Beloved brothers and sisters, we are now looking onto the 14th post of our series titled “The Literary Elegance of the Noble Qur’an.” In this series, we have been examining verses from the Noble Qur’an that are not merely used in their direct literal meaning, but are employed in a figurative or literary sense, and we have been exploring their explanations.
From one grain comes 700 grains
Among such verses, the one we are going to take today relates to how Allahﷻ explains certain matters through examples and parables. Sometimes, instead of stating something directly, when it is explained through an example, people understand it more easily and more clearly. For this reason, Allahﷻ gives examples for many matters.
Today we will look at some such examples.
For instance, if it is said that a person spends for a good cause, one may say there is great reward for it — perhaps 1,000 rewards or 10,000 rewards. That would be a direct statement of meaning. But what does Allahﷻ do? In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 261, Allahﷻ gives an example regarding those who spend in charity.
From that example we must understand that just as the example operates in that manner, likewise the reward for charity also multiplies in that same way.
What example does Allahﷻ give?
Allahﷻ says that the example of those who spend their wealth in the path of Allahﷻ is like a single grain of seed. Imagine you spend much wealth — take, for example, just one grain, whether a grain of paddy or wheat or any seed.
Allahﷻ says that this one grain sprouts into seven ears. When that seed grows, the plant produces seven ears, and in each ear there are a hundred grains.
So you sow one grain, and when it grows it produces seven ears, and if you open each ear you will find 100 grains in each.
That is the example. If you spend something in the path of Allahﷻ , just as that one grain appears small but when sown it becomes seven ears, and each ear contains 100 grains, then it becomes 700 grains in total.
From one grain comes 700 grains. Likewise, Allahﷻ says: the good deed you do, the charity you spend — I will give you 700 times the reward.
And this 700 is only the minimum. Allahﷻ can give far more than that. Allahﷻ multiplies it even more for whom He wills. But at the very least, if you spend one, you will receive 700.
This is the example Allahﷻ gives. When people hear such an example, they understand. They say: “Yes, we sow one grain of paddy and harvest hundreds.”
Is this not something we already, see? Every farmer who cultivates the land sees this. One grain becomes many grains. You sow one grain of rice and harvest hundreds. You sow wheat and harvest hundreds. The 700 mentioned is an approximate expression — the point is that it multiplies many times over.
You see this with your own eyes. Just as Allahﷻ already causes crops to multiply in agriculture, Allahﷻ says He will multiply your charity likewise.
After all, the increase that happens in agriculture is not because of our effort alone — it is Allahﷻ who causes it to grow. When you sow one grain and harvest many, did those grains fall from the sky? No. Allahﷻ causes them to grow from the earth and gives them to you.
So by showing this example of one becoming 700, Allahﷻ teaches us to spend in good causes. For most other acts of worship, the reward is multiplied ten times. The Messengerﷺ of Allahﷻ said: whoever does a good deed receives ten times its reward.
For example:
- Saying SubhanAllahﷻ once brings the reward of ten.
- Performing one prayer gives tenfold reward.
- Observing one fast gives tenfold reward.
For most deeds, the rule is one becomes ten.
But when it comes to spending wealth in charity, Allahﷻ increases it to 700 times. If you spend one rupee, Allahﷻ records it as though you spent 700 rupees in reward.
To explain this, Allahﷻ could simply say directly: “If you spend one, I will give you 700.” But instead, Allahﷻ gives this example.
Why? Because someone may wonder: “How can one become 700?”
But when you see the example of agriculture — when one grain produces hundreds — then you understand that nothing is reduced from anywhere. When one grain becomes 700 grains, does it take from another place? Does it reduce someone else’s share? No. It simply grows from the same place.
Likewise, Allahﷻ says: when He gives 700 in reward, it does not reduce His treasures. Allahﷻ ’s treasury does not diminish by giving.
Just as crops grow from the earth without reducing anything elsewhere, Allahﷻ gives reward abundantly without reducing anything. Thus, Allahﷻ explains through this example so that the meaning becomes deeply rooted in our hearts.
So when we hear this example, we feel inspired to give charity. Just as one grain becomes hundreds of grains, charity brings immense reward.
Why does Allahﷻ emphasize charity so strongly?
Because, human beings may sacrifice many things, but they are reluctant to give money. A person may even give his life, but he hesitates to give wealth.
Such is the attachment people have toward money. They do not want to lose it or take it out of their possession. To them, giving money feels almost like giving their life.
