قُلْ إِنَّمَآ أُنذِرُكُم بِٱلْوَحْىِ ۚ وَلَا يَسْمَعُ ٱلصُّمُّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا مَا يُنذَرُونَ 45
Translations
Say, "I only warn you by revelation." But the deaf do not hear the call when they are warned.
Transliteration
Qul innama undhirukum bil-wahy wa la yasma'u as-summu ad-du'aa idha ma yundhharun
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is commanded to tell the disbelievers that he warns them only through divine revelation, not through worldly power or coercion. The ayah uses the metaphor of the deaf not hearing a call to illustrate that those who close their hearts to the message—despite clear warning—cannot be forced to believe, just as the physically deaf cannot hear sound. Classical scholars like Al-Qurtubi emphasize that this demonstrates the limits of the Prophet's responsibility: he conveys the message clearly, but belief ultimately depends on Allah's will and the listener's openness of heart.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Meccan period when the Prophet faced persistent rejection from Quraysh. It is situated within Surah Al-Anbiya's broader theme of previous prophets and their struggles with their peoples' disbelief. The context addresses the Prophet's concern about the people's rejection despite his sincere efforts to warn them, reassuring him that his role is only to deliver the message through revelation, not to force acceptance.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet said, 'The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which is fertile soil that absorbs water and brings forth vegetation and herbage in abundance. And some of which is hard ground that holds the water...' (Muslim 2282). This illustrates the varying receptivity of people to divine guidance, similar to the ayah's point about spiritual deafness.
Themes
Key Lesson
Believers should recognize that while they are responsible for conveying the message of Islam with wisdom and clarity, they cannot force others to accept it—this mirrors the Prophet's own role and teaches us to focus on delivering the message sincerely while entrusting the results to Allah. Additionally, we must examine our own hearts to ensure we are not among the spiritually 'deaf' who hear the truth but refuse to heed it.
Related Ayahs
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَـٰضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ أَن لَّآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
And [mention] the man of the fish [i.e., Jonah], when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree [anything] upon him. And he called out within the darknesses, "There is no deity except You; exalted are You. Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers."
قَالُوا۟ مَن فَعَلَ هَـٰذَا بِـَٔالِهَتِنَآ إِنَّهُۥ لَمِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
They said, "Who has done this to our gods? Indeed, he is of the wrongdoers."
وَإِذَا رَءَاكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِن يَتَّخِذُونَكَ إِلَّا هُزُوًا أَهَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى يَذْكُرُ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ وَهُم بِذِكْرِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ هُمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
And when those who disbelieve see you, [O Muḥammad], they take you not except in ridicule, [saying], "Is this the one who mentions [i.e., insults] your gods?" And they are, at the mention of the Most Merciful, disbelievers.
لَا يَسْمَعُونَ حَسِيسَهَا ۖ وَهُمْ فِى مَا ٱشْتَهَتْ أَنفُسُهُمْ خَـٰلِدُونَ
They will not hear its sound, while they are, in that which their souls desire, abiding eternally.