After tracing the path of hypocrisy from verse 8 through verse 16, this verse now makes that inner condition visible through a living parable. The Qur’an does not only issue a judgment about them; it gives an image through which their inward state and the outcome of their choice can be seen.

“Their likeness is like the likeness of one who kindled a fire” shows that they were not completely untouched by light. A fire was kindled, light appeared, and for a time the surroundings became visible. The signs of truth, the divine message, the space of faith, and the possibility of seeing the way stood before them.

The parable begins with a singular person, but the result turns plural: “the One God took away their light and left them.” One scene is shown, but the collective fate of the hypocrites is being explained.

The illumination around them was not inward guidance. A person may stand in a lit environment, hear verses, see truth, and feel the warmth of being among believers; but if the inward direction does not align with truthfulness and faith, that outer illumination does not become lasting light.

The verse does not say the fire was taken away. It says their light was taken away. The fire may remain, but the guiding light is gone. Heat, smoke, agitation, or the effects of fire may remain, while the light that shows the path has been removed.

A hypocrite may still remain within religious space, know the language of faith, move among believers, or feel religious excitement. But if one turns away from the light of guidance and chooses deception, mockery, corruption, and the exchange of guidance for misguidance, the light of discernment is taken away.

The verse ends with darknesses, in the plural. The light of truth is one and coherent, while the darknesses of falsehood, deception, justification, fear, self-interest, and misguidance are layered and scattered.

• Al-Baqarah 2:16— Purchasing misguidance with guidance; a choice that did not profit and led to the loss of light.
• Al-Baqarah 2:20— The continuation of the image of light, darkness, lightning, movement, and stopping.
• Al-An‘am 6:122— The contrast between one who walks among people with light and one who remains in darknesses.
• An-Nur 24:40— Layered darknesses; whoever the One God gives no light has no light.
• Al-Hadid 57:13-14— The hypocrites asking the believers for light, while a barrier comes between them and light.