Therefore Allahﷻ grants greater reward for charity.
To give wealth requires conquering the nafs (the inner self). Only someone who overcomes his ego can give.
People can perform many acts of worship easily. If told to pray, they may pray. If told to pray a hundred units of prayer, they may even do that. But ask them to give 100 in charity, and they hesitate.
Why? Because giving money feels difficult. Humans have a deep attachment to wealth. Yet Allahﷻ is the One who gave that wealth in the first place. And Allahﷻ is the One who placed that attachment in the human heart.
Therefore, Allahﷻ considers how much sacrifice it takes for a person to give wealth, how much inner strength it requires, and for that reason Allahﷻ multiplies its reward 700 times.
Thus, we understand this matter through the example of the grain.
Spend their wealth seeking the pleasure of Allahﷻ
Then Allahﷻ gives another example, also related to spending in charity.
Instead of merely stating the reward plainly, Allahﷻ again gives an illustration.
Those who spend their wealth seeking the pleasure of Allahﷻ , spending sincerely for Allahﷻ — saying in their hearts: “O my Lord, I expect reward from You, and I give this for Your sake” — and they spend with conviction in their hearts…
The example of such charity is like a garden.
Imagine a garden full of trees, plants, and vines. But where is this garden located?
It is not on flat land. It is on a raised, elevated place, like the highlands of Ooty or Kodaikanal, not on ordinary ground. When rain falls upon such a garden in a high place, the climate there is naturally cool. Normally we might think that places closer to the sun would be hotter. After all, the mountains are higher, so they should be closer to the sun. But Allahﷻ has arranged it differently. People go to hill stations like Ooty or Kashmir seeking cool weather, not heat. Higher places are cooler, and such coolness is very beneficial for plants to grow well.
Why is that? The heat we feel is not simply because sunlight touches us. It is because the air absorbs moisture. The air near the earth contains water vapor drawn from rivers, seas, lakes, and other sources. That vapour absorbs heat, and when that warm air touches us, we feel the heat.
In fact, modern technology can even extract water directly from the air using machines. The air around us contains water vapor that originally came from oceans, rivers, and other sources evaporated by sunlight.
But as air rises higher, it cools and contains less vapor. So in high mountains — 3, 4, or 5 kilometers above sea level — the air has much less vapor and therefore much less heat. That is why those places remain cool.
Allahﷻ even hints at such scientific realities in this description. Thus Allahﷻ says the garden is located on elevated land. He could simply say “a garden,” but instead He describes it as being in a high place — the best kind of garden.
Such elevation itself makes the garden fertile and healthy. And if rain also falls there, then the garden becomes even more productive. When rain falls on that elevated garden, its produce becomes doubled. If a normal garden produces twofold, this one produces fourfold.
Even if heavy rain does not fall, a light drizzle is sufficient. Because, in lower lands the sun quickly dries the moisture, but in the cool highlands the moisture remains. Therefore even a light drizzle is enough to make the garden flourish.
And that, Allahﷻ says, is the example. What example does Allahﷻ give?
Garden is set up on elevated land
If you ask what example He gives, it is this: “You spend in the path of Allahﷻ .” How does Allahﷻ describe the way He accepts it? He says it is like establishing a garden.
You establish a garden, and that garden is set up on elevated land. In that elevated place you cultivate crops — that cultivation represents your spending. What does “spending” mean here? It means you plant and produce. You grow coconut trees, tamarind trees, mango trees, brinjal plants, and various other trees and plants. All those things you cultivate and produce — that is your spending.
When you cultivate in such a place, because of the location of that land, because of the fertility of the soil, and because rain falls upon it, it produces double yield for you. Likewise, Allahﷻ explains that if you spend in good causes, the results will come in abundance.
Even if heavy rain does not fall there, a light drizzle alone will be enough for the crops to continue producing. Such is its nature. Even if rain does not fall, a small drizzle is sufficient.
This is the example Allahﷻ shows. Through this example, Allahﷻ is telling us that when you spend in the path of Allahﷻ seeking His pleasure, it is like cultivating a garden in elevated land that yields double harvest. That is the position you will attain.
Allahﷻ presents this as a parable. What does it indicate? It indicates certainty of benefit. If you plant on ordinary ground, there is no guarantee. If rain does not fall, the land may dry up and become barren. But in such elevated land, even if rain does not fall, it will still produce at least one yield; if rain falls, it produces double yield. The soil there always remains moist and fertile. In those cool regions the earth stays pleasantly damp.
