إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْىِۦٓ أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَّا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا يُضِلُّ بِهِۦ كَثِيرًا وَيَهْدِى بِهِۦ كَثِيرًا وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلْفَٰسِقِينَ
“Lo! Allah disdaineth not to coin the similitude even of a gnat. Those who believe know that it is the truth from their Lord; but those who disbelieve say: What doth Allah wish (to teach) by such a similitude? He misleadeth many thereby, and He guideth many thereby; and He misleadeth thereby only miscreants;” — M. M. Pickthall
Taberî9-10. c.✓ Citation verified
According to Taberî, the expression 'striking a parable' regarding the gnat and similar examples in Verse 26 of Sura al-Baqara is not an explanation concerning the gnat itself, but rather a response to the objections of disbelievers and hypocrites against the examples previously given about hypocrites in this Sura (the person who kindled fire and the rain descending from the sky). According to him, Allah's expression 'is not ashamed' conveys that He will not hesitate to give any rightful example regardless of size, and thereby He will test His servants and distinguish the believer from the disbeliever. He bases this view on the narrations of Ibn Mas'ud and Ibn Abbas, and finds it more accurate than other views (regarding the context of the Jews' or polytheists' objections to the examples of gnat and spider).
غير أن أولى ذلك بالصواب وأشبهه بالحق ما ذكرنا من قول ابن مسعود وابن عباس
Zemahşerî12. c.✓ Citation verified
Zemahşerî states that the expression in this verse means 'upon the finest of religions' or 'in the way that the scriptures might be most complete and perfect.' He supports this with the view of Kelbi: it is meant that the scripture was completed in the finest manner. Furthermore, a grammatical observation is made in the text that the word 'lammā' when read with the doubled letter means 'illā' (except), and 'in' is negating.
أو آتينا موسى الكتاب تماما ، أي تاما كاملا على أحسن ما تكون عليه الكتب ، أي على الوجه والطريق الذي هو أحسن وهو معنى قول الكلبي : أتم له الكتاب على أحسنه
Fahreddin er-Râzî12-13. c.✓ Citation verified
This text addresses two different interpretations of the expression 'mā fawqahā' when Allah mentions the example of the gnat in Verse 26 of Sura al-Baqara: it could mean either things greater than the gnat (like flies, spiders, donkeys, dogs) or things smaller than it. According to Râzî, verifying scholars have inclined toward the second view (smaller things), because the purpose of the parable is to disparage idols and the thing likened to them, and it is more appropriate to this purpose that the second mentioned thing be more base.
والثاني : أراد بما فوقها في الصغر أي بما هو أصغر منها والمحققون مالوا إلى هذا القول لوجوه : أحدها : أن المقصد من هذا التمثيل تحقير الأوثان ، وكلما كان المشبه به أشد حقارة كان المقصود في هذا الباب أكمل حصولا
Kurtubî13. c.✓ Citation verified
In this text, Kurtubî notes that the word 'al-fāsikīn' (the transgressors) in the verse is in the accusative case grammatically and expresses the occurrence of the action upon the agent; the estimated meaning is 'Allah does not lead anyone astray through it, except the transgressors whom He will not lead astray in His knowledge.' He also reports the view of the Mu'tazila that Allah did not create misguidance, and that the expression 'yudill' (He leads astray) only means naming (tesmiye), and argues that this is linguistically impossible; the correct meaning, as the exegetes have indicated, is that Allah deprives disbelievers of guidance with the intent of punishing them.
والفاسقين نصب بوقوع الفعل عليهم والتقدير : وما يضل به أحدا إلا الفاسقين الذين سبق في علمه أنه لا يهديهم ولا يجوز أن تنصبهم على الأستثناء لأن الأستثناء لا يكون إلا بعد تمام الكلام
İbn Kesîr14. c.✓ Citation verified
Ibn Kathîr reports two views regarding the expression 'famā fawqahā' in the verse: the first belongs to al-Kisā'ī and Abū 'Ubayd and means what is even smaller than the gnat in minuteness; the second, which is the choice of Qatāda and Ibn Jarīr, means what is greater than it, since there is nothing more base than the gnat. He also transmits that the expressions 'yudill bihi kathīran' (it leads many astray) and 'yahdī bihi kathīran' (it guides many) in the continuation of the verse are interpreted as meaning that through this parable the misguidance of the hypocrites and the guidance of the believers increased.
