astray and by it He guides many. But He does not lead astray except the defiantly disobedient. [34]

[33]
The Condition for the Correctness of an Example:

When the disbelievers could not come up with any answer to the challenge, they raised this objection against the Word of Allah: What need did Allah, Who is the Sovereign of all and the Greatest, have to mention examples of insignificant things like the fly and the spider in His speech? (It should be noted that Allah Almighty gave the example of the fly in [22:73] and the example of the spider in [29: 41] to clarify the weakness of the false gods of the disbelievers.) In this verse, the answer to this objection is given: Allah Almighty does not hesitate to give the example of a mosquito or even something more insignificant than that, let alone a fly or a spider. Because in terms of being His creation, all are equal. What should be considered is whether there is correspondence between the example and what is being exemplified. If correspondence is found, then the example is absolutely correct. The gods of the disbelievers are also insignificant things, and so are the fly and the spider; therefore, the analogy is correct. It is not discussed whether the one giving the example is great or small, and the objection raised by the disbelievers was completely irrational, based on foolishness and stubbornness.

[34] How is misguidance attributed to Allah Almighty? That is, from the same statement, those who seek guidance have their guidance increased, while the stubborn and rebellious have their misguidance increased, and only the wicked are inclined towards misguidance. Then Allah also leads them in that direction. As for why Allah Almighty attributed the misguidance of the rebellious to Himself, the reason is that man is only responsible for adopting the means, and as he adopts the means, so will he receive reward or punishment. As for the «مُسَبِّبَاتٌ» or results of the means, they are not in the control of man, but in the control of Allah Almighty, which often turn out as expected, and sometimes it may be contrary to expectation; therefore, the attribution of these «مُسَبِّبَاتٌ» can also be made to the doer.