By presenting this example, Allahﷻ shows that this is how spending in His path works.
This way of explaining through examples is Literary Elegance. Allahﷻ could simply say: “If you spend, you will surely receive reward.” That would be enough to finish the matter. But instead of stating it plainly, Allahﷻ gives such vivid parables.
When such literary examples are given, they become attractive, they motivate people, they sound pleasant to hear, and they become appealing. Even the promise of reward that Allahﷻ gives is presented in an appealing and captivating manner. For that reason Allahﷻ uses these examples.
Top of that rock there is a thin layer of soil – Farming on a slippery rock.
Likewise, there is another example related to spending.
When someone spends wealth, what does he do sometimes? A person may spend his wealth, but afterwards he reminds the recipient of it, humiliates him, hurts his feelings, and destroys the value of that help. If you help someone and then mention it repeatedly, it will hurt the dignity of a self-respecting person.
For example, if you say: “The shirt he is wearing was bought by me. I bought him that pen.” If you say such things, the person will feel ashamed and think, “Why did I take it from him?”
Any person with dignity cannot tolerate such reminders of help.
Then what happens? Allahﷻ will not consider that charity as valid. Because when you give and then remind him of it, the person who received it is no longer happy. Instead, he feels humiliated.
Such charity does not deserve reward. When Allahﷻ explains this, He gives an example.
Many people behave like this. They say, “I am the one who did this charity. I am the one who provided that.” Not only do they say it, they even write their names publicly.
If someone donates a microphone, they write on it: “Donated by so-and-so.” If someone buys a light, they paint his name on it. Half the brightness of the lamp is covered with paint announcing who donated it.
If you gave it for Allahﷻ , why must your name appear everywhere? If Allahﷻ accepted it, that is enough.
When a person mentions it verbally, he may say it once. But when it is written, everyone who sees it keeps hearing the message again and again: “I bought this light.” He buys a lamp worth a hundred rupees and for twenty-five years continues receiving praise for it. What sincerity is there in that? Such acts should not receive reward.
In Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 264, Allahﷻ says: “O believers! Do not nullify your charities by reminders of generosity or by causing hurt.” Charity becomes void when you remind people of it or hurt them by mentioning it.
Allahﷻ then gives an example. A person spends wealth merely for people to see, without true faith in Allahﷻ . The example of such a person is like a rock.
Imagine a large rock, and on top of that rock there is a thin layer of soil — perhaps one or two inches of soil. It looks like land suitable for farming. Someone sees the soil and thinks it is farmland and begins to cultivate it.
He plants seeds, maybe brinjal or some other crop, expecting it to grow. But underneath the soil there is solid rock.
Then suddenly heavy rain falls. If light rain falls nothing happens. But when heavy rain comes, it washes away the thin layer of soil. Once the soil is gone, the rock appears exactly as it was before — bare and smooth. All the effort he put into cultivation becomes useless.
He may have worked over a large area, even an acre perhaps, hoping for a big harvest. But when the rain washes away the soil, it carries away the seeds and plants along with it. Nothing remains. Allahﷻ says that reminding people of your charity is exactly like this.
When you give, it may look like you are gaining reward. But when you remind people of it, Allahﷻ turns it into nothing.
It is like cultivating on a slippery rock. Not directly on the rock, but on a thin layer of soil over the rock. Eventually everything is washed away.
On the Day of Judgment you may think: “I gave charity to many people.” But Allahﷻ will show you a bare rock and say: “This is your charity — nothing remains.”
When people understand this example, they realize how dangerous it is to boast about charity.
Islam strongly condemns reminding others of charity. The Prophetﷺ severely criticized this behavior in many places.
Allahﷻ also describes the righteous people who feed the poor. They say: “We feed you only for the sake of Allahﷻ . We seek neither reward nor thanks from you.”
This is the correct attitude: charity should be done only for Allahﷻ , without reminding others of it.
But many people give generously and then destroy the reward themselves.
Giving money is already difficult for humans. Even spending a hundred rupees can feel painful, like cutting off a finger. Yet after making such effort, instead of hoping for reward from Allahﷻ , they spoil it by boasting.
There are many forms of reminding people. Saying it directly to the person is one. But some people go further and announce it publicly everywhere.
