Surah Baqarah ayat 88 Tafsir Quran 2:88

﴿وَقَالُوا قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ۚ بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلًا مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾
[ البقرة: 88]

2:88 And they said, "Our hearts are wrapped." But, [in fact], Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is it that they believe.

And they say to the Prophet mockingly ‘Our hearts are encased’ ghulf is the plural of aghlaf that is to say wrapped up in covers and cannot comprehend what you say; God exalted be He says Nay bal introduces the rebuttal but God has cursed them removed them far from His mercy and degraded them when they rejected the messengers for their unbelief which is not the result of anything defective in their hearts; and little will they believe fa-qalīlan mā yu’minūn the mā here is extra emphasising the ‘littleness’ involved that is their belief is minimal.

They say to you, O Muhammad: Our hearts’ ears are deaf, and our hearts treasure every branch of divine knowledge and wisdom that we can no longer absorb. The fact is Allah has cursed them for their irreverence and impiety. How their faith in Allah is shaken

Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn `Abbas said that, وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ( And they say, "Our hearts are Ghulf." ), means, "Our hearts are screened." Mujahid also said that, وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ( And they say, "Our hearts are Ghulf." ), means, "They are covered."`Ikrimah said, "There is a stamp on them." Abu Al-`Aliyah said, "They do not comprehend." Mujahid and Qatadah said that Ibn `Abbas read the Ayah in a way that means, "Our hearts contain every type of knowledge and do not need the knowledge that you ( O Muhammad ) have." This is the opinion of `Ata' and Ibn `Abbas. بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ ( Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief ) meaning, "Allah expelled them and deprived them of every type of righteousness." Qatadah said that the Ayah, فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ( So little is that which they believe. ) means, "Only a few of them believe." Allah's statement, وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ( And they say, "Our hearts are Ghulf." ) is similar to His statement, وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا فِى أَكِنَّةٍ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ ( And they say: "Our hearts are under coverings (screened ) from that to which you invite us) ( 41:5 ). This is why Allah said here, بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ( Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is that which they believe. ) meaning, "It is not as they claim.
Rather, their hearts are cursed and stamped," just as Allah said in Surat An-Nisa' ( 4:155 ), وَقَوْلِهِمْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَلْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً ( And of their saying: "Our hearts are wrapped (with coverings, i.e.
we do not understand what the Messengers say ) ـ nay, Allah has set a seal upon their hearts because of their disbelief, so they believe not but a little.) There is a difference of opinion regarding the meaning of Allah's statement, فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ( So little is that which they believe. ) and His statement, فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً ( So they believe not except a few ).
Some scholars said that the Ayat indicate that a few of them would believe, or that their faith is minute, because they believe in Resurrection and in Allah's reward and punishment that Musa foretold.
Yet, this faith will not benefit them since it is overshadowed by their disbelief in what Muhammad brought them.
Some scholars said that the Jews did not actually believe in anything and that Allah said, فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ( So little is that which they believe ), meaning, they do not believe.
This meaning is similar to the Arabic expression, "Hardly have I seen anything like this," meaning, "I have never seen anything like this."

(2:88) They say, "Our hearts are secure." *94 Nay, the fact is that Allah has cursed them for their disbelief; so they are little disposed to believe.

And they said, "Our hearts are wrapped." meaning

*94).
They said, in effect, that they were so staunch in their beliefs that their convictions would remain unaffected regardless of what was said.
Such a claim is the hallmark of those bigots whose minds are seized by irrational prejudice.
Nothing can be a matter of greater shame for human beings than the so-called firmness of conviction which they often boast of.
What can be more foolish than adherence to inherited beliefs and convictions when their falseness is established by overwhelmingly strong arguments?
*95).
Before the advent of the Prophet, the Jews were eagerly awaiting a Prophet whose coming had been prophesied by their own Prophets.
In fact, the Jews used to pray for his advent so that the dominance of the unbelievers could come to an end and the age of their own dominance he ushered in.
The people of Madina were witnesses to the fact that these same Jewish neighbours of theirs had yearned for the advent of such a Prophet.
They often used to say: 'People may oppress us today as they wish, but when our awaited Prophet comes, we will settle our scores with our oppressors.'
Since the people of Madina had themselves heard such statements they were inclined to embrace the religion of the Prophet all the more readily lest their Jewist neighbours supersede them in acquiring this honour.
It was therefore astonishing for them to find that when the promised Prophet did appear those same Jews who had so eagerly looked forward to welcoming him turned into his greatest enemies.

