Surah Al Isra ayat 46 Tafsir Quran 17:46

﴿وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ وَفِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا ۚ وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ وَحْدَهُ وَلَّوْا عَلَىٰ أَدْبَارِهِمْ نُفُورًا﴾
[ الإسراء: 46]

17:46 And We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur'an, they turn back in aversion.

And We place upon their hearts veils covers lest they should understand it lest they should understand the Qur’ān in other words and so in this way they do not understand it and in their ears a deafness a heaviness thus they cannot hear it. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’ān they turn their backs in aversion to it.

We enshrouded their hearts to preclude them from exercising intellectual power or understanding and struck them deaf so that nothing that engages the intellect would come to their hearing. These are the people whose hearts dare rise defiant against Allah; when you recite the Quran and Allah is mentioned as the sole Omnipotent and Exclusive Authority, they insolently turn their backs upon you with a mental attitude of opposition and repugnance

The Veil over the Hearts of the Idolators Allah says to His Messenger Muhammad : `When you recite Qur'an to these idolators, We put an invisible veil between you and them.' Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said, "It is coverings over their hearts," as Allah says: وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا فِى أَكِنَّةٍ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَفِى ءَاذانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَمِن بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ ( And they say: "Our hearts are under coverings (screened ) from that to which you invite us; and in our ears is deafness, and between us and you is a screen) meaning, there is something that is stopping and preventing your words from reaching us. حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا ( an invisible veil. ) meaning something which covers, or that cannot be seen, so there is a barrier between them and guidance.
This is the interpretation that Ibn Jarir ( may Allah have mercy on him ) thought was correct.
Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la Al-Mawusili recorded that Asma' bint Abi Bakr ( may Allah be pleased with her ) said, "When the Ayah, تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ ( Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he! ) ( 111:1 ) was revealed, the one-eyed woman Umm Jamil the wife of Abu Lahab came with a stone pestle in her hand, screaming, `What was sent to us is somebody blameworthy, or, we reject somebody blameworthy Abu Musa - one of the narrators - said, it is I who am not sure what was said; we shun his religion and disobey whatever he commands!' The Messenger of Allah was sitting with Abu Bakr by his side.
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `This woman has come and I am afraid she will see you.' The Prophet said,
«إِنَّهَا لَنْ تَرَانِي»
( Certainly she will not see me. ) and he recited Qur'an through which he was protected from her: وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرءَانَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا ( And when you recite the Qur'an, We put between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter, an invisible veil ).
She came and found Abu Bakr, but she did not see the Prophet .
She said, `O Abu Bakr, I have heard that your companion is lampooning me.' Abu Bakr said, `No, by the Lord of this House the Ka`bah, he is not lampooning you.' Then she went away, saying, `The Quraysh know that I am the daughter of their master."' وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً ( And We have put coverings over their hearts, ) Akinnah ( coverings ) is the plural of Kinan, which covers the heart. أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ ( lest they should understand it, ) means, lest they should understand the Qur'an. وَفِى ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا ( and in their ears deafness ) something that will stop them from hearing the Qur'an in such a way that they will understand it and be guided by it. وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِى الْقُرْءَانِ وَحْدَهُ ( And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an, ) means, when you declare Allah to be One in your recitation, and say La Ilaha Illallah, وَلَّوْاْ ( they turn ) means they turn away عَلَى أَدْبَـرِهِمْ نُفُوراً ( on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislike. ) As Allah says: وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ ( And when Allah Alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust (from the Oneness of Allah ).) 39:45 z وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِى الْقُرْءَانِ ( And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an, ) Commenting on this Ayah, Qatadah said that when the Muslims said La Ilaha Illallah, the idolators disliked this and found it intolerable.
Iblis and his troops hated it, but Allah insisted on supporting it so that it would prevail over those who opposed it.
Whoever uses it against his opponent will prevail, and whoever fights for it will be victorious.
Only the Muslims of the Arabian Peninsula, which can be traversed by a rider in a few nights, knew it and accepted it, out of all mankind.

(17:46) and we cover their hearts with a covering so that they understand nothing and we make their ears hard of hearing. *51 And when in the Qur'an you mention your one Lord only, they turn their faces away in aversion. *52

And We have placed over their hearts meaning

*51) This refers to the Divine law according to which those people, who do not believe in the Hereafter, cannot benefit from the Qur'an.
Allah has attributed this law to Himself, as if to say, " The natural result of disbelief in the Hereafter is that the heart of such a man becomes dull and his ears become deaf to the Message of the Qur'an, for Qur'an bases its invitation on the belief in the Hereafter.
So it warns the people that they should not be deluded by this apparent aspect of the worldly life if there appears to be none to call them to account here; for it does not mean they are not at all accountable and answerable to anyone.
Likewise if Allah allows freedom of belief to practise shirk, atheism, disbelief or Tauhid with impunity in this world, and their practice dces not appear to make any practical difference in this world, it dces not mean that these things do not produce any results at alI.
For, in fact, everyone shall be accountable and answerable but after death in the Next World.
Then every one will realize that the doctrine of Tauhid alone is true and all other doctrines are false.
For, if at present the consequences of deeds do not appear after death they shall inevitably appear, but now the Reality has been hidden behind an invisible curtain.
There is an inevitable moral law according to which submission to it will bear its fruit and disobedience shall incur its losses.
As decisions according to this moral law will be made in the Hereafter, you should not be enticed by the charms of this transitory life.
You should, therefore, keep in view that ultimately you shall have to render an account of all your deeds in this world before your Lord, and adopt that true creed and moral attitude which may be conducive to your success in the Hereafter " .

