Fāṭir: (19–22) And the blind are not equal...

Then the Almighty said:

{And the blind are not equal to the seeing, Nor are the darknesses equal to the light, Nor are the shade and the scorching heat equal, Nor are the living equal to the dead.}

After He clarified guidance and misguidance, and since the disbeliever was not guided, while Allah guided the believer, He struck for them a parable using the blind and the seeing. The believer is seeing because he has perceived the clear path, whereas the disbeliever is blind. In the interpretation of this verse, there are several issues:

What is the benefit of multiplying the examples here—using the blind and the seeing, darkness and light, shade and scorching heat, and the living and the dead?

We say:

1. The first pair (blind/seeing) is a parable for the believer and the disbeliever; the believer is seeing, and the disbeliever is blind.
2. Furthermore, even if a person has sharp sight, he cannot see anything unless there is light. Thus, He mentioned light for faith and darkness for disbelief. He said: Faith is light, and the believer is seeing, and the seeing person cannot be hidden from the light. Disbelief is darkness, and the disbeliever is blind—so there is a strong correspondence here.
3. Then, He mentioned their ultimate destination and return as a parable: shade and scorching heat. The believer, through his faith, is in shade and comfort, while the disbeliever, through his disbelief, is in heat and toil.
4. Then the Almighty said: {Nor are the living equal to the dead} as another example concerning the believer and the disbeliever. It is as if He meant that the state of the believer and the disbeliever is superior to the state of the blind and the seeing. This is because the blind person shares with the seeing person in perceiving some things. However, the disbeliever lacks beneficial perception, making him like the dead.

Evidence for this interpretation is that Allah repeated the verb of negation: He first said, {And the blind are not equal to the seeing} and then connected darkness and light, and shade and heat. Then He repeated the verb and said: {Nor are the living equal to the dead}, as if making this second set parallel to the first.

Why was the word of negation repeated between darkness/light, shade/heat, and the living/dead, but not between the blind/seeing?

This repetition is for emphasis. The opposition between darkness and light, and between shade and heat, is one of inherent contradiction (muḍāddah). Darkness negates and opposes light, just as blindness and sight do. However, the blind and the seeing are not contradictory in the same absolute way, as a single person can be seeing and then become blind in his eye. Thus, the opposition between the blind and the seeing is only in description (waṣf).

As for shade and heat, the opposition is inherent (dhātiyyah) because shade implies the absence of heat and cold. Since the opposition there is more complete, it was emphasized by repetition.

Regarding the living and the dead, although they are like the blind and the seeing in that a single body can possess life and then become subject to death, the opposition between the living and the dead is more complete than that between the blind and the seeing. As we explained, the blind and the seeing share in perceiving certain things, which is not the case for the living and the dead. Moreover, the dead differs from the living in essence (ḥaqīqah), not merely in description, as established in divine wisdom (al-Ḥikmah al-Ilāhiyyah).

In two pairs (shade/heat, and living/dead), the more noble element is mentioned second. In the other two pairs (sight/blindness, and light/darkness), the more noble element is mentioned first. Some commentators attribute this to the rhyming of the verse endings (tawākhī awākhir al-āy). This view is weak because rhyming relates to mere sound, whereas the miracle of the Qur'an lies in its meaning, not just its wording. A poet might advance or delay for the sake of rhyme, allowing the wording to compel a change in meaning. However, the Qur'an possesses profound wisdom; its meaning is sound, and its wording eloquent. Therefore, the wording is never advanced or delayed without a corresponding meaning.

We say: Before the Prophet (peace be upon him), the disbelievers were in misguidance, so they were like the blind, and their path was like darkness. Then, when the Prophet (PBUH) came and clarified the truth, a group among them was guided to faith and became seeing, and their path became like light. Therefore, He said: "It is not equal for one who was in disbelief before the mission and one who was guided to faith after it." Since disbelief preceded faith in the time of Muhammad (PBUH), the preceding state (disbelief/blindness) was mentioned first.

Then, when He mentioned the destination and return, He prioritized what relates to Mercy over what relates to Wrath, based on the Divine principle: "My Mercy precedes My Wrath."

Furthermore, the obstinate disbeliever after the mission became more misguided than the blind and resembled the dead in their complete inability to perceive the truth in all aspects. Thus, He said: {Nor are the living equal to the dead}, meaning the believers who believed in what Allah revealed, and the dead who had the clear signs recited to them but did not benefit from them. These latter ones came after the faith of those who believed, so they were postponed relative to the believers because the believers were alive before the death of the obstinate disbelievers.

He mentioned the blind before the seeing because there were misguided disbelievers before the mission who preceded the believers guided after it.

If you ask: Why did He pair the blind with the seeing using the singular form, and shade with heat using the singular form, but paired the living with the dead using the plural form, and darkness with light using the plural for one and the singular for the other? Is there wisdom in this?

We answer: Yes, by the grace and guidance of Allah.

1. Blind/Seeing and Shade/Heat (Singular): This is because He is comparing genus to genus. Individuals were not mentioned because among the blind and the seeing, an individual from one genus might equal an individual from the other. For example, a seeing person who is a stranger in a place might be equal in reaching a goal to a blind person raised in that very place. Or, a blind person might possess an intelligence equal to a dull-witted seeing person. Thus, the difference between the two genera is certain: the genus of the seeing is better than the genus of the blind.

2. Living/Dead (Plural): The difference between them is greater. No dead person equals any living person in perception. Therefore, He stated that the living are not equal to the dead, whether comparing genus to genus or individual to individual.

3. Darknesses/Light (Plural/Singular): The Truth is one—Tawḥīd (monotheism). Falsehoods (shirk) are many, representing the various paths of polytheism, such as worshipping stars, fire, or idols shaped like angels, and so on. The difference between every single one of those false paths and the single Truth is vast. Therefore, He said: All the darknesses, if you consider them, you will not find any one of them equal to the Light. We have already explained in the exegesis of {And He made the darknesses and the light} the reason for unifying the Light and pluralizing the darknesses. Part of that reason is that light requires the existence of a light-giver, a receptive medium, and the absence of an obstruction between the light and the illuminated object. For example, if the sun rises and there is a receptive space (like a window opening allowing rays in), and another opening allows the rays to exit another room, the second room will appear illuminated while the first remains dark if the exit is blocked. If all three conditions are met, the house is illuminated; otherwise, darkness is established by the absence of any one of these three factors.

Then the Almighty said:

{Indeed, Allah hears whom He wills, and you are not one to make those in the graves hear.}

There are two possible interpretations here:

1. The meaning is to clarify that the disbelievers, regarding their hearing of the Prophet's speech and the revelation sent down to him, are like the dead. Allah hears the dead, but the Prophet does not hear those who have died and been buried. The dead hear from Allah, but the disbelievers do not hear from the Prophet.
2. The meaning is consolation for the Prophet (PBUH). After it was made clear that they would not benefit from him or hear him, he was told: "Only Allah hears them if He wills, even if they were deaf rocks. As for you, you cannot make those in the graves hear, so you bear no responsibility for their reckoning."

Then the Almighty said:

{You are only a Warner.} This serves as a clarification of the consolation.