وهذا قول قتادة بن دعامة واختيار ابن جرير
Beydâvî13. c.✓ Citation verified
According to this exegete, the verse has come to clarify the beauty and condition of the parables in the preceding verses; the condition of a parable is that the thing being likened should correspond not in greatness or smallness or value to the thing it is being likened to, but to the meaning toward which it is being likened. The disbelievers' disdain at being likened through things like the gnat and the spider is an ignorant objection; for the purpose of the parable is to clarify the meaning, not the greatness of the parable. The expression 'Allah is not ashamed' means that He does not hesitate to strike a parable with the gnat or with something even smaller than it, just as it would be a situation where someone refrains from striking a parable with something out of deference—a situation that does not apply here.
فيمثل الحقير بالحقير كما يمثل العظيم بالعظيم، وإن كان المثل أعظم من كل عظيم
Comparison
Common ground
Taberî, Ibn Kathîr, and Beydāwī unite in the contextual reading that the verse constitutes a response to the objection of disbelievers and hypocrites against a parable being struck with small creatures like the gnat; the emphasis that the purpose of the parable is not to belittle but to clarify meaning is common. Ibn Kathîr and Râzî, on the other hand, meet around a common problem in the direct discussion of whether the expression 'mā fawqahā' expresses greatness or smallness (al-Kisā'ī and Abū 'Ubayd's view of smallness versus Qatāda and Ibn Jarīr's view of greatness). Kurtubî and Taberî also utilize narrative material (Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Abbas, Mujāhid, Qatāda) in a similar manner.
Differences
Zemahşerî and Kurtubî, in the excerpts provided, differ by focusing on different parts of the verse (Zemahşerî on the matter of 'the completeness of the scripture,' Kurtubî on the grammatical parsing of 'al-fāsikīn' and refutation of the Mu'tazila), standing apart from the others thematically; this stems more from the difference in which part of the verse is being addressed than from a school difference. Râzî, when inclining toward the view of smallness in the discussion of whether the gnat means 'smaller or greater,' reports Qatāda and Ibn Jarīr's (that is, Taberî's) view of greatness—here a methodological difference can be sensed between Râzî's eloquence-based preference and the Taberî/Ibn Jarīr line's narration-based preference. Kurtubî's refutation of the Mu'tazila stands apart with theological and doctrinal concern; this reflects Kurtubî's polemical aspect regarding the matter of destiny and misguidance, being on the Ash'arī line. Beydāwī's supporting the metaphorical use of the word 'istihyā' with hadith narrations also adds a unique basis to his approach.
Historical context
In Taberî's early period, narration-weighted exegesis prioritizes narrative-based contextual reading, while over time in exegetes like Zemahşerî and Râzî, linguistic and rhetorical analysis and rational argumentation gain weight; in Râzî, a more systematic and theological approach becomes evident with the expression 'verifying scholars.' In Kurtubî, on the other hand, an explicit theological refutation against the Mu'tazila and juridical-doctrinal concern come to the foreground; this shows that over time, exegesis did not remain limited to language and narration but came to include inter-school disputes. Ibn Kathîr, at a later date, returns to narration by adopting a synthesizing attitude that brings together early-period views (al-Kisā'ī, Abū 'Ubayd, Qatāda, Ibn Jarīr). In Beydāwī, there is a concise, rhetoric-centered approach together with metaphorical explanation supported by hadith. Thus, from the early period to the late period, there is a diversification from narration-based contextual reading toward linguistic, rhetorical, and theological discussion; however, the basic contextual framework (response to the objection of disbelievers) has remained largely fixed.
Modern connection
This verse can offer a contemporary perspective on the harmony between knowledge and faith by reminding us that even small things can carry profound meanings; for even the smallest creatures in nature become the subject of scientific inquiry, while at the same time they can serve as a lesson for a thinking mind. The fact that exegetes approach the same verse from different angles (linguistic, narrative, theological) can make us reflect today on the value of being able to look at a subject from multiple perspectives and with tolerance, and making an effort to understand without excluding different viewpoints. This diversity can also be read as an example of the value of patience in deepening education and research, of addressing a matter from different dimensions instead of hastily arriving at a single conclusion.
AI analysis — not a fatwa or ruling, not yet reviewed by a scholar