They say, “The pen he uses was bought by me.” When the person hears such talk, he feels humiliated and thinks, “Why did I accept help from him?”
How can Allahﷻ give reward in such a case? You did not give for Allahﷻ ’s pleasure; you gave for people’s praise.
On the Day of Judgment Allahﷻ will question three people.
One of them is a martyr. Allahﷻ will ask him what he did. He will say, “I sacrificed my life for Your sake.” But Allahﷻ will say, “You fought so people would call you brave.” People indeed praised him in the world, so Allahﷻ will say: “You have already received your reward there.” Then he will be dragged to Hell.
Another person is a scholar who taught religion correctly. Allahﷻ will ask him what he did. He will say he taught knowledge. Allahﷻ will say: “You did it so people would call you a scholar.” Since he received that praise in the world, he receives no reward in the Hereafter.
The third person is a wealthy donor who gave generously. When Allahﷻ asks him, he will list all his donations: mosques, schools, charity to the poor. But Allahﷻ will say: “You gave so people would call you generous.” Since he received that praise in the world, he has no reward here.
He too will be dragged to Hell.This narration is an authentic hadith recorded in Muslim.
Therefore charity must never be publicized in a way that seeks praise.
Nowadays people even print posters announcing their donations. They place plaques and inscriptions declaring who donated something. Even when building a mosque, some insist that the mosque carry their name.
If you built the mosque for Allahﷻ , why must your name be attached to it?
If later people name it after someone as a remembrance, that may be acceptable. But if the donor himself insists on his name being placed there, then he built it for recognition, not for Allahﷻ .
In that case the reward disappears. Allahﷻ says such charity is like farming on a slippery rock.
Burning wind carrying fire comes and destroys the entire garden
Likewise, Allahﷻ gives another example for those who spend wealth merely to gain praise. Suppose a man owns a beautiful garden filled with date palms and grapevines. There are rivers flowing beneath it, so water is abundant. The soil is fertile and full of fruits of all kinds. Imagine having such a garden — it would be attractive and desirable.
But the man grows old, and his children are still young and weak. At that moment, a burning wind carrying fire comes and destroys the entire garden. The old man has no strength to rebuild it. His children are too young to help. Everything he depended on is gone.
Allahﷻ says: imagine the state of such a person.
That is exactly what happens to someone who spends wealth for fame and praise. He thinks he has done many good deeds and will receive reward. But when death comes, it is like a fire that burns all his deeds away.
When he stands before Allahﷻ , he will find nothing left. Everything has been burned away.
So that we do not end up in such a ruined state, Allahﷻ explains certain matters to us through these examples. These examples — such as the garden destroyed by scorching wind — are all related to the matter of spending wealth.
Like a wind carrying intense cold
Likewise, there are people who do not believe in Allahﷻ at all, yet they still spend wealth. Such people exist. Among human beings there are those who do not know Allahﷻ , who do not believe in the Hereafter, who are non-Muslims. They too sometimes spend for good causes. Even the disbelievers of Makkah spent wealth for certain purposes.
But will they receive any reward for it? No, they will not.
Why? Because the fundamental requirement is faith in Allahﷻ .
Whatever good deed a person performs — whatever charity he spends — if he expects reward for it, that reward will only be given when it is done with belief in Allahﷻ . Without that belief, there is no reward.
To explain this, Allahﷻ gives another example.
The example of those who spend without faith in Allahﷻ — the example of the spending of disbelievers — is like a wind carrying intense cold. Imagine a powerful wind, a wind containing extreme cold — not the mild cold we feel in our regions, but severe cold, the kind that falls into sub-zero temperatures. When such a freezing wind strikes a field cultivated by a community, it destroys the entire crop.
In certain cold regions we see this: when extremely cold winds arrive, the crops cannot survive. Normally the moisture within the leaves and stems must circulate and evaporate gradually for the plant to remain healthy. But when extreme cold arrives, the water within the leaves and stems freezes into ice.
Once the water freezes, the plant cannot transport nutrients. Everything becomes rigid like ice blocks. Soon afterward the plant withers and dies.
If you look at the leaves afterward, they appear shriveled and blackened. Thus, the crops perish. Sometimes crops are destroyed by scorching heat, and sometimes by freezing cold. In this case, the freezing wind destroys them by turning the moisture within them into ice.
If you were to take a plant and place it inside a freezer, it would die. In the refrigerator it might survive briefly, but in the freezer it will perish. Its life cannot continue in that condition. Likewise, Allahﷻ says that He does not wrong them; they wrong themselves.