The statement 'and they recognized it' is confirmed by several contemporaneous events.
The most authentic evidence in this connection is that of Safiyah, a wife of the Prophet, who was herself the daughter of one learned Jewish scholar ( Huyayy b.
Akhtab ) and the niece of another ( Abu Yasir ).
She says that when the Prophet migrated to Madina both her father and uncle went to meet him and conversed with him for quite a while.
When they returned home, she heard the following conversation:
Uncle:Is he really the same Prophet whose advent has been prophesied in our Scriptures?
Father: By God, he is.

Uncle: Do you believe that?
Father: Yes..

Uncle.
Then what do you intend to do?
Father: 1 will continue to oppose him and will not let his claim prevail as long as I live.

( Ibn Hishim, Sirah, eds., Mustafa al-Saqqa' et al., 2 vols., II edition, Cairo, 137511955, see vol.
1, pp.
518 f.
See also Ibn IshAq, The Life of Muhammad, tr.
and notes by A.
Guillaume, London, Oxford University Press, 1955, pp.
241 f.
- Ed. )
 

Muhammad bin Ishaq reported that Ibn `Abbas said that, وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ( And they say, "Our hearts are Ghulf." ), means, "Our hearts are screened." Mujahid also said that, وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ( And they say, "Our hearts are Ghulf." ), means, "They are covered."`Ikrimah said, "There is a stamp on them." Abu Al-`Aliyah said, "They do not comprehend." Mujahid and Qatadah said that Ibn `Abbas read the Ayah in a way that means, "Our hearts contain every type of knowledge and do not need the knowledge that you ( O Muhammad ) have." This is the opinion of `Ata' and Ibn `Abbas. بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ ( Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief ) meaning, "Allah expelled them and deprived them of every type of righteousness." Qatadah said that the Ayah, فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ( So little is that which they believe. ) means, "Only a few of them believe." Allah's statement, وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ( And they say, "Our hearts are Ghulf." ) is similar to His statement, وَقَالُواْ قُلُوبُنَا فِى أَكِنَّةٍ مِمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ ( And they say: "Our hearts are under coverings (screened ) from that to which you invite us) ( 41:5 ). This is why Allah said here, بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ( Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is that which they believe. ) meaning, "It is not as they claim.
Rather, their hearts are cursed and stamped," just as Allah said in Surat An-Nisa' ( 4:155 ), وَقَوْلِهِمْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَلْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً ( And of their saying: "Our hearts are wrapped (with coverings, i.e.
we do not understand what the Messengers say ) ـ nay, Allah has set a seal upon their hearts because of their disbelief, so they believe not but a little.) There is a difference of opinion regarding the meaning of Allah's statement, فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ( So little is that which they believe. ) and His statement, فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً ( So they believe not except a few ).
Some scholars said that the Ayat indicate that a few of them would believe, or that their faith is minute, because they believe in Resurrection and in Allah's reward and punishment that Musa foretold.
Yet, this faith will not benefit them since it is overshadowed by their disbelief in what Muhammad brought them.
Some scholars said that the Jews did not actually believe in anything and that Allah said, فَقَلِيلاً مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ( So little is that which they believe ), meaning, they do not believe.
This meaning is similar to the Arabic expression, "Hardly have I seen anything like this," meaning, "I have never seen anything like this."

( And they say ) i.e. the Jews: ( Our hearts are hardened ) vis--vis what you say, O Muhammad, i.e. our hearts are capable of absorbing any knowledge, but they prove incapable of comprehending your knowledge or what you say. ( Nay ) this is a reply to them, ( but Allah hath cursed them ) sealed their hearts ( for their disbelief ) as a punishment for their disbelief. ( Little is that which they believe ) they believe neither much nor a little; it is also said that this means: they do not believe in what you say at all.

And they say, "Our hearts are wrapped (i.e. do not hear or understand Allah's Word)." Nay, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is that which they believe.

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