Sealed Heart: Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:6-7, Part-2) – By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Shafaqna (International Shia News Agency)

Commentary of the Quran (Chapter 2:6-7, Part-2)

By: Mohammad Sobhanie

Sealed Heart

بِسْمِ اللَّـهِ الرَّحْمَـٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ ﴿٦﴾ خَتَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ وَعَلَىٰ أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌ ﴿٧﴾

 

Translation: Those who (deliberately) reject Faith will not believe whether you (O! Prophet) warn them or not. Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing.  Their vision is veiled, and a great punishment awaits them.

Commentary: Sin impairs human thought, judgment, and conduct.  Arrogance¹, persistence in committing sin², and stubbornness against the truth³ corrupts human intelligence and eventually blinds one’s intellect from the divine guidance.  The Quran describes such blinded individuals as having a “sealed heart”, which is no longer receptive to Allah’s message.

The word “Heart” in the Quran does not refer to one specific human characteristic; rather, it refers to a multitude of traits that form human identity.  Heart can refer to one’s intellect⁴, human spirit⁵, or emotions⁶, such as love, hate, anger, or fear⁷.

The Prophet has stated that sin symbolically plants in the heart a dark spot, which grows further by perpetual immorality and wickedness⁸ .This ultimately impairs mankind’s ability to benefit from the guidance provided by the Quran.  However, a tainted heart can be turned into one of purity through repentance and amending of immoral behavior.

The Quran has stated that the inhabitants of Hell possess hearts (faculty of intellect) that do not help them to think, to reflect, or to reason rationally.  A person with a rational mind will not knowingly perform deeds that will result in their permanent existence in the hell fire⁹.

As mentioned earlier, piety empowers human intellect with an inner divine light¹⁰ to draw a better understanding of the Quran¹¹ and to benefit from its teachings¹². Conversely, deliberate rejection of faith eventually seals the human heart and renders it resistant to divine guidance.

References:

1-       The Quran [40:35]

2-        [45:23]

3-        [4:155]

4-       [50:37]

5-       [33:10]

6-       [3:159]

7-       Tafseer e Namoona Vol.1 Page 87

8-       Tafseer e Namoona Vol.26 Page 262

9-       [7:179]

10-   [al-Anfaal 8:29]

11-   [56:77]

12-   [2:2]

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