Authored by: Sheikh al-Islam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him)Translated by: Maulana Mukhtar Ahmad Nadwi (may Allah protect him)
The people of ignorance used to justify their refusal to follow the divine revelation by claiming that they were unable to comprehend the words of the prophets. As mentioned in the verse:
“We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of messengers. We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. But whenever a messenger came to you with something you did not desire, you became arrogant: some of them you denied, and others you killed. They say, ‘Our hearts are covered.’ No! Rather, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe only a little.”
— (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:87)
And Allah further says:
“Then, for their breaking of the covenant, their disbelief in the signs of Allah, their unjust killing of the prophets, and their saying, ‘Our hearts are covered’—no! Rather, Allah has sealed them due to their disbelief, so they believe only a little.”
— (Surah An-Nisa 4:155)
In this verse, the word "غلف" has two meanings. First, it is the plural of "اغلف," which refers to someone who does not understand. The second meaning is the plural of "غلاف," which means a covering. According to the first meaning, they claimed that their hearts were naturally closed, so the divine message could not penetrate them. This is also mentioned in Surah Fussilat, Ayah 5:
"Our hearts are veiled from that to which you invite us."
— (Surah Fussilat 41:5)
By saying this, they intended to dishearten the Prophet (peace be upon him) and make it clear that they would never accept his message.
Some scholars say that "غلف" means their hearts were already filled with the knowledge of the Torah, which prevented anything else from entering. Alternatively, they claimed that their hearts were naturally protected from such teachings. Another interpretation is that their hearts were the storehouses of knowledge, and if what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said were true, it would have already been accepted by their hearts. Abdullah bin Abbas, Qatadah, and Suddiy have explained that "غلف" means their hearts were full of knowledge, leaving no room for anything new, thus making them self-sufficient in their own knowledge and indifferent to anything else.
Some people argued that since their hearts were already full of knowledge, it would not be appropriate for them to follow an unlettered person like the Prophet (peace be upon him). However, this claim is far from the truth, as made evident in several verses. Allah Almighty says in Surah Hud:
"O my people, let not your opposition to me cause you to be struck by the same calamity that befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Salih. And the people of Lot are not far off from you. And seek forgiveness from your Lord and repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Merciful and Loving." They said, 'O Shu’ayb, we do not understand much of what you say, and we see you as weak among us. Were it not for your clan, we would have stoned you, for you are not strong in our eyes.’”
— (Surah Hud 11:89)
This verse has the same meaning as the previous one. Allah (SWT) refutes their false claims in numerous verses, explaining that their lack of understanding is not due to a deficiency in the message or its delivery, but rather due to the seal placed on their hearts because of their disbelief.
Abu Al-Ala Al-Ma’arri expressed this concept well when he said:
"The star appears small to the eye... But the fault lies in the vision, not the star's size."
This beautifully captures the idea that the limitation lies in the people’s perception, not in the clarity or truth of the message.
The people of ignorance used to justify their refusal to follow the divine revelation by claiming that they were unable to comprehend the words of the prophets. As mentioned in the verse:
“We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of messengers. We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. But whenever a messenger came to you with something you did not desire, you became arrogant: some of them you denied, and others you killed. They say, ‘Our hearts are covered.’ No! Rather, Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe only a little.”
— (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:87)
And Allah further says:
“Then, for their breaking of the covenant, their disbelief in the signs of Allah, their unjust killing of the prophets, and their saying, ‘Our hearts are covered’—no! Rather, Allah has sealed them due to their disbelief, so they believe only a little.”
— (Surah An-Nisa 4:155)
In this verse, the word "غلف" has two meanings. First, it is the plural of "اغلف," which refers to someone who does not understand. The second meaning is the plural of "غلاف," which means a covering. According to the first meaning, they claimed that their hearts were naturally closed, so the divine message could not penetrate them. This is also mentioned in Surah Fussilat, Ayah 5:
"Our hearts are veiled from that to which you invite us."
— (Surah Fussilat 41:5)
By saying this, they intended to dishearten the Prophet (peace be upon him) and make it clear that they would never accept his message.
Some scholars say that "غلف" means their hearts were already filled with the knowledge of the Torah, which prevented anything else from entering. Alternatively, they claimed that their hearts were naturally protected from such teachings. Another interpretation is that their hearts were the storehouses of knowledge, and if what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said were true, it would have already been accepted by their hearts. Abdullah bin Abbas, Qatadah, and Suddiy have explained that "غلف" means their hearts were full of knowledge, leaving no room for anything new, thus making them self-sufficient in their own knowledge and indifferent to anything else.
Some people argued that since their hearts were already full of knowledge, it would not be appropriate for them to follow an unlettered person like the Prophet (peace be upon him). However, this claim is far from the truth, as made evident in several verses. Allah Almighty says in Surah Hud:
"O my people, let not your opposition to me cause you to be struck by the same calamity that befell the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Salih. And the people of Lot are not far off from you. And seek forgiveness from your Lord and repent to Him. Indeed, my Lord is Merciful and Loving." They said, 'O Shu’ayb, we do not understand much of what you say, and we see you as weak among us. Were it not for your clan, we would have stoned you, for you are not strong in our eyes.’”
— (Surah Hud 11:89)
This verse has the same meaning as the previous one. Allah (SWT) refutes their false claims in numerous verses, explaining that their lack of understanding is not due to a deficiency in the message or its delivery, but rather due to the seal placed on their hearts because of their disbelief.
Abu Al-Ala Al-Ma’arri expressed this concept well when he said:
"The star appears small to the eye... But the fault lies in the vision, not the star's size."
This beautifully captures the idea that the limitation lies in the people’s perception, not in the clarity or truth of the message.