2:7 Al-Baqara (The Cow)

ثم ذكر الموانع المانعة لهم من الإيمان فقال: { خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ } أي: طبع عليها بطابع لا يدخلها الإيمان, ولا ينفذ فيها، فلا يعون ما ينفعهم, ولا يسمعون ما يفيدهم. { وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ } أي: غشاء وغطاء وأكنة تمنعها عن النظر الذي ينفعهم, وهذه طرق العلم والخير, قد سدت عليهم, فلا مطمع فيهم, ولا خير يرجى عندهم، وإنما منعوا ذلك, وسدت عنهم أبواب الإيمان بسبب كفرهم وجحودهم ومعاندتهم بعد ما تبين لهم الحق, كما قال تعالى: { وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ } وهذا عقاب عاجل. ثم ذكر العقاب الآجل، فقال: { وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ } وهو عذاب النار, وسخط الجبار المستمر الدائم.

قال السدي ختم الله أي طبع الله وقال قتادة في هذه الآية استحوذ عليهم الشيطان إذ أطاعوه فختم الله على قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم وعلى أبصارهم غشاوة فهم لا يبصرون هدى ولا يسمعون ولا يفقهون ولا يعقلون. وقال ابن جريج: قال مجاهد ختم الله على قلوبهم: قال الطبع ثبتت الذنوب على القلب فحفت به من كل نواحيه حتى تلتقي عليه فالتقاؤها عليه الطبع والطبع الختم. قال ابن جريج الختم على القلب والسمع قال ابن جريج: وحدثني عبدالله بن كثير أنه سمع مجاهدا يقول: الران أيسر من الطبع والطبع أيسر من الإقفال والإقفال أشد من ذلك كله. وقال الأعمش: أرانا مجاهد بيده. فقال: كانوا يرون أن القلب في مثل هذه يعني الكف فإذا أذنب العبد ذنبا ضم منه وقال بإصبعه الخنصر هكذا فإذا أذنب ضم وقال بإصبع أخرى فإذا أذنب ضم. وقال بإصبع أخرى وهكذا حتى ضم أصابعه كلها. ثم قال: يطبع عليه بطابع وقال مجاهد كانوا يرون أن ذلك الرين ورواه ابن جرير عن أبي كريب عن وكيع عن الأعمش عن مجاهد بنحوه قال ابن جرير وقال بعضهم إنما معنى قوله تعالى "ختم الله على قلوبهم" إخبار من الله عن تكبرهم وإعراضهم عن الاستماع لما دعوا إليه من الحق كما يقال إن فلانا أصم عن هذا الكلام إذا امتنع عن سماعه ورفع نفسه عن تفهمه تكبرا قال وهذا لا يصح لأن الله تعالى قد أخبر أنه هو الذي ختم على قلوبهم وأسماعهم "قلت" وقد أطنب الزمخشري في تقرير ما رده ابن جرير هاهنا وتأول الآية من خمسة أوجه وكلها ضعيفة جدا وما جرأه على ذلك إلا اعتزاله لأن الختم على قلوبهم ومنعها من وصول الحق إليها قبيح عنده يتعالى الله عنه في اعتقاده ولو فهم قوله تعالى "فلما زاغوا أزاغ الله قلوبهم" وقوله "ونقلب أفئدتهم وأبصارهم كما لم يؤمنوا به أول مرة ونذرهم في طغيانهم يعمهون" وما أشبه ذلك من الآيات الدالة على أنه تعالى إنما ختم على قلوبهم وحال بينهم وبين الهدى جزاء وفاقا على تماديهم في الباطل وتركهم الحق وهذا عدل منه تعالى حسن وليس بقبيح فلو أحاط عالما بهذا لما قال ما قال والله أعلم. قال القرطبي وأجمعت الأمة على أن الله عز وجل قد وصف نفسه بالختم والطبع على قلوب الكافرين مجازاة لكفرهم كما قال "بل طبع الله عليها بكفرهم" وذكر حديث تقليب القلوب "ويا مقلب القلوب ثبت قلوبنا علي دينك" وذكر حديث حذيفة الذي في الصحيح عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "قال تعرض الفتن على القلوب كالحصير عودا عودا فأي قلب أشربها نكت فيه نكتة سوداء وأي قلب أنكرها نكت فيه نكتة بيضاء حتى تصير علي قلبين على أبيض مثل الصفاء فلا تضره فتنة ما دامت السماوات والأرض والآخر أسود مرباد كالكوز مجخيا لا يعرف معروفا ولا ينكر منكرا" الحديث. قال ابن جرير والحق عندي في ذلك ما صح بنظيره الخبر عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو ما حدثنا به محمد بن بشار حدثنا صفوان بن عيسى حدثنا ابن عجلان عن القعقاع عن أبي صالح عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم "إن المؤمن إذا أذنب ذنبا كانت نكتة سوداء في قلبه فإن تاب ونزع واستعتب صقل قلبه وإن زاد زادت حتى تعلو قلبه فذلك الران الذي قال الله تعالى "كلا بل ران على قلوبهم ما كانوا يكسبون " هذا الحديث من هذا الوجه قد رواه الترمذي والنسائي عن قتيبة والليث بن سعد وابن ماجه عن هشام بن عمار عن حاتم بن إسماعيل والوليد بن مسلم ثلاثتهم عن محمد بن عجلان به وقال الترمذي حسن صحيح ثم قال ابن جرير فأخبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن الذنوب إذا تتابعت على القلوب أغلقتها وإذا أغلقتها أتاها حينئذ الختم من قبل الله تعالى والطبع فلا يكون للإيمان إليها مسلك ولا للكفر عنها مخلص فذلك هو الختم والطبع الذي ذكر في قوله تعالى "ختم الله علي قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم" نظير الختم والطبع علي ما تدركه الأبصار من الأوعية والظروف التي لا يوصل إلى ما فيها إلا بفض ذلك عنها ثم حلها فكذلك لا يصل الإيمان إلى قلوب من وصف الله أنه ختم علي قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم إلا بعد فض خاتمه وحله رباطها عنها. واعلم أن الوقف التام على قوله تعالى "ختم الله علي قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم" وقوله "وعلى أبصارهم غشاوة" جملة تامة فإن الطبع يكون على القلب وعلى السمع والغشاوة وهي الغطاء يكون على البصر كما قال السدي في تفسيره عن أبي مالك وعن أبي صالح عن ابن عباس وعن مرة الهمداني عن ابن مسعود وعن أناس من أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم في قوله "ختم الله علي قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم" فلا يعقلون ولا يسمعون يقول وجعل على أبصارهم غشاوة يقول على أعينهم فلا يبصرون وقال ابن جرير حدثني محمد بن سعد حدثنا أبي حدثني عمي الحسين بن الحسن عن أبيه عن جده عن ابن عباس "ختم الله على قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم" والغشاوة على أبصارهم. قال: وحدثنا القاسم حدثنا الحسين يعني ابن داود وهو سنيد حدثني حجاج وهو ابن محمد الأعور حدثني ابن جريج قال: الختم على القلب والسمع والغشاوة على البصر قال الله تعالى "فإن يشأ الله يختم على قلبك" وقال "وختم على سمعه وقلبه وجعل على بصره غشاوة" قال ابن جرير ومن نصب غشاوة من قوله تعالى وعلى أبصارهم غشاوة يحتمل أنه نصبها بإضمار فعل تقديره وجعل على أبصارهم غشاوة ويحتمل أن يكون نصبها على الإتباع على محل وعلى سمعهم كقوله تعالى "وحور عين" وقول الشاعر: علفتها تبنا وماء باردا حتى غدت همالة عيناها وقال الآخر: ورأيت زوجك في الوغى متقلدا سيفا ورمحا تقديره وسقيتها ماء باردا ومعتقلا رمحا لما تقدم وصف المؤمنين في صدر السورة بأربع آيات ثم عرف حال الكافرين بهاتين الآيتين شرع تعالى في بيان حال المنافقين الذين يظهرون الإيمان ويبطنون الكفر ولما كان أمرهم يشتبه على كثير من الناس أطنب في ذكرهم بصفات متعددة كل منها نفاق كما أنزل سورة براءة فيهم وسورة المنافقين فيهم وذكرهم في سورة النور وغيرها من السور تعريفا لأحوالهم لتجتنب ويجتنب من تلبس بها.

Meaning of Khatama

As-Suddi said that,

خَتَمَ اللَّهُ

(Khatama Allah) means, "Allah has sealed." Qatadah said that this Ayah means, "Shaytan controlled them when they obeyed him. Therefore, Allah sealed their hearts, hearing and sight, and they could neither see the guidance nor hear, comprehend or understand." Ibn Jurayj said that Mujahid said,

خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ

(Allah has set a seal on their hearts), "A stamp. It occurs when sin resides in the heart and surrounds it from all sides, and this submersion of the heart in sin constitutes a stamp, meaning a seal." Ibn Jurayj also said that the seal is placed on the heart and the hearing. In addition, Ibn Jurayj said, that `Abdullah bin Kathir narrated that Mujahid said, "The stain is not as bad as the stamp, the stamp is not as bad as the lock which is the worst type." Al-A`mash said, "Mujahid demonstrated with his hand while saying, `They used to say that the heart is just like this - meaning the open palm. When the servant commits a sin, a part of the heart will be rolled up - and he rolled up his index finger. When the servant commits another sin, a part of the heart will be rolled up' - and he rolled up another finger, until he rolled up all of his fingers. Then he said, `Then, the heart will be sealed.' Mujahid also said that this is the description of the Ran (refer to 83:14)."

