Surah Muhammad — Verse 23

Key Words and Phrases:

• La'anahum Allah (لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ): Allah has cast them away from His mercy and blessings.
• Fa'asammahum (فَأَصَمَّهُمْ): He made them deaf—not physically, but in the sense that their hearts and ears are sealed against hearing the truth with acceptance.
• Wa a'ma absarahum (وَأَعْمَىٰ أَبْصَارَهُمْ): He blinded their eyes—meaning their inner vision (basirah) is blinded so they cannot perceive guidance or recognize the signs of Allah.

Explanation of the Verse:

This verse refers to those who spread corruption on earth and sever the ties of kinship—the very people described in the preceding verses. They are the ones whom Allah has distanced from His mercy entirely. Because of their persistent rejection of the truth and their deliberate choice to follow falsehood, Allah has placed a seal upon their hearts and ears, making them deaf to the call of guidance. They hear the words of the Quran and the proofs of Allah, but they do not hear them with the ear of acceptance or submission. Similarly, their eyes are blinded—not in the physical sense, but their inner sight is veiled, so they look at the signs of Allah in the universe and in the revelation, yet they fail to reflect, learn, or be moved.

This is a profound spiritual reality: when a person repeatedly turns away from the truth and persists in wrongdoing, Allah leaves them to their own devices. Their faculties—meant to be tools for guidance—become barriers against it. They see but do not perceive; they hear but do not comprehend. This is not an injustice from Allah, but a just consequence of their own choices, as they have hardened their hearts until the light of faith can no longer penetrate.

A Call to Reflection and Action:

Dear reader, this verse carries a powerful lesson for every soul. It reminds us that the faculties of hearing and sight are among the greatest blessings Allah has bestowed upon us—gifts meant to lead us to Him. The Quran repeatedly calls upon us to listen to the truth and to observe the wonders of creation, so that our hearts may awaken to the reality of our Creator. Do not let these blessings become a means of your own downfall. Open your heart to the message of the Quran, let your ears receive it with humility, and let your eyes see the signs of Allah with contemplation. For the door of repentance is always open, and Allah's mercy is vast. He says in His Book: "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful'" (Az-Zumar 39:53). Turn to Him now, before the heart hardens and the light fades. Every moment is an opportunity to return to the path of guidance and to earn His love and mercy.