His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "Indeed, Allah does not shy away from striking a parable, even a mosquito or what is above it. As for those who have believed, they know that it is the truth from their Lord. But as for those who have disbelieved, they say, 'What did Allah intend by this parable?' He misleads many by it and guides many by it. And He does not mislead by it except the disobedient."

The commentators mentioned that when Allah, the Exalted, struck the two previous parables in this Surah, the disbelievers said: 'What are these parables? Allah is too exalted to strike such parables.' So the verse was revealed.

Ibn Qutaybah said: "It was revealed because the disbelievers denied the striking of the parable in this Surah with the fly and the spider. And some said this verse is a parable for the world."

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "This is weak, as the arrangement of the words and the coherence of the meaning reject it."

And "does not shy away" has its origin as "does not shy away." Its root letters are two letters of weakness. The letter 'lam' was made weak because the 'dhammah' was heavy on the 'ya', so it became silent. Ibn Kathir read in some of his recitations, and Ibn Muhaisin and others: "does shy away" with a kasrah on the 'ha', which is a dialect of Tamim. The vowel of the first 'ya' was transferred to the 'ha', so it became silent, then the 'dhammah' was made heavy on the second 'ya', so it became silent, and one of them was omitted for the sake of meeting.

The interpreters differed in the meaning of "does shy away" in this verse. Al-Tabari preferred that its meaning is: fears. Others said: its meaning is: leaves it. And this is the preferred view. Whoever said he refrains or is prevented by shyness, he leaves it, or it is close to that.

And when the Majestic One in status does not refrain from delving into the matter of the saying except for shyness from that, Allah responded with His saying: "Indeed, Allah does not shy away" to those who say: 'How does Allah strike a parable with the fly and the like?' That is: these things are not from the matters of the saying, as they are among the eloquent in the meaning conveyed of the speaker's intentions to the listener, so they are not something to be shy away from. Al-Mahdawi narrated that the shyness in this verse refers to the people, and this is not acceptable.

And His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "to strike"; "that" with the verb in the position of nasb as if it were a source in the position of the object, and the meaning of "to strike a parable" is: to clarify a type of parables, as you say: this is from the type of this. And the striking is similar to striking resurrection and striking humiliation, so the meaning comes that He imposes the proof with a parable.

And "a parable" is the object, and it was said: it is the first, and it was said: it is the second that was advanced while it is intended to be delayed, because "striking" in this meaning takes two objects.

They disagreed in his saying: ﴿What is a mosquito﴾. Some said: "What" is an extra connective that does not convey anything except a degree of emphasis. It was said: "What" is an indefinite noun in a position of accusative as a substitute for its ambiguity. Al-Mahdawi reported this saying from Al-Farra', Al-Zajjaj, and Tha'lab. It was said that other than this is a mixture that was prompted by the assumption that "to strike" only takes one object. Some of the Kufans said: The accusative of "mosquito" is based on the assumption of dropping the preposition, and the meaning is that it strikes an example of a mosquito. It was reported from the Arabs: (He has twenty what camels and a camel), and Abu Al-Abbas denied this interpretation.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

What is more likely is that "What" is a specific adjective, as you say: I came to you about a certain matter, so the indefinite noun conveys specification and approximation. From this is the saying of Ummiyyah ibn Abi Al-Salt:

A thing that is something and its like is ten things, a dependent thing and the one who supported the bayqura.

And "mosquito" in this case is a second object. Some said: "What" is an indefinite noun, as if he said: something, and the verse in this resembles the saying of Hassan ibn Thabit:

So we are enough in virtue over those other than us, the love of the Prophet Muhammad for us.

And a similar saying has preceded, and the similarity to the verse is not correct in my view.

And the mosquito is a diminutive from some when it cuts the flesh. It is said that a part and some mean the same. Based on this, they interpreted the poet's saying:

How excellent is the house of Abu Dithar, when some of the people fear each other.

And Al-Dahhak, Ibrahim ibn Abi Ablah, and Ru'bah ibn Al-Ajjaj read "mosquito" in the nominative. Abu Al-Fath said: The reason for this is that "What" is a name in the place of "the one who", meaning he is not shy to strike the one who is a mosquito as an example. So the referent to the relative was omitted, which is the subject, and the same applies to the reading of some of them: "completely upon the one who has done good", meaning: upon the one who is the best. Sibawayh reported: I am not the one who will say to you anything, meaning he is saying.

And His saying, the Exalted: ﴿Then what is above it﴾, those who made the first "What" an extra connective, then the second "What" is an addition to "mosquito", and those who made "What" a name, then the second "What" is an addition to it.

Al-Kisai, Abu Ubaidah, and others said: The meaning is what is above it in smallness. And Qatadah, Ibn Jurayj, and others said: The meaning is in greatness.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

All are possible, and the pronoun in "that he" refers back to the example.

The grammarians disagreed about "what". It was said: It is like a single name meaning what thing did Allah intend? It was said: "What" is a name and "that" is another name meaning the one who, so "What" is in a position of nominative as the subject, and "that" is its predicate. The meaning of their words is denial with the wording of inquiry, and his saying: "as an example" was placed in the accusative for differentiation, and it was said: for the state of "that" in "by this", and the agent in it is the indication and notification.

And the interpreters have differed regarding His saying, the Most High: ﴿He leads astray by it many and guides by it many﴾. It was said: It is from the words of the disbelievers, meaning: What does Allah intend by this parable that divides people into misguidance and guidance? And it was said: Rather, it is a report from Allah, the Most High, that He leads astray by the parable the disbelievers who are blind to it, and guides by it the believers who know that it is the truth. In this is a refutation against the Mu'tazilites in their saying: Indeed, Allah does not create misguidance.

(p-158) And there is no disagreement that His saying, the Most High: ﴿And He does not lead astray by it except the disobedient﴾ is from the words of Allah, the Most High. It is possible that His saying, the Most High: ﴿And He guides by it many﴾ until the end of the verse is a response from Allah, the Most High, to the words of the disbelievers: ﴿He leads astray by it many﴾.

And disobedience (fisq) is to exit from something. It is said: The mouse has disobeyed when it has exited from its burrow, and the date when it has exited from its skin. Disobedience in the customary legal sense is to exit from the obedience of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It may occur for one who exits with disbelief, and for one who exits with disobedience. The reading of the majority of the Ummah in this verse is: "He leads astray" with the 'ya' pronounced as a long vowel in both instances. It has been narrated from Ibrahim ibn Abi Abla that he read "He leads astray" with the 'ya' opened, "many" in the nominative, "and He guides by it many, and He does not lead astray by it except the disobedient" in the nominative.

Abu Amr al-Dani said: This is the reading of the Qadariyyah, and Ibn Abi Abla is among the trustworthy of the people of Sham and of the people of the Sunnah. However, this reading is not authentic from him even though it contradicts the script of the Mushaf. It has been narrated from Ibn Mas'ud that he read in the first instance: "He leads astray" with the 'ya' pronounced as a long vowel, and in the second: "And He does not lead astray" with the 'ya' opened, "by it except the disobedient," and this reading is valid were it not for its contradiction to the script of the agreed-upon Mushaf.