وَلَوۡ
شِئۡنَا
لَرَفَعۡنَٰهُ
بِهَا
وَلَٰكِنَّهُۥٓ
أَخۡلَدَ
إِلَى
ٱلۡأَرۡضِ
وَٱتَّبَعَ
هَوَىٰهُۚ
فَمَثَلُهُۥ
كَمَثَلِ
ٱلۡكَلۡبِ
إِن
تَحۡمِلۡ
عَلَيۡهِ
يَلۡهَثۡ
أَوۡ
تَتۡرُكۡهُ
يَلۡهَثۚ
ذَّٰلِكَ
مَثَلُ
ٱلۡقَوۡمِ
ٱلَّذِينَ
كَذَّبُواْ
بِـَٔايَٰتِنَاۚ
فَٱقۡصُصِ
ٱلۡقَصَصَ
لَعَلَّهُمۡ
يَتَفَكَّرُونَ
١٧٦
And if We had willed, We could have elevated him thereby,1 but he adhered [instead] to the earth2 and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs.3 So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought.
Read Tafsir
Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Story Bal`am bin Ba`ura
`Abdur-Razzaq recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that Allah's statement,
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِى ءاتَيْنَهُ ءَايَتِنَا فَانْسَلَخَ مِنْهَا
(And recite to them the story of him to whom We gave Our Ayat, but he threw them away) "Is about Bal`am bin Ba`ura' a man fro
…Story Bal`am bin Ba`ura
`Abdur-Razzaq recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said that Allah's statement,
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ الَّذِى ءاتَيْنَهُ ءَايَ
…