The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page 57
PT. 1 AL-BAQARAH and "left them in thick darkness; they see not. 24 "6:40, 123; 24:41. guidance. Similarly, when a person does a good deed, the immediate result is that he is pleased with himself and rises in the estimation of others. The deferred consequence is that he increases his power of finding and accepting truth and guidance. It is the deferred consequences that are referred to in the expression, nor are they rightly guided. 24. Important Words: (case) gives a number of meanings: (1) likeness or similitude; (2) state or condition; (3) reason or argument; (4) proverb, etc (Aqrab). . (it lighted up) is derived from i. e. it or he became bright or lit up. is used both transitively and intransitively. Used transitively it means, it lit up or lighted up (the surroundings, etc. ), and used intransitively it means, it became bright or lit up. or means, light (Aqrab). In the verse under comment the word has been used transitively. lab (darkness or lit. darknesses), which is the plural of albi. e. darkness or absence of light, is derived from i. e. it became dark. The word figuratively to signify ظلمة is also used i. e. error or ignorance, just as the word i. e. light is sometimes used to signify as i. e. CH. 2 وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِي ظُلُمتٍ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ order to signify that the position or place spoken of is not only wanting in light, but is also full of various dangers. In the Quran the word is always used in the plural and denotes different kinds of darkness, physical, moral or spiritual. In the moral and spiritual sense the plural form also signifies that sins and evil deeds do not stand alone, but grow and multiply, one stumbling leading to another. Commentary: The verse speaks of hypocrites who were unbelievers at heart but outwardly formed part of the Muslim community. The light of the Holy Prophet or the light of Islam touched their outside, but owing to the diseased condition of their hearts it could not penetrate their inside, which is essential for true religious conversion; SO they remained virtually deprived of that light. "The kindler of fire" in the verse can mean either: (1) the class of hypocrites who kindled a fire for themselves, i. e. they accepted the light of Islam but when the light grew in intensity and lit up the surroundings, their hidden disease got the better of them and they lost the light and were left in utter darkness. In this case the Arabic text would read somewhat like this:. i. e كمثل الذين استوقدوا نارا فلما اضاءت ماحولهم - الخ also ظلمة guidance (Aqrab means, affliction, hardship and their condition is like the condition of danger. In the verse the word those who kindle a fire, etc. This has been used in the plural form in reading would be quite correct 57