Why does this state come upon them? Because they perform deeds without faith in Allahﷻ .
Whatever they may do — even if they plant great trees or grow abundant crops — when the freezing wind arrives, it destroys everything. That wind represents death.
When death arrives, a person goes expecting to harvest the results of his deeds. But when he reaches there, he finds that all his deeds have been destroyed like crops struck by freezing wind.
Through this example Allahﷻ explains that one must spend with faith in Allahﷻ . Otherwise there will be no reward.
There are many such examples in the Qur’an.
Like a person who calls out to animals
For instance, suppose we preach to someone, but he refuses to listen. We try many times, yet he hears but does not accept. We speak to him about the Qur’an, he does not listen. We speak about the hadith, he does not listen.
Allahﷻ gives an example for such a person. He says: imagine you stand before sheep or cattle and start delivering a speech to them — greeting them, addressing them with beautiful words. Would they understand anything?
They would only hear sound. The meaning of your words would not reach them.
You may be explaining deep ideas, but to them it is only noise. Whether you speak kindly or shout angrily, it makes no difference to them.
In the same way, when you preach to certain disbelievers, they hear your words like the bleating of animals — mere noise without meaning. Even if you recite Qur’anic verses or hadith or profound teachings, they perceive it only as sound.
Allahﷻ therefore gives this example in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:171): the example of those who reject the truth is like a person who calls out to animals that hear nothing except cries and sounds. They hear the sound, but they do not respond.
This does not mean they literally cannot hear. They understand the words, but they refuse to accept them. That is why Allahﷻ compares them to animals who merely hear noise.
Like a mirage in the desert
Similarly, there are people who do many good deeds in society — helping the poor, providing sewing machines, supporting education, planting trees, doing social service — yet they do not believe in the Hereafter.
What happens to such deeds? Allahﷻ gives another example.
Their deeds are like a mirage in the desert.
A mirage is not real water. In intense heat, if you look down a road in the distance, you may see what appears to be water. But when you approach it, nothing is there. It is merely the reflection of sunlight through heated air.
If a thirsty traveler sees it, he may think water is there and walk toward it. But as he continues walking, the mirage keeps moving farther away. Even after traveling a long distance, he never reaches it.
In the end he finds nothing. Allahﷻ says this is the example of deeds done without faith. In this world such people may receive praise and recognition. But with Allahﷻ they will receive nothing. Just as a thirsty man thinks the mirage is water, these people think their deeds will bring reward. But when they reach the Hereafter, they find nothing.
Therefore, if a person expects reward from Allahﷻ , the first condition is faith (īmān). Without believing in Allahﷻ , how can one expect reward from Him?
Pure creed, just as fruits grow from a strong, healthy tree
Then Allahﷻ gives another example — this time for correct belief.
He says the example of a pure word, a good creed, is like a good tree.
A good tree is one that provides beneficial fruit. Thorny trees or useless trees are not considered good. A good tree is one that produces nourishing fruit.
Such a tree has deep roots firmly planted in the earth so that it cannot be uprooted by wind. Its branches extend high into the sky, spreading widely. And it continues to produce fruit at all times by the permission of its Lord.
This is the example of the pure creed, the testimony “La ilaha illAllahﷻ .” When this belief enters a person’s heart, it transforms him completely.
Its fruits appear in many ways:
- Speaking the truth
- Giving charity
- Worshipping Allahﷻ
- Fearing Allahﷻ
- Praying and fasting
All these are fruits growing from that tree.
Once that belief enters the heart, good deeds continue to emerge naturally.
Why is it that Muslims often rush to help during disasters — floods, storms, or calamities? No one trains them in special classes for this. It is simply because the belief of “La ilaha illAllahﷻ ” lives in their hearts.
When that belief enters the heart, wealth no longer seems so important. The desire becomes to please Allahﷻ by helping others.
That is why Muslims around the world are often among the most active in charity, blood donation, helping the needy, and caring for parents and family. All these good qualities grow from that pure creed, just as fruits grow from a strong, healthy tree.
It is that Kalimah Tayyibah — the pure declaration of faith — that produces all these virtues.
Allahﷻ gives the example of the Kalimah (the declaration of faith) by comparing it to a tree. He says: the example of the pure word is a good tree. That is the example Allahﷻ presents.
