The Prophet ﷺ coined many parables to help his followers better understand Allah's commandments and prohibitions. A study of the amthal — what each one illustrates, and why the form works.
| Publisher | Adly Publications |
| Author | Muhammad S. Adly |
| Binding | Paperback |
| Pages | 66 |
| Size | 5.5x8.5x0.25" (14x21.5x0.5cm) |
| Edition | 1st (2021) |
The word mathal in Arabic — "parable" or "similitude" in English — implies a characteristic, likeness or equivalence that one thing shares with another. Because of the similarity between the two, citing one of them in the form of a parable is especially useful in explaining the other.
Parables provide approximate visual or metaphorical images, and are thus uniquely capable of facilitating in-depth understanding.
Because an abstraction is forgotten and an image is not.
Told that good company benefits a person and bad company harms him, a listener agrees and moves on. Told that a good companion is like a seller of musk — you will either be given some, buy some, or at least find a pleasant scent — and a bad one like a blacksmith's bellows, which will burn your clothes or leave you with the smell, the listener remembers it for life.
Allah Himself coins parables throughout the Qur'an, and the Prophet ﷺ followed that method.
The parables themselves and what each establishes: the two companions, the rain falling on different soils, the person who abandons the prayer, the believer among people, the man building a house and leaving one brick.
Understanding what each was answering is what turns a memorable image into a lesson that can be applied.
Any Muslim, and particularly anyone who teaches or gives khutbahs — the parables are the material listeners retain.
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