"أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱشْتَرَوُا۟ ٱلضَّلَـٰلَةَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ فَمَا رَبِحَت تِّجَـٰرَتُهُمْ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ مُهْتَدِينَ ۞ مَثَلُهُمْ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى ٱسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًۭا فَلَمَّآ أَضَآءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُۥ ذَهَبَ ٱللَّهُ بِنُورِهِمْ وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِى ظُلُمَـٰتٍۢ لَّا يُبْصِرُونَ ۞ صُمٌّۢ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌۭ فَهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ ۞ أَوْ كَصَيِّبٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فِيهِ ظُلُمَـٰتٌۭ وَرَعْدٌۭ وَبَرْقٌۭ يَجْعَلُونَ أَصَـٰبِعَهُمْ فِىٓ ءَاذَانِهِم مِّنَ ٱلصَّوَٰعِقِ حَذَرَ ٱلْمَوْتِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ مُحِيطٌۢ بِٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ ۞ يَكَادُ ٱلْبَرْقُ يَخْطَفُ أَبْصَـٰرَهُمْ ۖ كُلَّمَآ أَضَآءَ لَهُم مَّشَوْا۟ فِيهِ وَإِذَآ أَظْلَمَ عَلَيْهِمْ قَامُوا۟ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَذَهَبَ بِسَمْعِهِمْ وَأَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍۢ قَدِيرٌۭ ."
[ البقرة : 20-16 ]

"They are the ones who trade guidance for misguidance. But this trade is profitless, and they are not ˹rightly˺ guided. ۞ Their example is that of someone who kindles a fire, but when it lights up all around them, Allah takes away their light, leaving them in complete darkness—unable to see. ۞ They are ˹wilfully˺ deaf, mute, and blind, so they will never return ˹to the Right Path˺. ۞ Or ˹those caught in˺ a rainstorm from the sky with darkness, thunder, and lightning. They press their fingers into their ears at the sound of every thunder-clap for fear of death. And Allah encompasses the disbelievers ˹by His might˺. ۞ It is as if the lightning were about to snatch away their sight. Whenever lightning strikes, they walk in its light, but when darkness covers them, they stand still. Had Allah willed, He could have taken away their hearing and sight. Surely Allah is Most Capable of everything."

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It tells of the foolish people who have traded believing for disbelieving, so their trade is a losing game for they have strayed the right path.

A parable is thus given to further explain their situation: they are like the one who'd light up a fire (aka, claiming to believe to deceive the true believers), and when the fire grows brighter, they think they will be able to make use of it. Then that light is taken away - plunging them into darkness.

So they are deaf in where they don't hear the truth, they are mute for they do not speak it, and they are blind for they do not see it, so they never return from their straying.

Another parable is then given: They are like a lot of rain, from clouds containing accumulated darkness, thunder and lightning, that descended on a people and they were struck with extreme panic, so they began to cover their ears with their fingertips, due to the intensity of the sound of the lightning bolts, for fear of death.

The lightning, due to its intense brilliance and brightness, almost takes away their sight. Whenever the lightning flashes and illuminates the path for them, they move forward, and if it does not illuminate, they remain in the dark, unable to move. If Allah had willed, He would have taken away their hearing and sight with His all-encompassing power with no return as punishment for their denial of the truth.

So rain was a parable of the Qur’an, and the sound of lightning bolts was an example of the resonances it contains, and the light of lightning was an example of the truth appearing to them sometimes, and blocking the ears due to the severity of the lightning bolts was an example of them turning away from the truth and not responding to it.