Then in the same verse, Allahﷻ continues and gives the example of a corrupt belief.
Bad tree that has been uprooted from the earth
Suppose a person follows a wrong doctrine — a belief where anything and everything can be treated as a god. Such a corrupt belief also has an example, and Allahﷻ says its example is a bad tree.
A bad tree means a tree that gives no benefit — like thorny shrubs, wild trees, or useless plants such as karuvelam or thorn bushes. These trees do not give fruit or benefit to people. They only prick with thorns. That is called a bad tree. If a corrupt belief exists, what grows from it will also be a bad tree. A good tree cannot grow from a bad root.
Furthermore, Allahﷻ describes this bad tree as one that has been uprooted from the earth and thrown aside. It has no foundation, no roots holding it firmly in the ground. When a tree is uprooted and cast aside, can it grow? It cannot grow at all.
That is the example of a false belief.
Allahﷻ shows this example so that we understand: if a person adopts a corrupt ideology, it will be like such a tree — uprooted, unstable, and useless. Even if that tree once belonged to a fruit-bearing species, once it is uprooted you might pick one or two fruits from it, but soon it dries up completely. There is no lasting benefit from it.
Similarly, a bad belief brings no lasting benefit.
But when the correct belief enters a person’s heart, it is like planting a good tree. From that seed grows a tree of faith, and from that tree many good deeds begin to appear.
If you have the correct belief, many beneficial things will continuously emerge from you. Allahﷻ gives this example to show that when the right creed enters the heart, goodness keeps multiplying.
Allahﷻ could simply say: “Hold the correct belief.” But instead He explains it through a parable.
When you plant a seed, it sprouts into a tree. First it develops roots, then branches grow, and finally fruits begin to appear.
That is how faith (īmān) develops in the heart. At first it is small. Gradually it grows stronger and deeper. As it grows, a person’s conviction increases, and from him more and more good qualities appear. Allahﷻ gives this example so that we understand this gradual growth.
In the Qur’an Allahﷻ also gives examples using animals and things from the natural world.
Like a donkey carrying books
For example, Allahﷻ uses the donkey as an example in a few places. We normally think of a donkey as an animal that carries loads and helps in work. But Allahﷻ uses it as a parable for a particular situation.
Suppose a person has studied scripture — he has learned it well — yet he does not act according to it. Place such a person on one side.
Now imagine a donkey carrying books on its back. The donkey is carrying the books, but does it understand anything written in them?
If you place sacred books on the back of a donkey, will it understand their meaning? No.
Similarly, there were people who possessed the Torah. They knew it well. They read it and understood it. But they did not act according to it. Allahﷻ therefore gives this example: the people who were entrusted with the Torah but did not follow it are like a donkey carrying books.
The donkey carries the books but does not benefit from them. Likewise, those people possessed the scripture but did not practice it. Allahﷻ says they were given the Torah, but they did not bear its responsibility — meaning they did not act according to it. They ignored the commandments of the Torah and continued doing what it forbade.
Therefore Allahﷻ says their example is like a donkey carrying volumes of books.
Even if you load a donkey with hundreds of books — even if you tie the entire library of the world on its back — will its knowledge increase? No.
To the donkey, a sacred book, a dirty cloth, or any other object is the same. It carries them without understanding their value.
Similarly, a person may have many degrees — BA, MA, or even a doctorate — yet if he does not practice what he has learned, people may say he is like a donkey carrying books.
For instance, someone may be highly educated but still takes bribes. After so much education, if he does not understand that taking another person’s money unjustly is wrong, what was the value of that education?
Such a person may be described as someone who merely carried books like a donkey. Allahﷻ uses such examples because when matters are explained through examples, people understand them more clearly.
Donkeys fleeing from a lion
Sometimes we advise people, but they run away from the advice. Not literally running away, but refusing to listen. Even when we speak, they avoid hearing it. They hear the words but do not accept them.
Allahﷻ describes such people as donkeys fleeing from a lion.
When a donkey sees a lion, it runs in terror. It runs faster than usual, with extreme fear, trying to save its life. In the same way, when some people hear advice, they flee from it.
They may remain physically present, but they run away from the message itself. They refuse to listen. Allahﷻ says those who reject advice are like donkeys that panic and run when they see a lion.
If someone hears good advice, the correct response is to listen, ask questions, and discuss it. But if he refuses even to hear it, then he resembles that terrified donkey fleeing from a lion.