Surah Al-Hajj (22) — Ayah 46

(Ayah 46) ➊ { اَفَلَمْ يَسِيْرُوْا فِي الْاَرْضِ … :} The people of Arabia used to travel far and wide for trade, so in the summer they would go towards Syria and in the winter towards Yemen. In Surah Quraysh, Allah Almighty has especially mentioned this favor upon them. Yemen was the dwelling place of the people of ‘Ad, and during the journey to Syria, they would pass by the ruined towns of Madain Salih and the people of Lot. Regarding the people of Lot, it is said: « وَ اِنَّكُمْ لَتَمُرُّوْنَ عَلَيْهِمْ مُّصْبِحِيْنَ (137) وَ بِالَّيْلِ اَفَلَا تَعْقِلُوْنَ » [ الصافات : ۱۳۷، ۱۳۸ ] “And indeed, you pass by them in the morning and at night. Will you not then understand?” And regarding the people of Lot and the people of Shu‘ayb (the companions of the thicket), it is said: «{ وَ اِنَّهُمَا لَبِاِمَامٍ مُّبِيْنٍ }» [ الحجر : ۷۹ ] “And indeed, both of them (the towns) are on a clear highway.” The region of Madyan was also located in the northwest of Hijaz. In travel, a person gains not only financial benefits but also intellectual benefits, countless experiences, and lessons, and the greatest benefit of travel is this. Abu al-‘Ala al-Ma‘arri says:
{وَ قِيْلَ أَفَادَ بِالْأَسْفَارِ مَالاً ¤ فَقُلْنَا هَلْ أَفَادَ بِهَا فُؤَادًا}
“People said that he gained much wealth in various journeys, so we said, did he gain any heart from them?” That is, did he gain any wisdom, advice, or lesson from those journeys? In this verse, it is being said to those who made these journeys: Did these people not travel through the land so that by seeing the ancient remains of various nations, their hearts would reason and they would take advice and lesson, or at least take lesson by hearing from others? The purpose is that the benefit of travel is to reflect, understand, and take lesson, and indeed you saw much with your eyes and heard much with your ears during these journeys, but when you did not take lesson and wisdom from it, then understand that you are blind despite having eyes and deaf despite having ears. It is said: «وَ مَثَلُ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا كَمَثَلِ الَّذِيْ يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسْمَعُ اِلَّا دُعَآءً وَّ نِدَآءً صُمٌّۢ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُوْنَ » [ البقرۃ : ۱۷۱ ] “And the example of those who disbelieve is like that of one who shouts at what hears nothing but calls and cries—deaf, dumb, blind, so they do not understand.” Thus, whoever’s heart is devoid of reason, his eyes and ears are of no benefit to him. Similarly, in this verse, those who have not traveled are being encouraged to travel the world, so that by seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears, they may gain advice and lesson.

➋ After {فَاِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْاَبْصَارُ … : ’’ إِنَّ ‘‘}, {’’ هَا ‘‘} is called the pronoun of the story; it also comes in the masculine form, as in one recitation of this verse {’’ فَإِنَّهُ لَا تَعْمَي الْأَبْصَارُ‘‘}, at which point it is called the pronoun of the matter. The meaning of both is the same: the reality is that… Sight is of two types: one is the sight of the eyes, called basarat, and the other is the sight of the heart, called basirat. Similarly, blindness is also of two types: one is the blindness of the eyes, and the other is the blindness of the heart. Allah Almighty said, the reality is that the eyes do not become blind, but the hearts become blind which are in the chests. Here, the meaning of the eyes not becoming blind is that there is no harm in the eyes being blind; the real harm is in the heart being blind and deprived of insight.

➌ Some scholars have given the example of basarat (sight) and basirat (insight) as that of a mount and its rider: if the rider can see, then the mount being blind is not a particular harm, but if the rider is blind, then no matter how sharp the mount’s vision is, it is of no benefit.

➍ Modern science says that thinking and understanding is the work of the brain, not the heart, whereas Allah Almighty has declared the heart in the chest as the center of reason, not the brain in the head. Now some people have said that the Qur’an did not speak in the language of science, but in literary language, but this is not correct, because scientific theories keep changing, whereas the word of Allah is unchanging and can never be wrong. Everyone knows that the brain receives blood only from the heart; it is quite possible that the brain is merely a storehouse whose button is in the heart, and it is also quite possible—and has happened countless times—that science may also reach the real truth here and accept the heart as the center of reason.