(175–178) “And recite to them the account of the one to whom We gave Our signs, but he cast them off; Satan then pursued him, and he became one of those who went astray. Had We willed, We could have elevated him by means of them, but he clung to the earth and followed his desire. His likeness is that of a dog: if you drive it away, it pants, and if you leave it alone, it still pants. That is the likeness of the people who rejected Our signs. So relate the accounts, so that they may reflect. How evil is the likeness of the people who rejected Our signs; it was themselves they wronged. Whoever Allah guides is truly guided, and whoever He leads astray—it is they who are the losers.”
Allah Most High says to His Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him: “And recite to them the account of the one to whom We gave Our signs” ⦗309⦘; that is, We taught him the Book of Allah, and he became a great scholar and an erudite authority.
“But he cast them off; Satan then pursued him.” That is, he divested himself of the true qualities imparted by knowledge of Allah’s signs. Such knowledge causes its possessor to be adorned with noble character and righteous deeds and raises him to the highest ranks and loftiest stations. Yet this man cast the Book of Allah behind his back, rejected the character it enjoins, and shed it as one sheds a garment.
When he cast them off, Satan pursued him—that is, Satan gained mastery over him once he had left the impregnable fortress. He sank to the lowest of the low, and Satan relentlessly drove him toward acts of disobedience.
“And he became one of those who went astray,” after having been rightly guided and a guide to others.
This was because Allah Most High abandoned him and left him to himself. Hence Allah Most High says: “Had We willed, We could have elevated him by means of them,” by enabling him to act upon them, so that he would rise in rank in this world and the Hereafter and be protected from his enemies.
“But he” did what warranted abandonment: “he clung to the earth”; that is, to base desires and worldly pursuits. “And followed his desire,” forsaking obedience to his Master. Thus, because of his intense eagerness for this world and his heart’s utter attachment to it, “his likeness is that of a dog: if you drive it away, it pants, and if you leave it alone, it still pants.” That is, it continues panting in every circumstance. Likewise, this man remains constantly avid, with an all-consuming desire that engrosses his heart; nothing in this world can ever satisfy his need.
“That is the likeness of the people who rejected Our signs,” after Allah had brought those signs to them. They did not submit to them but instead denied and rejected them because of their lowliness before Allah and because they followed their desires without guidance from Him.
“So relate the accounts, so that they may reflect” upon the parables, lessons, and signs. If they reflect, they will understand; and if they understand, they will act.
“How evil is the likeness of the people who rejected Our signs; it was themselves they wronged.” That is, how evil and repugnant is the likeness of those who rejected Allah’s signs and wronged themselves through all manner of sins. Theirs is indeed an evil likeness.
The one to whom Allah gave His signs may refer to a particular person who did what Allah has mentioned, whose story Allah related as a warning to His servants. It may also be a generic designation encompassing everyone to whom Allah gives His signs but who then casts them off.
These verses encourage acting upon knowledge, showing that this elevates its possessor by Allah’s grace and protects him from Satan. They also warn against failing to act upon knowledge, for this causes a person to descend to the lowest of the low and allows Satan to gain mastery over him. They further show that following one’s desires and surrendering oneself to base appetites are causes of being abandoned by Allah.
Allah Most High then states that He alone guides and leads astray: “Whoever Allah guides,” by enabling him to do good, protecting him from evils, and teaching him what he did not know, “is truly guided,” because he has chosen the guidance of Allah Most High. “And whoever He leads astray,” by abandoning him and not enabling him to do good, “it is they who are the losers”—those who will lose themselves and their families on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, that is the manifest loss.