وَقَالُوا۟ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌۢ ۚ بَل لَّعَنَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَقَلِيلًا مَّا يُؤْمِنُونَ 88
Translations
And they said, "Our hearts are wrapped." But, [in fact], Allāh has cursed them for their disbelief, so little is it that they believe.
Transliteration
Wa qāloo qulūbunā ghulfun, bal la'anahumu Allāhu bikufrihim faqalīlan mā yu'minūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The Jews claimed their hearts were sealed and impervious to the message of the Qur'an, but Allah corrected them, stating that it was rather His curse upon them due to their disbelief that prevented them from believing. Ibn Kathir explains that 'ghulf' (sealed/wrapped) refers to their arrogance and spiritual obstruction, not a literal sealing—their persistent rejection of truth had hardened their hearts. This ayah emphasizes that the barrier to faith is not imposed by Allah arbitrarily, but is a consequence of their own choice to reject guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the discourse in Surah Al-Baqarah addressing the People of the Book, particularly the Jews of Medina who made excuses for not accepting the Prophet Muhammad's message. The context is Allah's refutation of their claim that their hearts were naturally closed to understanding, clarifying instead that their disbelief itself became the cause of their spiritual blindness.
Related Hadiths
The hadith in Sahih Bukhari (3:49:129) regarding the sealing of hearts: 'The Prophet said: When a slave commits a sin, a black dot appears on his heart. If he repents and seeks forgiveness, his heart is polished clean.' This relates to the principle that hearts become sealed through persistent rejection of truth.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that spiritual blindness and inability to accept truth are not random acts of God, but natural consequences of choosing disbelief and arrogance; it serves as a warning that persistent rejection of guidance gradually hardens the heart, making faith increasingly difficult. For modern readers, it emphasizes personal responsibility in seeking truth and the danger of allowing ego and prejudice to close one's heart to divine signs.
Related Ayahs
إِذْ جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلرُّسُلُ مِنۢ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ ۖ قَالُوا۟ لَوْ شَآءَ رَبُّنَا لَأَنزَلَ مَلَـٰٓئِكَةً فَإِنَّا بِمَآ أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِۦ كَـٰفِرُونَ
[That occurred] when the messengers had come to them before them and after them, [saying], "Worship not except Allāh." They said, "If our Lord had willed, He would have sent down the angels, so indeed we, in that with which you have been sent, are disbelievers."
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱتَّبِعُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ قَالُوا۟ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَآ أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَآ ۗ أَوَلَوْ كَانَ ءَابَآؤُهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَهْتَدُونَ
And when it is said to them, "Follow what Allāh has revealed," they say, "Rather, we will follow that which we found our fathers doing." Even though their fathers understood nothing, nor were they guided?
فَبِظُلْمٍ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ طَيِّبَـٰتٍ أُحِلَّتْ لَهُمْ وَبِصَدِّهِمْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ كَثِيرًا
For wrongdoing on the part of the Jews, We made unlawful for them [certain] good foods which had been lawful to them, and for their averting from the way of Allāh many [people],
۞ وَلَوْ يُعَجِّلُ ٱللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ ٱلشَّرَّ ٱسْتِعْجَالَهُم بِٱلْخَيْرِ لَقُضِىَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَجَلُهُمْ ۖ فَنَذَرُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَرْجُونَ لِقَآءَنَا فِى طُغْيَـٰنِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ
And if Allāh was to hasten for the people the evil [they invoke] as He hastens for them the good, their term would have been ended for them. But We leave the ones who do not expect the meeting with Us, in their transgression, wandering blindly.