and then omitting the action-nouns and attributing the parable and comparison directly to those who perform the action. Thus it is said: "Your actions are nothing but like the action of the dog," and then it is omitted so it is said: "Your actions are nothing but like the dog" or "like dogs"—while you mean: "except like the action of the dog" and "except like the action of dogs." But it was not permissible to say: "They are nothing but a palm tree," when you intend to compare their bodies to palm trees in height and completeness.

As for His statement: {kindled a fire}, its interpretation is: "he lit [a fire]", just as the poet said:

And a caller called out: "O you who answers to generosity!" / But no responder answered him then. (1)

He means: "So no responder answered him." The meaning of the speech, therefore, is: The similitude of the seeking of light by these hypocrites—in what they manifest with their tongues to the Messenger of Allah, Peace and blessings of God be upon him, and to the believers, saying: "We believe in God and in the Last Day, and we affirm the truth of Muhammad and what he brought," while secretly harboring disbelief—concerning what God will do with them (2) is like the seeking of light by a kindler of fire with his fire, until the fire illuminated what was around him, meaning: around the kindler.

And some grammarians among the people of Basra claimed that "he who" in His statement: {like the similitude of he who kindled a fire} means "those who", just as He, Majestic is His Praise, said: {And he who brought the truth and believed in it, those are the righteous} [Sūrat al-Zumar: 33], and as the poet said:

For indeed those whose blood was due at Falj / Are the people, the entire people, O Umm Khālid! (3)

Abu Ja'far said: The first view is the correct view, due to the reason we described. And the proponent of that