As if they were alarmed donkeys fleeing from a lion

Allah gives us a vivid image of their behavior. They’re like wild donkeys—‎حُمُر‎—that suddenly start running in terror.

Picture those nature documentaries where a lion approaches a herd of zebras. The lion crouches low, stalking its prey. One zebra spots the predator and bolts. The moment the others see one running, they all dash away at full speed, stampeding in wild panic.

This is exactly how these people treat Revelation.

One of them sees the Prophet (peace be upon him) coming and thinks, “Oh no, here he comes again. He’s going to start talking about the Qur’an.” And he makes a run for it. When the others see him running, they all scatter like terrified animals fleeing from a ‎قَسۡوَرَة‎—a lion.

This is how the fools who flee from Allah’s counsel, given through the Qur’an, and refuse to listen to it bolt in alarm. Yet the flight of those wretched wild donkeys, helpless as it is, is still a flight from danger; some escape, some benefit may be imagined in it. These fools who run from counsel, however, are fleeing not from danger but from salvation and from the one who saves them; they abandon what benefits them and race toward their own destruction.