Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “Their likeness is the likeness of one who kindled a fire, so when it illuminated what was around him, Allah took away their light and left them in darknesses in which they could not see.” Mention

Then Allah the Exalted said: Allah struck two examples for these hypocrites: a fire example and a water example, according to their conditions. He said: meaning like a man who did not have fire with him, but he kindled, meaning he asked another to light his fire. The form *istaf'ala* means seeking, like *istaghfara* means seeking forgiveness, and *istansara* means seeking victory. It can also come for other purposes; it can come for exaggeration. The *sin* and *ta* can come for exaggeration, like *istakbara*, which does not mean seeking arrogance, but means he increased in his arrogance. So, *istawqada*—what does it come for? It means *istaf'ala*. *Istawqada* is *istaf'ala* for what? For seeking. And it can come for exaggeration. May Allah reward you. meaning he sought to light a fire. This indicates that he was in darkness, but he sought to light a fire. As for himself, he had no fire and no light. meaning the fire that he kindled. meaning around the one who kindled. What is around the fire? If the intended meaning was around the fire, he would have said: what is around it. And he did not say: meaning what is around the one who kindled. It did not go far; it illuminated what was around him. So the heat and the darkness remained. Because the custom of fire when it goes out is that it becomes hot and dark. The smoke went, the light went, and the heat and darkness remained. Plural. We must understand what this plural is. First: the darkness of the night. How is it the darkness of the night? From where did we know that this is at night? The students: The Shaykh : In the daytime, the fire does not illuminate what is around it, because the light of the sun obscures all light. A second darkness: when darkness comes after light, it becomes more intense. Try it yourself: turn off the light while your eyes are open, and you will find the darkness. And after a little while, you see what is around you. For this reason, I advise everyone who wants to turn off the light to close their eyes when turning it off. Because if he closes his eyes when turning it off, then opens them, the matter is normal, is it not, Ya Irshad? Good. No, I want your medical confirmation. Yes! The student: We understood it through medicine...The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah? This one we understood through experience, and our brother understood it through medicine theoretically. In any case, if the light goes away quickly, it becomes intense darkness, right? The third darkness: the darkness of smoke. Because the custom of fire when it is extinguished without the fuel ending is that there will be smoke. And here the fuel did not end, because he said: As soon as it illuminated, Allah took away the light. This means that the fuel had not ended yet, and at that time there would be smoke. So the darknesses became three; they became three. The light is singular: "their light." Plural, because the light is one; it does not repeat or multiply. It is one, whether strong or weak. meaning they do not see.