سُوْرَةُ البَقَرَةِ
Surah Al-Baqara (2) — Ayah 7
خَتَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ وَعَلَىٰٓ أَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ غِشَـٰوَةٌ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿7﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Allâh has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, (i.e. they are closed from accepting Allâh’s Guidance), and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
خَتَمَ
khatama
Has set a seal
ٱللَّهُ
l-lahu
Allah
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
on
قُلُوبِهِمْ
qulūbihim
their hearts
وَعَلَىٰ
waʿalā
and on
سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ
samʿihim
their hearing
وَعَلَىٰٓ
waʿalā
and on
أَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ
abṣārihim
their vision
غِشَـٰوَةٌۭ ۖ
ghishāwatun
(is) a veil
وَلَهُمْ
walahum
And for them
عَذَابٌ
ʿadhābun
(is) a punishment
عَظِيمٌۭ
ʿaẓīmun
great
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
7. Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and their ears [11], and over their eyes [12] is a covering. And for them is a great punishment.
[11]
How is the Seal Placed on the Disbelievers?
Allah Almighty places the seal only on the hearts of those disbelievers who, after fully understanding the commands of Allah Almighty, reject them merely out of stubbornness and obstinacy. As stated at another place:
﴿وَجَحَدُوْا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَآ اَنْفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَّعُلُوًّا ﴾ [14: 27]
"And they denied them out of stubbornness and arrogance, even though their hearts were convinced of them." And at another place it is said:
﴿ فَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا بِمَا كَذَّبُوا مِن قَبْلُ كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ الْكَافِرِينَ﴾ [ 101: 7]
"They were not willing to believe in what they had once denied. Thus Allah seals the hearts of the disbelievers." As for the general disbelievers, a large number among them have always been accepting Islam.
[12] The function of the heart is to understand, and the function of the ear is to hear, and these two organs are not restricted to any specific direction. But the eye can only see what is in front of it. Therefore, the sealing is mentioned for the hearts and ears, and only a covering is mentioned for the eyes. How can such people be ready to understand the realities when they are not even willing to hear or see them? For the ear and the eye are the two main gateways to the heart, through which all kinds of information reach the heart.
Why and When is the Seal Placed?
Allah Almighty did not give man eyes, ears, and a heart so that he would use these organs only as much as other animals do, and, like animals, focus only on eating, drinking, and worldly interests. For Allah Almighty has granted man much greater faculties of understanding and wisdom than other animals. For the guidance of mankind, Allah Almighty sent down heavenly books, which draw man's attention to the signs of Allah scattered throughout the universe, so that man may attain the recognition of Allah through them. Then, if a person is not even willing to listen to the verses of the Quran with his ears, nor to take the trouble to see the signs scattered in the universe with his eyes, is there any way left for his guidance? And an even worse situation is that of those who do hear the verses of Allah and their hearts do understand them, but due to their leadership or some other worldly interests, they are not willing to accept the truth; rather, they become oppositional and prejudiced. For such people, there remains no way for future guidance, and this is what Allah Almighty has described as sealing the hearts and ears and placing a covering over the eyes. This is also supported by the following marfu' hadith:
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: When a servant commits a sin, a black dot appears on his heart. Then, if he gives up the sin, seeks forgiveness, and repents, his heart is cleansed. But if he repeats the sin, the dot increases until it covers the heart, and this is the rust about which Allah Almighty has said: ﴿كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَليٰ قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُوْا يَكْسِبُوْنَ﴾ [ترمذي، ابواب التفسير]
Why is the act of sealing attributed to Allah Almighty? As for the question that if the sealing of the hearts and ears of the disbelievers happens due to their own evil deeds, then why has Allah Almighty attributed this act to Himself, the answer is that this too is a law of Allah: when a person stops using certain organs or faculties, or disregards the information provided by them, then the capacity of those organs and faculties automatically declines and eventually ceases. For example, if a person does not use his arm for some time and does not move it at all, it will become paralyzed on its own, and the ability to move it will no longer remain. And since this law is also made by Allah Almighty, the attribution of this act to Allah Almighty is correct, even though it occurs as a result of the person's own evil deeds.
[11]
How is the Seal Placed on the Disbelievers?
Allah Almighty places the seal only on the hearts of those disbelievers who, after fully understanding the commands of Allah Almighty, reject them merely out of stubbornness and obstinacy. As stated at another place:
﴿وَجَحَدُوْا بِهَا وَاسْتَيْقَنَتْهَآ اَنْفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَّعُلُوًّا ﴾ [14: 27]
"And they denied them out of stubbornness and arrogance, even though their hearts were convinced of them." And at another place it is said:
﴿ فَمَا كَانُوا لِيُؤْمِنُوا بِمَا كَذَّبُوا مِن قَبْلُ كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِ الْكَافِرِينَ﴾ [ 101: 7]
"They were not willing to believe in what they had once denied. Thus Allah seals the hearts of the disbelievers." As for the general disbelievers, a large number among them have always been accepting Islam.
[12] The function of the heart is to understand, and the function of the ear is to hear, and these two organs are not restricted to any specific direction. But the eye can only see what is in front of it. Therefore, the sealing is mentioned for the hearts and ears, and only a covering is mentioned for the eyes. How can such people be ready to understand the realities when they are not even willing to hear or see them? For the ear and the eye are the two main gateways to the heart, through which all kinds of information reach the heart.
Why and When is the Seal Placed?
Allah Almighty did not give man eyes, ears, and a heart so that he would use these organs only as much as other animals do, and, like animals, focus only on eating, drinking, and worldly interests. For Allah Almighty has granted man much greater faculties of understanding and wisdom than other animals. For the guidance of mankind, Allah Almighty sent down heavenly books, which draw man's attention to the signs of Allah scattered throughout the universe, so that man may attain the recognition of Allah through them. Then, if a person is not even willing to listen to the verses of the Quran with his ears, nor to take the trouble to see the signs scattered in the universe with his eyes, is there any way left for his guidance? And an even worse situation is that of those who do hear the verses of Allah and their hearts do understand them, but due to their leadership or some other worldly interests, they are not willing to accept the truth; rather, they become oppositional and prejudiced. For such people, there remains no way for future guidance, and this is what Allah Almighty has described as sealing the hearts and ears and placing a covering over the eyes. This is also supported by the following marfu' hadith:
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: When a servant commits a sin, a black dot appears on his heart. Then, if he gives up the sin, seeks forgiveness, and repents, his heart is cleansed. But if he repeats the sin, the dot increases until it covers the heart, and this is the rust about which Allah Almighty has said: ﴿كَلَّا بَلْ رَانَ عَليٰ قُلُوْبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُوْا يَكْسِبُوْنَ﴾ [ترمذي، ابواب التفسير]
Why is the act of sealing attributed to Allah Almighty? As for the question that if the sealing of the hearts and ears of the disbelievers happens due to their own evil deeds, then why has Allah Almighty attributed this act to Himself, the answer is that this too is a law of Allah: when a person stops using certain organs or faculties, or disregards the information provided by them, then the capacity of those organs and faculties automatically declines and eventually ceases. For example, if a person does not use his arm for some time and does not move it at all, it will become paralyzed on its own, and the ability to move it will no longer remain. And since this law is also made by Allah Almighty, the attribution of this act to Allah Almighty is correct, even though it occurs as a result of the person's own evil deeds.
