وَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ جَعَلْنَا بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حِجَابًا مَّسْتُورًا 45
Translations
And when you recite the Qur’ān, We put between you and those who do not believe in the Hereafter a concealed partition.
Transliteration
Wa-idha qarA'ta al-Qur'ana ja'alna baynaka wa bayna alladhina la yu'minuna bi-al-akhirati hijaban masturam
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah indicates that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) recites the Qur'an, Allah places a concealed barrier between him and those who disbelieve in the Hereafter, preventing them from truly understanding or accepting its message. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari interpret this barrier as a veil over the hearts and minds of disbelievers, a manifestation of Allah's decree that seals their hearts from guidance, as mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:7. The 'hijab mastoor' (hidden veil) signifies both the spiritual blindness of the disbelievers and the divine protection of the Qur'an's message from being corrupted by their rejection.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the context of Surah Al-Isra, which addresses the Prophet's mission and the rejection he faced from the Meccan polytheists. The broader context discusses how disbelievers turn away from the Qur'an and the signs of Allah, establishing that their rejection is not due to the weakness of the message but rather due to the seal Allah has placed upon their hearts as a consequence of their own choices and disbelief.
Related Hadiths
The concept relates to the hadith in Sahih Bukhari where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'When Allah wishes to guide someone, He expands his chest for Islam.' Conversely, the sealing of hearts is mentioned in the hadith about those who persistently reject guidance, found in various collections including Jami' at-Tirmidhi.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that rejection of Islamic truth is ultimately a matter of divine decree resulting from persistent denial and hardness of heart, not merely intellectual disagreement. For believers, it provides comfort that the Qur'an's power and truth are preserved by Allah regardless of rejection, and encourages patience in da'wah while relying on Allah's wisdom regarding who accepts guidance.