سُوْرَةُ الْحَجِّ
Surah Al-Hajj (22) — Ayah 46
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَآ أَوْ ءَاذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا ۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَلَـٰكِن تَعْمَى ٱلْقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِى فِى ٱلصُّدُورِ ﴿46﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow blind.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
أَفَلَمْ
afalam
So have not
يَسِيرُوا۟
yasīrū
they traveled
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the land
فَتَكُونَ
fatakūna
and is
لَهُمْ
lahum
for them
قُلُوبٌۭ
qulūbun
hearts
يَعْقِلُونَ
yaʿqilūna
(to) reason
بِهَآ
bihā
with it
أَوْ
aw
or
ءَاذَانٌۭ
ādhānun
ears
يَسْمَعُونَ
yasmaʿūna
(to) hear
بِهَا ۖ
bihā
with it
فَإِنَّهَا
fa-innahā
For indeed, [it]
لَا
lā
not
تَعْمَى
taʿmā
(are) blinded
ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ
l-abṣāru
the eyes
وَلَـٰكِن
walākin
but
تَعْمَى
taʿmā
(are) blinded
ٱلْقُلُوبُ
l-qulūbu
the hearts
ٱلَّتِى
allatī
which
فِى
fī
(are) in
ٱلصُّدُورِ
l-ṣudūri
the breasts
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.
46. Have they not traveled through the land so that their hearts might become capable of understanding, or their ears capable of hearing? Indeed, it is not the eyes that become blind, but it is the hearts [74] within the chests that become blind.
[74]
Is the Source of Reflection and Contemplation the Brain or the Heart?
That is, from these destroyed towns which fall on their way, these people never take any lesson. Nor do they ever think about why such an end befell these towns. But to think about such matters, one needs a seeing eye, and they do not possess it. To take a lesson, it is not the eyesight that is needed, but the insight of the heart. As a poet has said:
Seek from God a seeing heart
The light of the eye is not the light of the heart
Here, it should be remembered that at every place, Allah the Exalted has related intellect, understanding, reflection, and thought to the heart. In addition, all kinds of emotions such as love, sympathy, mercy, brotherhood, and on the contrary, emotions such as hatred, malice, enmity, and jealousy—all have been declared to originate from the heart. Whereas, according to modern medicine, at least intellect, understanding, reflection, and thought, etc., are not related to the heart but to the brain. Nevertheless, in the idiom of every language, the heart is considered the source of these things. As in the above-mentioned couplet, “seeing heart” is used, or for example:
This is what came to my heart, to leave the house
While strolling, let’s go to the garden for a while
From this couplet, it is also clear that intention arises after thought, as it is attributed to the heart instead of the brain, and the Quran was revealed according to the idiom of the people, especially the Quraysh. And even more than this, the current theory is subject to change and alteration, and it is quite possible that after this research, with new research, the real center of all these things may be declared to be the heart instead of the brain, and all the thoughts and reflections of the brain may also be subject to the ideas and emotions of the heart. Therefore, we must always keep in mind that the statement of that Being can be the most correct, Who is Himself the Creator of these things and is fully aware of every kind of state of the heart.
[74]
Is the Source of Reflection and Contemplation the Brain or the Heart?
That is, from these destroyed towns which fall on their way, these people never take any lesson. Nor do they ever think about why such an end befell these towns. But to think about such matters, one needs a seeing eye, and they do not possess it. To take a lesson, it is not the eyesight that is needed, but the insight of the heart. As a poet has said:
Seek from God a seeing heart
The light of the eye is not the light of the heart
Here, it should be remembered that at every place, Allah the Exalted has related intellect, understanding, reflection, and thought to the heart. In addition, all kinds of emotions such as love, sympathy, mercy, brotherhood, and on the contrary, emotions such as hatred, malice, enmity, and jealousy—all have been declared to originate from the heart. Whereas, according to modern medicine, at least intellect, understanding, reflection, and thought, etc., are not related to the heart but to the brain. Nevertheless, in the idiom of every language, the heart is considered the source of these things. As in the above-mentioned couplet, “seeing heart” is used, or for example:
This is what came to my heart, to leave the house
While strolling, let’s go to the garden for a while
From this couplet, it is also clear that intention arises after thought, as it is attributed to the heart instead of the brain, and the Quran was revealed according to the idiom of the people, especially the Quraysh. And even more than this, the current theory is subject to change and alteration, and it is quite possible that after this research, with new research, the real center of all these things may be declared to be the heart instead of the brain, and all the thoughts and reflections of the brain may also be subject to the ideas and emotions of the heart. Therefore, we must always keep in mind that the statement of that Being can be the most correct, Who is Himself the Creator of these things and is fully aware of every kind of state of the heart.
