Wild Donkeys Running Away from the Truth🦓

Wild Donkeys Fleeing from Truth: On One of the Qur’an’s Striking Metaphors 🦓

Introduction

The Qur’an employs profoundly vivid and often surprising metaphors to describe the mental and spiritual states of human beings. One of these appears in Surah Al-Muddathir, verses 49–51:

“So what is [the matter] with them that they turn away from admonition?
As if they were startled wild donkeys,
Fleeing from a lion…”
(Al-Muddathir 74:49–51)

At first glance, this metaphor may seem odd, even humorous. Yet, a closer look reveals layers of psychological, sociological, and philosophical insight embedded within this warning.

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1. 🐴 Who Are the Wild Donkeys?

The ḥimār waḥshī—wild donkeys of the Arabian deserts—are untamed creatures, unaccustomed to human contact, easily startled, and prone to sudden flight at the slightest sound. The Qur’an’s choice of this animal is no coincidence; it draws attention to a deep spiritual reflex:

• An undisciplined soul is like a wild donkey.

• A mind unaccustomed to divine words recoils from them.

• A person unwilling to reflect perceives every call to truth as a threat.

In essence, the Qur’an’s message is:

“If you cannot bear to hear the truth, the problem lies within you.”

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2. 🦁 Is the Lion Really a Lion?

The verse speaks of “wild donkeys fleeing from a lion.” Here, the lion symbolizes the Qur’an itself—Divine Revelation:

• It is powerful.

• It shakes you to your core.

• It imposes responsibility.

• It awakens, jolts, and forces you to confront reality.

Those who prefer to remain asleep, clinging to their comfort zones, hear this voice as a lion’s roar—and they flee.

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3. 🧠 Psychological Escape: Fear of the Truth

This metaphor is not just aimed at deniers; it addresses all of us. The Qur’an’s call often:

• Challenges our habits,

• Disrupts our comfort,

• Disturbs the ego.

To avoid seeing an uncomfortable truth, people develop an instinctive flight response. In psychology, this is called cognitive avoidance. The Qur’an brilliantly illustrates this—using the image of donkeys bolting across the desert some 1,400 years ago.

What an astonishing insight.

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4. 💬 The Wild Donkeys of the Modern Age

Who are today’s wild donkeys?

• Those intolerant of criticism.

• Those who believe blindly—or refuse belief altogether.

• Those who plug their ears to avoid hearing the truth.

• Those who perceive the voice of revelation as a threat.

• Those who prioritize comfort over conscience.

For these individuals, when the “lion” of truth approaches, they run—not just physically, but mentally and morally as well.

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5. 🧩 The Qur’an’s Subtle Irony

The Qur’an’s metaphors are not only severe warnings but also laced with subtle irony:

• Comparing humans to donkeys is not an insult but a powerful exposé of their condition.

• Fleeing from a lion exposes an inability to face the truth.

The Qur’an challenges us to ask ourselves:

“Are you truly a thinking being—or just a creature reacting on instinct, running from what you fear?”

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Conclusion: Flee or Face It?

By portraying truth-evaders as wild donkeys, the Qur’an asks us:

“When you hear the truth, what do you do? Do you move towards it—or away from it?”

Here lies the heart of the matter: those who flee from truth are really fleeing their own inner fears.

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🔁 A Reminder

Remember, the Qur’an’s purpose is not to humiliate you—it is to awaken you. So take the first step:

• Don’t run—listen.

• Don’t get defensive—reflect.

• Don’t cling to habit—question.

Perhaps the “lion” approaching you does not want to devour you but to shake you awake.

“Stop being a wild donkey. What makes you human is your courage to face the truth.”