Just as no allegory can convey the taste of chocolate to someone who never tasted it, no allegory can approximate the real experience; one must wait to experience it.1, 2
The descriptions of Heaven and Hell throughout the Quran are allegorical, and the Quran says so with the word Mathal, allegory, in verses such as 2:24-26, 13:35, and 47:15.1
The word Mathal in these verses could be removed and the sentences would still be perfect, so it is there to show that the descriptions of Heaven and Hell are allegorical.1
What Heaven and Hell are really like is far beyond human comprehension, which is why allegory is needed to describe them.1
God teaches through the caterpillar, which enters a cocoon like a grave and exits as an airborne butterfly, that people leaving the grave on Resurrection Day will not be earthbound.1
God uses nature to teach lessons; as an opposing wind keeps the dune sand in place, God's power fights evil and keeps us from being scattered and lost.1, 2
Many Quran verses about gardens, crops, and food are allegorical descriptions of Heaven and Hell.1
The Quran's physical descriptions of Heaven are allegorical, using things that please us in this world to help us understand the Hereafter.1
God tells stories in the Quran not to entertain us but to teach us lessons, and the Quran gives the most accurate history.1, 2, 3
In the parable of the two gardens, money made the owner arrogant, made him think he was immune to trouble, and made him forget God and the growth of his soul.1, 2
People who reject God's proofs cling to their own opinions like a panting dog, loving their opinions more than the truth no matter what truth is offered.1, 2, 3
Trust alone does not heal, just as a patient who trusts his doctor but never takes the prescribed medicine will not get well.1
The Quran cites every kind of example, woven in not only linguistically but also mathematically, which makes its consistency even more miraculous.1, 2
God has decreed that truth shall prevail and falsehood shall vanish, like foam that goes to waste while what benefits people remains.1, 2
It is more blessed to give than to receive.1
The Quran describes Heaven and Hell in graphic allegories so that we can envision something of their joy or pain.1
Prosperity tends to make people forgetful of God and proud, as in the example of the garden owners whose crop was destroyed.1, 2
God brings idols down to the level of a fly, showing that both are helpless.1, 2
God compares one who follows disputing sources, the Hadith, to one who follows a single consistent source, the Quran, and they are not the same.1
God cites allegories, from the mosquito to greater things, which only the knowledgeable appreciate, and through them He guides many and misleads only the wicked.1, 2
The parable of the man with two gardens shows that relying solely on ourselves without acknowledging God's will leads to failure and despair.1
Jesus taught that we show love for God by how we use the life God entrusted to us. We fail to love others when we cause suffering or fail to relieve it when we can.1, 2
At death our body, possessions, and family all stay behind, and only our soul goes on with us to the Day of Judgment.1, 2, 3, 4
Happiness does not equal worldly success, as shown by the Quran's story of two men with gardens where the one who ignored God ended up sorrowful.1, 2, 3
Just as the light in the allegory is neither eastern nor western, God's light is everywhere, just as God is everywhere.1
The works of disbelievers are like a mirage that a thirsty person thinks is water, and when he reaches it he finds God there to requite him fully.1
God gives the best examples and allegories in the Quran so people can appreciate some of His mercy, compassion, and greatness.1
In the parable of the man dealing with disputing partners, hadith collections are the disputing partners while the Quran is the one consistent source.1, 2
The Quran likens those who accept other masters beside God to the spider's flimsy home, because idols seem strong but one sweep of God's hand reduces them to nothing.1, 2
When adversity is at its worst, we should be like the coffee bean, growing better and making things better around us instead of weakening or becoming hardened.1, 2, 3
God compares the good word to a good tree with firm roots and high branches that produces its crop every season.1
God guides to His light whoever wills to be guided, and He cites parables for the people.1
Believers must not nullify their charities with reproach and insult or by giving to show off, which is like soil washed off a rock.1, 2
The parable of the two gardens teaches that the arrogant man who took his wealth for granted lost everything when God removed the blessing of water, while the humble one recognized God as provider.1, 2
Those who believe, worship God alone and give cheerfully to charity are like lush land that thrives even on little rain, while for the unappreciative disbeliever no amount of rain suffices.1, 2, 3
Descriptions of Paradise in the Quran are allegorical, and believers who lead righteous lives will have gardens and pure spouses forever.1, 2
God teaches by example because humans learn through examples, and the Quran cites every kind of example, though only the knowledgeable appreciate them.1, 2, 3
Like a doctor's certificate, an announcement of messengership assures believers that they are following God's guidance through a proven, declared messenger rather than a charlatan.1
Just as altering a house or car key makes it useless, adding to or deleting from Al-Fatehah makes it not work.1, 2, 3
Most food imagery in the Quran is allegorical description of the Hereafter, with Hell's bitter trees contrasted with Heaven's gardens and rivers of pure water, milk, and honey.1
The Quran uses crops figuratively: spending in God's cause is like a grain producing many spikes, and preoccupation with worldly life is like a garden suddenly struck barren.1
Following Hadith is like dealing with disputing partners, while following the Quran is like dealing with one consistent source.1
God tries to help us grasp what is beyond our comprehension through allegory and direct statements, since no vision can encompass Him.1, 2
The Quran is a single consistent source, unlike the disputing partners of Hadith, according to the writer's reading of 39:27-29.1
The bees' method of choosing the sex of their young is a parable that might explain why the Bee chapter condemns idolators who grieved at baby girls and buried them alive.1, 2
God likens a good word to a good tree with firmly fixed roots and high branches, and a bad word to a rootless tree chopped at the soil.1, 2