ٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ ضَرَبُوا۟ لَكَ ٱلْأَمْثَالَ فَضَلُّوا۟ فَلَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَبِيلًا 48
Translations
Look how they strike for you comparisons; but they have strayed, so they cannot [find] a way.
Transliteration
Unzur kayfa darabu laka al-amthal fa-dallū fa-lā yastaṭīʿūn sabīlā
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commands the Prophet Muhammad to observe how the disbelievers have fabricated false comparisons and arguments against him, yet through their own misguidance, they have lost the way to truth and can find no sound path forward. Ibn Kathir explains that the Quraysh's attempts to ridicule the Prophet through analogies and false claims only demonstrate their own spiritual blindness and inability to comprehend the message. Al-Qurtubi notes this ayah emphasizes how those who reject clear signs inevitably become confused and unable to find guidance, as their rejection itself becomes a barrier to understanding.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Isra, which addresses the miraculous night journey and discusses the responses of disbelievers to the Prophet's message. The broader context of this passage deals with the mocking and arguments of the Meccan pagans against Islamic monotheism, particularly their use of false analogies and comparisons to discredit the message.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (2/101) regarding the mockery of disbelievers is relevant: 'And [mention, O Muhammad], when those who disbelieve say to those who believe, 'Follow our way, and let us bear your sins'—but they will not bear anything of their sins.' This reflects the broader theme of how rejectors employ flawed arguments.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that persistent rejection of truth leads to spiritual confusion and the inability to find the right path, while encouraging believers that despite worldly ridicule, Allah's message remains clear and those who mock it will ultimately find themselves lost. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder that stubbornness in denial doesn't strengthen one's position but rather weakens it, and that intellectual honesty in seeking truth is essential for spiritual guidance.
Related Ayahs
فَأَرَادَ أَن يَسْتَفِزَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلْأَرْضِ فَأَغْرَقْنَـٰهُ وَمَن مَّعَهُۥ جَمِيعًا
So he intended to drive them from the land, but We drowned him and those with him all together.
وَمَا مَنَعَنَآ أَن نُّرْسِلَ بِٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ إِلَّآ أَن كَذَّبَ بِهَا ٱلْأَوَّلُونَ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا ثَمُودَ ٱلنَّاقَةَ مُبْصِرَةً فَظَلَمُوا۟ بِهَا ۚ وَمَا نُرْسِلُ بِٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ إِلَّا تَخْوِيفًا
And nothing has prevented Us from sending signs [i.e., miracles] except that the former peoples denied them. And We gave Thamūd the she-camel as a visible sign, but they wronged her. And We send not the signs except as a warning.
أَوْ تَكُونَ لَكَ جَنَّةٌ مِّن نَّخِيلٍ وَعِنَبٍ فَتُفَجِّرَ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرَ خِلَـٰلَهَا تَفْجِيرًا
Or [until] you have a garden of palm trees and grapes and make rivers gush forth within them in force [and abundance]
وَقُلْ جَآءَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ ٱلْبَـٰطِلُ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلْبَـٰطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا
And say, "Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, [by nature], ever bound to depart."