And when it became established by their inability to oppose that this speech is His words, glorified and exalted is He; it became established that what is in it of examples are His sayings. So He threatened them in this Medinan surah with the verse in which He informed that the fruits of this world and its spouses, even if they resemble those in Paradise by name and some form, have differed from them in taste and purity, and what only Allah, the Most High, truly knows. Thus, their relation to it has diminished. And in the conclusion of the verse with 'eternal' there is an indication that the examples which are the best of the words of people, even if they resemble His examples, glorified and exalted is He, in name and the continuity of remembrance, have no relation to it for reasons that are not hidden from the fair-minded. So there remains only their criticism that it is due to its being associated with trivial things, which does not befit His majesty. So He clarified its beauty and the necessity of considering it and reflecting upon it, indicating that there is no shame in using it, for it is true that all things, no matter how great, are trivial in relation to His majesty, greatness, and perfection. If He had left the comparison with it for that reason, that door, which is one of the most astonishing wonders, would have been closed. So He, the Most High, said in a manner of inference from the accepted premises and confirmed, glorified is He, to dispel the thought that He would leave what they have confused with the examples, which are the clearest thing for the forms and the most evident in all situations. And Al-Harali said: When the call necessitates, along with the one who hesitates in it, and the one who is averse to it, a clarification for understanding through the use of examples, and this call is the gathering of calls, He connected it with this comprehensive verse for establishing the proof in the use of examples and that this is from the truth, glorified is He. 'And Allah does not shy away from the truth' [Al-Ahzab: 53]. And to conclude the mention of what was included in the beginning of the surah from the letters with which the Qur'an was revealed, with its seventh, which is the letter of the example, and He clarified that the measure of wisdom is evident for the one who uses the example of the mosquito and in what is more apparent to the senses and more accepted in knowledge. And it is necessary to focus on the value, not the measure, and on the impact of the example on its representative, whether it is small or large, near or far. So He is exalted above what creation finds when it arises from their innermost thoughts, their delusion that they show something and they think there is a deficiency in it, which causes them to refrain from showing it in word or action. It has ended. So He, the Most High, said: 'Indeed, Allah'—that is, the One who encompasses everything in majesty, greatness, and perfection—'does not shy away'—that is, He does not do what the shy do by leaving what they are shy of.

And modesty, Al-Harali said, is the contraction of the self from the habit of its expansion in the outward appearance of the body in facing what it sees as a deficiency, where it is impossible for it to escape with the body. The word 'An' has a meaning that is derived from the one upon whom the truth of the inner self has been established, and its knowledge is connected to what manifests it. Sibawayh, may Allah have mercy on him, sees it as a noun, while the majority of grammarians, due to the complexity of its meaning, see it as a particle. 'Yadriba' is from 'Daraba' the example, and it is the occurrence of the example upon the exemplified. This is because the essence of striking is the occurrence of something upon something else, and the meaning is that the striking is found continuously and perpetually. This cannot be equated with saying 'from his striking an example,' for it applies to a single previous or subsequent example. Its verification is that the source does not occur except upon the completeness of the truth without regard to time or anything else. As for by action, the occurrence of the truth is understood without regard to time as well. And by understanding it with regard to time, with renewal and continuity, and with the completeness of the truth, and before its completeness at the beginning of it, to this last condition is referred the saying of Al-Harali: that modesty from striking the example is a shyness from its occurrence in the inner self, and modesty from striking the example is a shyness from its manifestation in words. Thus, he negated the most eloquent origin, by negating which the negation of the striking would be more rightful. This meaning should be revisited with the repetition of the word 'An,' for it is often used in the Quran, and it holds great significance in its contexts. And it is only appropriate to leave the consideration of the location of its meaning what the grammarians say regarding the meaning of approximation: that 'An' and the verb are in the meaning of the source, and it is necessary in the grammatical analysis and explanation to clarify the arrangement of their meanings. At this point, it should be that 'An' is a noun and the verb is its connection, similar to 'who' and 'what.' 'Mathalan ma' (as an example) is an apparent matter for the senses and similar to it, which is considered by it a hidden matter that corresponds to it, so its meaning is understood by considering it. And 'ma' in this context has the meaning of comprehensiveness; it is here for the inclusion of the lesser and the greater of examples. Then he clarified that with his saying: 'A mosquito.' Al-Harali said: And since striking the example is related to a like and an exemplified, the striking is occurring upon both of them. Therefore, it is transitive to two objects: an example and a mosquito. The mosquito is a known genus of the smallest flying animals in size, and it possesses independence and completeness of creation. It indicates the meaning of the part from which its term is derived, because the part exists in it all the parts of the whole, so it is by that a whole.

