أَوَمَن كَانَ مَيْتًا فَأَحْيَيْنَٰهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُۥ نُورًا يَمْشِى بِهِۦ فِى ٱلنَّاسِ كَمَن مَّثَلُهُۥ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِّنْهَا
"Is one who was dead and whom We brought to life, and for whom We made a light by which he walks among people, like one whose likeness is in darknesses from which he cannot come out?"
| Element | The first side | The second side |
|---|---|---|
| State | Kāna maytan fa-aḥyaynāhu — brought to life | Fi'l-ẓulumāt — in darkness |
| Instrument | Nūran yamshī bihi — a light | — |
| Place | Fi'l-nās — among people | Laysa bi-khārijin minhā — cannot come out |
I record this as my own reading, and its ground is the expression yamshī bihi fi'l-nās: the light given is not for himself alone — it is for walking among people. That is, guidance is described not as an inner state on its own but as a road that is walked.
And here too darkness is plural and light singular — the same pattern as in the first verse of the sūra. This is a repetition that can be verified within the sūra.