سُوْرَةُ النَّمْلِ
Surah An-Naml (27) — Ayah 80
إِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَلَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا وَلَّوْا۟ مُدْبِرِينَ ﴿80﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Verily, you cannot make the dead to hear nor can you make the deaf to hear the call (i.e. benefit them and similarly the disbelievers), when they flee, turning their backs.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِنَّكَ
innaka
Indeed, you
لَا
lā
(can) not
تُسْمِعُ
tus'miʿu
cause to hear
ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ
l-mawtā
the dead
وَلَا
walā
and not
تُسْمِعُ
tus'miʿu
can you cause to hear
ٱلصُّمَّ
l-ṣuma
the deaf
ٱلدُّعَآءَ
l-duʿāa
the call
إِذَا
idhā
when
وَلَّوْا۟
wallaw
they turn back
مُدْبِرِينَ
mud'birīna
retreating
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.
You cannot make the dead hear, nor can you make the deaf hear your call when they turn their backs and go away. [84]
[84] In this verse, the "dead" refers to those whose hearts have died. That is, your admonition and guidance can neither benefit those whose hearts are dead, nor those whose hearts' ears have become deaf. Especially in the case where those deaf ones are running away backwards. Even if a deaf person's face is turned towards the speaker, he can understand something of the meaning from the speaker's gestures or manner of speaking. But if his face is turned away from the speaker, and moreover, he is running away, then what expectation can there be that he will understand anything of what the speaker is saying?
[84] In this verse, the "dead" refers to those whose hearts have died. That is, your admonition and guidance can neither benefit those whose hearts are dead, nor those whose hearts' ears have become deaf. Especially in the case where those deaf ones are running away backwards. Even if a deaf person's face is turned towards the speaker, he can understand something of the meaning from the speaker's gestures or manner of speaking. But if his face is turned away from the speaker, and moreover, he is running away, then what expectation can there be that he will understand anything of what the speaker is saying?
