Surah Fussilat (41) — Ayah 44

(Ayah 44) ➊ { وَ لَوْ جَعَلْنٰهُ قُرْاٰنًا اَعْجَمِيًّا … :} At the beginning of the Surah, it is mentioned that "This is a Book sent down from the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate, whose verses have been explained in detail, an Arabic Qur'an for those who know." The polytheists of Makkah, who were Arabs, had the right to listen to the Book revealed in their own language and to reflect upon it. As a result, they would have attained the blessing of faith. But despite it being in their own language, they closed the doors of their ears, eyes, and hearts to it and said: « قُلُوْبُنَا فِيْۤ اَكِنَّةٍ مِّمَّا تَدْعُوْنَاۤ اِلَيْهِ وَ فِيْۤ اٰذَانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَّ مِنْۢ بَيْنِنَا وَ بَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ » [ حٰمٓ السجدۃ : ۵ ] "Our hearts are in coverings from that to which you invite us, and in our ears is heaviness, and between us and you is a barrier." In fact, they practically decided that they would neither listen to this Arabic Qur'an themselves nor let anyone else listen to it, as mentioned in this Surah: « وَ قَالَ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُوْا لَا تَسْمَعُوْا لِهٰذَا الْقُرْاٰنِ وَ الْغَوْا فِيْهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَغْلِبُوْنَ» [حٰمٓ السجدۃ : ۲۶ ] "And those who disbelieve say, 'Do not listen to this Qur'an and make noise during [the recitation of] it so that you may overcome.'" Now, to convince them, only one option remained: that the Qur'an be revealed in a language other than Arabic, so that they would be certain that this Arab Messenger, who does not know a non-Arabic language, has brought a non-Arabic Qur'an, and thus it is a miracle from Allah. In this verse, Allah Almighty said that even if this had happened, these people would still not have believed; rather, they would have presented another excuse for not believing, because for one who has already decided not to believe, there is no way to make him believe.

Our Shaykh Muhammad Abduh, may Allah have mercy on him, writes in the commentary of this verse: "These disbelievers of Makkah are indeed strange; if one of their own brings the Qur'an in Arabic, they say that there is no excellence in an Arab presenting an Arabic Qur'an. The real excellence would have been if this person had presented the Qur'an in some non-Arabic language—Persian, Roman, or Turkish. However, if we had accepted their demand and revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a non-Arabic language, these very people would have objected at that time, saying that it is strange that the Messenger has been sent to invite the Arabs, but has brought the Qur'an in a language that the Arabs cannot even understand." (Ashraf al-Hawashi)

➋ {قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا هُدًى وَّ شِفَآءٌ:} Its commentary has already passed; see Surah Yunus (57) and Surah Bani Isra'il (82).

➌ { وَ الَّذِيْنَ لَا يُؤْمِنُوْنَ فِيْۤ اٰذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ … :} That is, although the Qur'an is a source of guidance and right path, for these disbelievers it is a heaviness in the ears and a covering over the eyes. The reason is their own stubbornness and prejudice; there is no fault in the Qur'an itself. It is just like the sun, which is a source of light, but as soon as it rises, the eyes of the bat are dazzled.

➍ {اُولٰٓىِٕكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَّكَانٍۭ بَعِيْدٍ:} This is an idiom and is used for a person who does not understand anything. (Qurtubi) That is, these people do not try to listen to the Qur'an with their hearts; they only listen superficially, so they do not receive any guidance from it. It is just like when someone is called from afar and he hears the sound but does not understand the meaning or intent.