METAPHORICAL EXPRESSION AND THE THEME OF IMPOSSIBILITY IN THE QURAN
METAPHORICAL EXPRESSION AND THE THEME OF IMPOSSIBILITY IN THE QURAN
In the Context of the Camel Passing Through the Eye of a Needle
The Holy Quran, as a text addressing humanity, possesses a powerful rhetorical structure. Within this rhetoric, metaphorical expression holds a significant place. Metaphors used to convey themes such as impossibility, irrationality, or extreme difficulty particularly reveal the eloquence and richness of the Quran. This article will focus on the phrase "a camel passing through the eye of a needle" in the Quran, examining how metaphorical language carries a theological, psychological, and moral message, and will comparatively evaluate other similar metaphors.
1. Introduction
The audience addressed by the Quran consists of people with different intellectual and social levels. Therefore, the Quran intensely uses symbolic, representative, and metaphorical language to convey its universal messages.
These expressions often serve to concretize abstract concepts. Metaphors used especially for situations of impossibility, remote probability, or absolute rejection are narrative elements that deepen the instructional aspect of the Quran. The most striking of these is the analogy of "a camel passing through the eye of a needle," found in Surah Al-A'raf, verse 40.
2. The Camel Passing Through the Eye of a Needle: On A'raf 7/40
2.1 Analysis of the Verse
"Indeed, those who deny Our verses and are arrogant toward them—the gates of the heaven will not be opened for them, nor will they enter Paradise until a camel enters into the eye of a needle..." (A'raf, 7:40)
This verse contains a three-tiered narrative:
Denial of verses: Conscious disbelief and rejection.
Arrogance: The primary psychological reason for disbelief.
Camel passing through the eye of a needle: An absolute impossibility.
2.2 Linguistic Examination
"يَلِجَ الْجَمَلُ فِي سَمِّ الْخِيَاطِ": "Until the camel enters into the eye of the needle."
"Jammal (جمل)": In widespread recitation, it means "camel." There is also an alternative reading as "jummal (جُمَّل)," meaning "thick rope." However, the striking impact of the meaning is maximized with "camel."
"Samm al-khiyat (سمّ الخياط)": The phrase "eye of a needle" represents an extremely narrow, unattainable space both visually and mentally.
2.3 Theological Interpretation
This analogy is used to show that arrogant disbelievers will not attain Allah's mercy. The impossibility here signifies a moral and spiritual closure, not a physical one. For someone who rejects the truth with arrogance, entering Paradise is as impossible as a camel passing through the eye of a needle.
3. Similar Metaphorical Impossibility Analogies in the Quran
3.1 "The gates of the heaven will not be opened" (A'raf 7:40)
This phrase, found in the same verse, is another metaphor expressing that divine mercy and ascent (spiritual progress) are impossible. Here, "heaven" is a symbol of ascent, sublimity, and divine closeness. The closing of these gates means that no spiritual process leading upward will be accepted.
3.2 "Their hearts are like stones, or even harder" (Baqarah 2:74)
The hardness of the hearts of those who do not believe is described using the example of stone. This not only shows that the heart is closed to truth but also expresses a moral bluntness even more resistant than natural stones.
3.3 "Even if We sent down angels to them and the dead spoke to them and We gathered before them everything, they would not believe" (An'am 6:111)
Here, even if a miracle as vast as mountains were made to move, it is used in the sense of a supernatural miracle. Even such miracles cannot make arrogant and ill-intentioned people believe. Impossibility here points to the disbeliever's internal resistance.
3.4 "And if their aversion is difficult for you, then if you are able to seek a tunnel into the earth or a ladder to the sky and bring them a sign, [then do so]. But if Allah had willed, He would have united them upon guidance. So never be among the ignorant." (An'am 6:35)
Here, it is emphasized that the disbeliever will not believe even in miracles so clear that they can be seen with the naked eye. The descent of a ladder from the sky is a symbol of direct divine intervention. However, if the heart is locked, no external evidence can open it.
3.5 "And you will not find in the way of Allah any change" (Fatir 35:43)
This expression describes the steadfastness of divine laws. No matter how much humans deviate, Allah's order of justice and principles does not change. This is also a kind of message of metaphysical impossibility.
4. The Function of Metaphor: From Aesthetics to Impact
These metaphors in the Quran are not merely figures of speech. Each one:
Produces moral consciousness,
Creates intellectual shock,
Provides emotional impact,
Offers theological depth.
The analogy of "a camel passing through the eye of a needle" evokes both a smile and horror in the listener. It paints a striking picture in the mind: To reach Paradise, one must be cleansed of arrogance.
5. As Mutashabih (Allegorical)
This analogy has been interpreted as the self passing through a narrow gate:
Camel: Ego, arrogance, self.
Eye of a needle: Heart, humility, the gate of purification.
Unless the self is purified, it cannot pass through the heart to the truth. This interpretation also shows that the Quranic metaphors are not just threats but warnings that carry guidance.
6. Conclusion
The Quran's analogy of "a camel passing through the eye of a needle" is one of the pinnacle examples of impossibility metaphors found in both Arab culture and other Abrahamic traditions. Through this and similar metaphors, the Quran:
Exposes moral stances,
Emphasizes theological constants,
Identifies obstacles to faith.
Metaphorical impossibilities do not merely describe what "is not"; they also define what "should be." Because the path to truth lies in shedding arrogance. Otherwise, while unable to pass through the widest gate of truth, one would expect a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.
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