Al-Qurtubi said, "The Ummah has agreed that Allah has described Himself with sealing and closing the hearts of the disbelievers, as a punishment for their disbelief. Similarly, Allah said,

بَلْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ

(Nay, Allah has set a seal upon their hearts because of their disbelief) (4:155)."

He then mentioned the Hadith about changing the hearts, (in which the Prophet ﷺ supplicated),

«يَا مُقَلِبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلى دِينِك»

(O You Who changes the hearts, make our hearts firm on Your religion.)

He also mentioned the Hadith by Hudhayfah recorded in the Sahih, in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«تُعْرَضُ الْفِتَنُ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ كَالْحَصِيرِ عُودًا عُودًا، فَأَيُّ قَلْبٍ أُشْرِبَهَا نُكِتَ فِيه نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ وَأَيُّ قَلْبٍ أَنْكَرَهَا نُكِتَ فِيهِ نُكْتَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ حَتى تَصِيرَ عَلَى قَلْبَيْنِ: عَلى أَبْيَضَ مِثْلِ الصَّفَا، فَلَا تَضُرُّهُ فِتْنَةٌ مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ وَالْآخَرُ أَسْوَدُ مُرْبَادًّا كَالْكُوزِ مُجَخِّيًا لَا يَعْرِفُ مَعْرُوفًا وَلَا يُنْكِرُ مُنْكَرًا»

(The Fitan (trials, tests) are offered to the hearts, just as the straws that are sewn into a woven mat, one after another. Any heart that accepts the Fitan, then a black dot will be engraved on it. Any heart that rejects the Fitan, then a white dot will be engraved on it. The hearts will therefore become two categories: white, just like the barren rock; no Fitnah shall ever harm this category as long as the heavens and earth still exist. Another category is black, just as the cup that is turned upside down, for this heart does not recognize righteousness or renounce evil. )

Ibn Jarir said, "The truth regarding this subject is what the authentic Hadith from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stated. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«إِنَّ الْمُؤمِنَ إِذَا أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا كَانَتْ نُكْتَةً سَوْدَاءَ فِي قَلْبِهِ، فَإِنْ تَابَ وَنَزَعَ وَاسْتَعْتَبَ صَقِلَ قَلْبُهُ وَإِنْ زَادَ زَادَتْ حَتَّى تَعْلُوَ قَلْبَهُ، فَذلِكَ الرَّانُ الَّذِي قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالى:

كَلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ

(When the believer commits a sin, a black dot will be engraved on his heart. If he repents, refrains and regrets, his heart will be polished again. If he commits more errors, the dots will increase until they cover his heart. This is the Ran (stain) that Allah described,

كَلاَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ

(Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (stain) which they used to earn)" (83:14).

At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah recorded this Hadith, and At-Tirmidhi said that it is Hasan Sahih.

The Meaning of Ghishawah

Reciting the Ayah,

خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ

(Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing), then pausing, then continuing with,

وَعَلَى أَبْصَـرِهِمْ غِشَـوَةٌ

(And on their eyes there is a Ghishawah (covering)) is accurate, for the stamp is placed on the heart and the hearing while the Ghishawah, the covering, is appropriately placed on the eyes. In his Tafsir, As-Suddi said that Ibn `Abbas and Ibn Mas`ud said about Allah's statement,

خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ

(Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing), "So that they neither understand nor hear. Allah also said that He placed a covering on their sight, meaning eyes, and so, they do not see."

The Hypocrites

We mentioned that four Ayat in the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah described the believers. The two last Ayat (2:6-7) describe the disbelievers. Afterwards, Allah begins to describe the hypocrites who show belief and hide disbelief. Since the matter of the hypocrites is vague and many people do not realize their true reality, Allah mentioned their description in detail. Each of the characteristics that Allah used to described them with is a type of hypocrisy itself. Allah revealed Surat Bara'ah (chapter 9) and Surat Al-Munafiqun (chapter 63) about the hypocrites. He also mentioned the hypocrites in Surat An-Nur (24) and other Surahs, so that their description would be known and their ways and errors could be avoided. Allah said,

God has set a seal on their hearts impressing on them and making certain that no good enters them; and on their hearing in which He has deposited something so that they cannot profit from the truth they hear; and on their eyes is a covering that is a veil so that they do not see the truth; and for them there will be a mighty chastisement that is intense and everlasting.

