وَإِن تَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ لَا يَسْمَعُوا۟ ۖ وَتَرَىٰهُمْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيْكَ وَهُمْ لَا يُبْصِرُونَ 198
Translations
And if you invite them to guidance, they do not hear; and you see them looking at you while they do not see.
Transliteration
Wa-in tad'ūhum ilā al-hudā lā yasma'ū wa-tarāhum yanẓurūn ilayka wa-hum lā yubṣirūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes the spiritual condition of those who reject faith and divine guidance—they are like deaf people who cannot hear the call to truth, and blind people who cannot perceive it despite appearing to look. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain this as describing both literal disbelievers during the Prophet's time and the metaphorical spiritual blindness and deafness that afflicts those whose hearts are sealed from guidance. The ayah emphasizes that mere physical presence and perception are insufficient without spiritual receptivity and openness to the message of Allah.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-A'raf (a Meccan chapter) which discusses the signs of Allah and the consequences of rejecting them. The broader context (verses 190-206) addresses the condition of those who turn away from Allah's signs despite witnessing them, illustrating the futility of calling polytheists to tawheed (monotheism) when their hearts are sealed.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to the hadith in Sahih Muslim where the Prophet (peace be upon him) described those who turn away from guidance as having sealed hearts: 'Allah has sealed their hearts and hearing, and on their eyes is a veil.' (Quran 2:7). Additionally, Tirmidhi reports the Prophet saying that the worst of people are those who see the signs of Allah but turn away from them.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that the greatest blindness is not physical but spiritual—the inability or unwillingness to perceive divine truth. It reminds believers to guard their hearts and seek understanding with genuine intention, for Allah's guidance is available to those whose hearts are truly open to receive it.