Surah 6

Surah 6:122

"Is the one who was dead, and We gave him life (again), and made for him a light to walk by among the people, like the one who is to be compared to (a person) in the darkness from which he never emerges? In this way what they have done was made to appear enticing to the disbelievers."
The Parable of the Disbeliever and the Believer Verses 6:122
Show Full Scripture Context (6:122) — 1 Verse
Verse 122

أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيۡتٗا فَأَحۡيَيۡنَٰهُ وَجَعَلۡنَا لَهُۥ نُورٗا يَمۡشِي بِهِۦ فِي ٱلنَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُۥ فِي ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ لَيۡسَ بِخَارِجٖ مِّنۡهَاۚ كَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِلۡكَٰفِرِينَ مَا كَانُواْ يَعۡمَلُونَ

Is the one who was dead, and We gave him life (again), and made for him a light to walk by among the people, like the one who is to be compared to (a person) in the darkness from which he never emerges? In this way what they have done was made to appear enticing to the disbelievers.

122. Is he who was dead, and We gave him life, and set for him a light, whereby he can walk among men - like him who is in the darkness from which he can never come out? Thus it is made fair seeming to the disbelievers that which they used to do.

This is an example that Allah has given of the believer who was dead, meaning, wandering in confusion and misguidance. Then, Allah brought life to him, by bringing life to his heart with faith, guiding him to it and guiding him to obeying His Messengers,

And set for him a light whereby he can walk amongst men.}

for he became guided to where he should go and how to remain on the correct path. The light mentioned here is the Qur'an, according to Ibn ‘Abbas, as Al-‘AwfI and Ibn Abi Talhah reported from him. As-Suddi said that the light mentioned here is Islam. Both meanings are correct.

Like him who is in the darkness} of ignorance, desires and various types of deviation,

From which he can never come out?} for he is unable to find a way out from what he is in. In Musnad Ahmad, it is recorded that the Prophet said;

«Allah created creation in darkness, then He showered His Light upon them. Whoever was struck by that light is guided, whoever it missed is astray.»

— from Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Vol. 4, Page 455)

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.