Favour withdrawn by Allah is a punishment

These two verses tell us that the other world is the place where one would receive the real punishment for one's disbelief or for some of one's sins. One may, however, receive some punishment for certain sins even in this world. Such a punishment sometimes takes a very grievous form - that is, the divine favour which helps one to reform oneself is withdrawn, so that, ignoring how one's deeds are to be assessed on the Day of Judgment, one keeps growing in disobedience and sin, and finally comes to lose even the awareness of evil. In delineating such a situation certain elders have remarked that one punishment for an evil deed is another evil deed which comes after, and one reward for a good deed is another good deed which comes after. According to a Hadith, when a man commits a sin, a black dot appears on his heart; this first dot disturbs him just as a smudge on a white cloth is always displeasing to us; but if, instead of asking Allah's pardon for the first sin, he proceeds to commit a second, another dot shows up, thus, with every new sin the black dots go on multiplying till the whole heart turns dark, and now he can no longer see good as good nor evil as evil, and grows quite incapable of making such distinctions. The Holy Prophet ﷺ added that The Holy Qur'an uses the term Ra'n or Rain (rust) for this darkness: as in Mishkat from the Musnad of Ahmad and Tirmidhi.

كَلَّا بَلْ ۫ رَانَ عَلٰي قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُوْا يَكْسِبُوْنَ

No. But what they did has rusted their hearts (83:14)

According to another authentic Hadith reported by Tirmidhi from the blessed Companion Abu Hurairah ؓ the Holy Prophet ﷺ has said, "When a man commits a sin, his heart grows dark, but if he seeks Allah's pardon, it becomes clear again". (See Qurtubi)

It should be carefully noted that in announcing that it is all one whether the Holy Prophet ﷺ ` warns the disbelievers or not, the Holy Qur'an adds the condition ` Alaihim علیھم (for them), which clearly indicates that it is all one for the disbelievers alone, and not for the Holy Prophet ﷺ for he would in any case get a reward for bringing the message of Allah to his fellow-men and for his efforts to teach and reform them. That is why there is not a single verse in the Holy Qur'an which should dissuade the Holy Prophet ﷺ from calling even such people to Islam. From this we may infer that the man who strives to spread the Word of Allah and to reform his fellow-men does always get a reward for his good deed, even if he has not been effective.

A doubt is removed

We may also answer a question which sometimes arises in connection with the second of these two verses that speaks of the hearts and the ears of the disbelievers having been sealed and of their eyes being covered. We find a similar statement in another verse of the Holy Qur'an:

كَلَّا بَلْ ۫ رَانَ عَلٰي قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُوْا يَكْسِبُوْنَ

No. But what they did has rusted their hearts (83:14)

which makes it plain that it is their arrogance and their evil deeds themselves that have settled do their hearts as a rust رَان . In the verse under discussion, it is this very rust which has been described as 'a seal' or 'a covering'. So, there is no occasion here to raise the objection that if Allah Himself has sealed their hearts and blocked their senses, they are helpless and cannot be held responsible for being disbelievers, and hence they should not be punished for what they have not themselves chosen to do. If we consider the two verses (2:7 and 83:14) together, we can easily see why they should be punished in adopting the way of arrogance and pride they have, willfully and out of their own choice, destroyed their capacity for accepting the truth, and thus they themselves are the authors of their own ruin. But Allah, being Creator of all the actions of His creatures, has in verse 2:7 attributed to Himself the setting of a seal on the hearts and the ears of the disbelievers, and has thus pointed out that when these people insisted, as a matter of their own choice, on destroying their aptitude for receiving the truth, Allah produced, as is His way in such cases, the state of insensitivity in their hearts and senses.

God has sealed their hearts. The seal of estrangement was placed on someone's heart, and he remained in unbelief. The seal of perplexity was placed on another's heart, and he remained in lassitude. That one was a stranger, driven away, the road lost, and this one was helpless, stuck in the road, kept back from the Friend by other than the Friend. Any talk that keeps you back from the road-let it be unbelief or faith. Any picture that holds you back from the Friend-let it be ugly or beautiful. [DS 51] Not everyone who escapes from unbelief joins with the Real, unless he has escaped from himself. Someone who escapes from unbelief reaches familiarity, but someone who escapes from himself reaches friendship. A thousand way stations stand between familiarity and friendship, and a thou- sand valleys between love and the Friend. In love for You I have never arrived at a way station in which the mind was not bewildered at the arrival.