Is the statement that the Qur’an contains no metaphorical language but is entirely literal correct, and what does that mean, and how would the Almighty’s saying (And whoever is blind in this [life] – then he will be in the Hereafter blinder and further astray in way) be interpreted based on that?

The majority of scholars agree on dividing speech into literal (haqiqah) and metaphorical (majaz), and metaphor, in their view, comes in various types: singular, compound, intellectual, and metaphorical omission (majaz al-naqs). It is stipulated that a relationship (alaqah) and a restrictive indicator (qarinah sarifah) must be present for it.

Some scholars, however, have denied the existence of metaphor specifically in the Holy Quran, arguing that metaphor is contrary to reality (haqiqah), and the Quran is manifest truth. Therefore, asserting metaphor would necessitate the possibility of denying it.

Meanwhile, some others, most notably Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Al-Shanqeeti, absolutely denied metaphor in the Quran and in Arabic speech, basing their argument on the premise that asserting metaphor assumes that a word is first assigned to denote its literal meaning, and then used metaphorically, for which there is no evidence. They see what is called metaphor as merely an Arabic style of expressing reality, and they consider the assertion of metaphor to be a cornerstone for innovators (Ahl al-Bid'ah) in distorting the meanings of revelation.

Others hold that the disagreement between those who affirm metaphor and those who deny it among Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah is a verbal one. What the former call metaphor, the latter call literal (haqiqah), and the meaning is agreed upon. Hence, they do not differ in their interpretation of the texts of revelation.

Therefore, this issue is a matter of disagreement among Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah. Those who affirm metaphor have stipulated its correct conditions, and it is not applied in the interpretation of revelation texts unless it is impossible to interpret them literally. Everyone agrees on following the righteous predecessors (Salaf al-Salih) in understanding the texts of the Book and the Sunnah.