سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 88
وَقَالُوا۟ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌۢ ۚ بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلًا مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿88﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And they say, "Our hearts are wrapped (i.e. do not hear or understand Allâh’s Word)." Nay, Allâh has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is that which they believe.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقَالُوا۟
waqālū
And they said
قُلُوبُنَا
qulūbunā
Our hearts
غُلْفٌۢ ۚ
ghul'fun
(are) wrapped
بَل
bal
Nay
لَّعَنَهُمُ
laʿanahumu
has cursed them
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
بِكُفْرِهِمْ
bikuf'rihim
for their disbelief
فَقَلِيلًۭا
faqalīlan
so little
مَّا
mā
(is) what
يُؤْمِنُونَ
yu'minūna
they believe
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 88) (1) {غُلْفٌ:} is the plural of {’’ أَغْلَفُ ‘‘}, just as {’’اَحْمَرُ ‘‘} is the plural of {’’حُمْرٌ ‘‘}, meaning something that is in a covering (veil), such as: {’’ رَجُلٌ اَغْلَفُ‘‘} “the man who is uncircumcised.” And {’’ سَيْفٌ اَغْلَفُ‘‘} “the sword that is in its sheath.” The Jews used to say that our hearts are protected in coverings, your words have no effect on them. It is said: «{ وَ قَالُوْا قُلُوْبُنَا فِيْۤ اَكِنَّةٍ مِّمَّا تَدْعُوْنَاۤ اِلَيْهِ }» [ حٰمٓ السجدۃ : ۵] “And they said, ‘Our hearts are in coverings from that to which you call us.’” Some scholars of exegesis have interpreted { ”غُلْفٌ“ } to mean that our hearts are full of knowledge and wisdom, there is no room for any other knowledge in them. Upon this, the Qur’an said that not being affected by the truth is not something to be proud of, rather, it is a sign of Allah’s curse. (Ibn Kathir)
➋ { فَقَلِيْلًا مَّا يُؤْمِنُوْنَ:} { ”مَا“ } is for emphasis, that is why it has been translated as “very little.” One meaning of “they believe very little” is that very few among them believe, such as Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) and others. In this case, it is the circumstantial adverb (hal) from the pronoun in { ”يُؤْمِنُوْنَ“ }. The second meaning is that they believe very little, not with complete faith; they believe in some verses and some prophets and disbelieve in others. In this case, it is an attribute of the omitted {”اِیْمَانٌ“}. { ”قَلِيْلاً“ } sometimes also comes for negation, meaning they do not believe at all.
➋ { فَقَلِيْلًا مَّا يُؤْمِنُوْنَ:} { ”مَا“ } is for emphasis, that is why it has been translated as “very little.” One meaning of “they believe very little” is that very few among them believe, such as Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) and others. In this case, it is the circumstantial adverb (hal) from the pronoun in { ”يُؤْمِنُوْنَ“ }. The second meaning is that they believe very little, not with complete faith; they believe in some verses and some prophets and disbelieve in others. In this case, it is an attribute of the omitted {”اِیْمَانٌ“}. { ”قَلِيْلاً“ } sometimes also comes for negation, meaning they do not believe at all.