﴿So what is above it﴾ means any meaning that is more apparent than it. The letter 'fa' indicates a connection, either as a consequence and continuity or as a causation. Herein, it informs of the closest thing that follows in connection and progression until it ends. The meaning is that if this is considered in relation to Him, glorified and exalted is He, then He and you and others are in the same position in terms of insignificance. If it is considered in relation to you, then the two groups are in the same position in that they are a creation that is insignificant, weak, and small from dust. As for the honor of some over others, it is only by the honor that Allah grants him, and if He willed, He could have reversed the situation.

Then he mentioned the state of the two divisions of believers and disbelievers with each of them in accepting such things. He said, confirming the division, that the state of each of the two divisions is the state of the denier of what has occurred to the other: ﴿So as for﴾ he said, Al-Harali said: It is as if it is composed of 'Inna' (indeed) indicating the inner essence and 'ma' indicating the outer ambiguous, brought forth for the purpose of division. It has ended.

﴿Those who believed﴾ means what we mentioned at the beginning of the Surah. And since 'as for' contains the meaning of condition as Sibawayh explained, with whatever there is of something, it is responded to with 'fa' in His saying: ﴿Then they will know that﴾ meaning the example ﴿is the truth﴾ that exists ﴿from their Lord﴾ meaning the One who is gracious to them with all kinds of grace. And that He intended for them nothing but to nurture them with grace by striking them with the habits of His bounty. As for the examples of others, if there is no type of falsehood in them, then there must be some type of leniency in them that would not be deserving of being called the truth, nor is there any root in it.

Al-Harali said: Since those who believed were among those who hastened and responded, and the example was a confirmation of the call and a reminder for those who had hesitation, those who believed gained insight by the light of faith in the example. They became knowledgeable of the position of the truth in it, and just as those who believed gained insight in it, its meaning became obscure to those who disbelieved and they were ignorant of it. They sought to inquire about it with an inquiry of denial regarding its position. It has ended. Therefore, he said: ﴿And as for those who disbelieved﴾ meaning the openly defiant among them and the concealed ones ﴿they say﴾ meaning a continuous saying ﴿What﴾ meaning what is it that ﴿Allah intended﴾ the One who is most exalted and glorious ﴿by this﴾ insignificant thing, meaning by striking it with ﴿an example﴾ meaning in the sense of similarity, in mockery, ignorance, stubbornness, and harshness. Then he connected this with the mention of its consequence for both groups as a response to the question of whoever among them asked. He said: ﴿He leads astray by it many﴾ meaning from them by not making them understand the intended meaning, so they assume with that assumptions. Al-Harali said: And it was a misguidance for them, because in striking the example with what precedes them, their mockery with the likes of the fly and the spider, which they mocked the example with, is a pathway for them to ignorance, so that was misguidance. And he presented the answer with misguidance because it is the rightful response for the inquirer. Misguidance is the pathway leading to straying from the straight path that saves.

﴿And He guides by it many﴾ means that by the blessing of their belief in good and their submission to Him, their Lord guides them through their faith. He makes them understand the intended meaning of it and opens their hearts to the knowledge within it. This increases them in faith, tranquility, and certainty. The guided ones are many in reality, but few in comparison to the misguided. Since the context is for warning, as mentioned in His saying: ﴿So fear the Fire﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 24], He sufficed in mentioning the guided ones with what has preceded of their glad tidings. He spoke in condemnation of the other group and their warning: ﴿And He does not misguide by it except﴾. Al-Harali said: It is as if it is composed of 'if' and 'not', its implication being the denial of the reality of a self from the ruling of what precedes it. End of quote.

﴿The disobedient﴾ means those who are outside of justice and good. Al-Harali said: Those who have deviated from the encompassing insight and the ways of receiving the innate nature and the firm covenant and good guardianship. This is because disobedience is a departure from an encompassing sphere, like the rind for the fruit and the burrow for the rat. End of quote.