سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 17
مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى ٱسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا فَلَمَّآ أَضَآءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُۥ ذَهَبَ ٱللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتٍ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ ﴿17﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindled a fire; then, when it lighted all around him, Allâh took away their light and left them in darkness. (So) they could not see.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
مَثَلُهُمْ
mathaluhum
Their example
كَمَثَلِ
kamathali
(is) like (the) example
ٱلَّذِى
alladhī
(of) the one who
ٱسْتَوْقَدَ
is'tawqada
kindled
نَارًۭا
nāran
a fire
فَلَمَّآ
falammā
then, when
أَضَآءَتْ
aḍāat
it illuminated
مَا
mā
what
حَوْلَهُۥ
ḥawlahu
(was) around him
ذَهَبَ
dhahaba
took away
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
بِنُورِهِمْ
binūrihim
their light
وَتَرَكَهُمْ
watarakahum
and left them
فِى
fī
in
ظُلُمَـٰتٍۢ
ẓulumātin
darkness[es]
لَّا
lā
(so) not
يُبْصِرُونَ
yub'ṣirūna
(do) they see
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
1. Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood ؓ and other companions have explained its meaning as follows: When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah, some people became Muslim but soon turned into hypocrites. Their example is like that of a person who was in darkness, then lit a light by which his surroundings became illuminated and beneficial and harmful things became clear to him. Suddenly, that light was extinguished and he was surrounded by darkness as before. This is the condition of the hypocrites: first, they were in the darkness of shirk; when they became Muslim, they came into the light. They recognized halal and haram, but then they returned again to disbelief and hypocrisy, so all the light vanished. (Fath al-Qadir)