From this it must have become obvious that if a man does not believe in the Hereafter, he will never consider the message of the Qur'an worth his while but will hanker after this world and its joys which he can feel and experience.
Naturally his ears will not listen to the Message and it will never reach the depths of his heart.
AIIah has stated this psychological fact in this verse.

In this connection, it should be remembered that the words contained in this verse were uttered by the disbelievers of Makkah as quoted in verse 5 of Surah 41: " They say, O Muhammad, a covering has fallen over our hearts, and our ears are deaf for the Message you give and there is a curtain between you and us.
You may go on with your work and we will do whatever we desire. " Here the same words have beer cited, as if to say, " You consider this state of yours to be a virtue, whereas this is a curse which has fallen on you according to the Divine Law because of your disbelief of the Hereafter.
"
*52) That is, " They do not like it at all that you should consider Allah alone as your Lord and not mention the Lords they have set up.
" They seem to think it strange that one should go on praising Allah and never mention the " miracles " of their elders and saints nor praise them for their favours.
For, according to them, Allah has delegated the powers of His Godhead to their great ones.
Therefore, they say, " What a strange fellow he is! He believes that the knowledge of the unknown, and all the power and authority belong to One Allah alone.
Why does he not pay tribute to those who give us children, cure us of diseases, and help make our commerce flourish, in short, fulfil all our wishes and desires? "
 

The Veil over the Hearts of the Idolators Allah says to His Messenger Muhammad : `When you recite Qur'an to these idolators, We put an invisible veil between you and them.' Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said, "It is coverings over their hearts," as Allah says: وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا فِى أَكِنَّةٍ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَفِى ءَاذانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَمِن بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ ( And they say: "Our hearts are under coverings (screened ) from that to which you invite us; and in our ears is deafness, and between us and you is a screen) meaning, there is something that is stopping and preventing your words from reaching us. حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا ( an invisible veil. ) meaning something which covers, or that cannot be seen, so there is a barrier between them and guidance.
This is the interpretation that Ibn Jarir ( may Allah have mercy on him ) thought was correct.
Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la Al-Mawusili recorded that Asma' bint Abi Bakr ( may Allah be pleased with her ) said, "When the Ayah, تَبَّتْ يَدَآ أَبِى لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ ( Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he! ) ( 111:1 ) was revealed, the one-eyed woman Umm Jamil the wife of Abu Lahab came with a stone pestle in her hand, screaming, `What was sent to us is somebody blameworthy, or, we reject somebody blameworthy Abu Musa - one of the narrators - said, it is I who am not sure what was said; we shun his religion and disobey whatever he commands!' The Messenger of Allah was sitting with Abu Bakr by his side.
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `This woman has come and I am afraid she will see you.' The Prophet said, «إِنَّهَا لَنْ تَرَانِي» ( Certainly she will not see me. ) and he recited Qur'an through which he was protected from her: وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرءَانَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا ( And when you recite the Qur'an, We put between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter, an invisible veil ).
She came and found Abu Bakr, but she did not see the Prophet .
She said, `O Abu Bakr, I have heard that your companion is lampooning me.' Abu Bakr said, `No, by the Lord of this House the Ka`bah, he is not lampooning you.' Then she went away, saying, `The Quraysh know that I am the daughter of their master."' وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً ( And We have put coverings over their hearts, ) Akinnah ( coverings ) is the plural of Kinan, which covers the heart. أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ ( lest they should understand it, ) means, lest they should understand the Qur'an. وَفِى ءَاذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا ( and in their ears deafness ) something that will stop them from hearing the Qur'an in such a way that they will understand it and be guided by it. وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِى الْقُرْءَانِ وَحْدَهُ ( And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an, ) means, when you declare Allah to be One in your recitation, and say La Ilaha Illallah, وَلَّوْاْ ( they turn ) means they turn away عَلَى أَدْبَـرِهِمْ نُفُوراً ( on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislike. ) As Allah says: وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ ( And when Allah Alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust (from the Oneness of Allah ).) 39:45 z وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِى الْقُرْءَانِ ( And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an, ) Commenting on this Ayah, Qatadah said that when the Muslims said La Ilaha Illallah, the idolators disliked this and found it intolerable.
Iblis and his troops hated it, but Allah insisted on supporting it so that it would prevail over those who opposed it.
Whoever uses it against his opponent will prevail, and whoever fights for it will be victorious.
Only the Muslims of the Arabian Peninsula, which can be traversed by a rider in a few nights, knew it and accepted it, out of all mankind.

( And We place upon their hearts veils ) coverings ( lest they should understand it ) such that they do not understand the Truth, ( and in their ears a deafness; and when thou makest mention of thy Lord alone in the Qur’an ) saying: there is no god but Allah, ( they turn their backs ) they return to their idols and resume the worship of their deities ( in aversion ) of what you say.

And We have put coverings over their hearts lest, they should understand it (the Quran), and in their ears deafness. And when you make mention of your Lord Alone [La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) Islamic Monotheism] in the Quran, they turn on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislikeness.

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