ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُوا۟ لَكَ ٱلْأَمْثَـٰلَ فَضَلُّوا۟ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلًا 9
Translations
Look how they strike for you comparisons; but they have strayed, so they cannot [find] a way.
Transliteration
Unzur kayfa darabu laka al-amthala fadallu fala yastateeʿuna sabila
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses the Prophet (peace be upon him), commanding him to observe how the disbelievers have fabricated false analogies and comparisons against him, thereby becoming utterly lost and unable to find any sound path or argument. Ibn Kathir explains that their invented examples and comparisons were so misguided that they lost all rational direction, while Al-Qurtubi emphasizes this demonstrates the futility of arguments based on falsehood. The ayah reassures the Prophet that despite their persistent rhetorical attacks, the disbelievers have only deepened their own confusion and spiritual blindness.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within Surah Al-Furqan (The Criterion), which distinguishes between truth and falsehood. The context addresses the Meccan disbelievers' attempts to refute the Prophet's message through false analogies and comparisons—they had claimed the Quran was poetry, magic, or mere human speech. This surah provides the Prophet consolation that despite their relentless attacks, truth remains clear for those willing to see.
Related Hadiths
Related thematically to the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best speech is the Book of Allah,' emphasizing that the Quran's clarity supersedes human fabrications. Also relevant is the principle mentioned in Surah Al-Furqan 25:33 about how Allah brings better explanations than the disbelievers' false claims.
Themes
Key Lesson
When facing opposition based on false reasoning or distorted arguments, the believer should recognize that those who reject truth ultimately lose their way and ability to reason soundly. We should trust in the clarity and sufficiency of divine guidance, knowing that falsehood, no matter how elaborately crafted, cannot withstand scrutiny.
Related Ayahs
وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَسَـٰطِيرُ ٱلْأَوَّلِينَ ٱكْتَتَبَهَا فَهِىَ تُمْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا
And they say, "Legends of the former peoples which he has written down, and they are dictated to him morning and afternoon."
قَالُوا۟ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ مَا كَانَ يَنۢبَغِى لَنَآ أَن نَّتَّخِذَ مِن دُونِكَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَآءَ وَلَـٰكِن مَّتَّعْتَهُمْ وَءَابَآءَهُمْ حَتَّىٰ نَسُوا۟ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَكَانُوا۟ قَوْمًۢا بُورًا
They will say, "Exalted are You! It was not for us to take besides You any allies [i.e., protectors]. But You provided comforts for them and their fathers until they forgot the message and became a people ruined."
وَقَالُوا۟ مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِى فِى ٱلْأَسْوَاقِ ۙ لَوْلَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُۥ نَذِيرًا
And they say, "What is this messenger that eats food and walks in the markets? Why was there not sent down to him an angel so he would be with him a warner?
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا ٱصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ ۖ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا
And those who say, "Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell. Indeed, its punishment is ever adhering;