أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَآ 24
Translations
Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’ān, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?
Transliteration
Afala yatadabbarun al-Qur'ana am ala qulub aqfaluha
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah poses a rhetorical question challenging the disbelievers: 'Do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon their hearts?' According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, Allah is condemning those who refuse to contemplate the Qur'an's signs and wisdom, suggesting that their hearts are sealed due to their deliberate rejection and arrogance. The 'locks' (aqfal) metaphorically represent the spiritual blindness and hardness of hearts that result from turning away from divine guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Muhammad (a Medinan chapter) during a period when the Prophet (peace be upon him) faced continued opposition from those who heard the Qur'an but refused to accept its message. The surah addresses the stubbornness of disbelievers who encounter clear signs yet persist in denial, making this ayah part of a broader theme of holding accountable those who deliberately ignore divine revelation.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it' (Sahih Bukhari 5027). Additionally, 'Whoever listens to a verse from Allah's Book and reflects upon it has indeed engaged in the greatest remembrance' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah emphasizes that merely hearing the Qur'an is insufficient without sincere reflection and contemplation; Muslims are encouraged to engage deeply with the Qur'an's meanings rather than reciting it passively. It also serves as a warning that persistent rejection of truth hardens the heart, making future guidance increasingly difficult to perceive.
Related Ayahs
۞ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَلَا تُبْطِلُوٓا۟ أَعْمَـٰلَكُمْ
O you who have believed, obey Allāh and obey the Messenger and do not invalidate your deeds.
وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْكَ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا خَرَجُوا۟ مِنْ عِندِكَ قَالُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْعِلْمَ مَاذَا قَالَ ءَانِفًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ طَبَعَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَٱتَّبَعُوٓا۟ أَهْوَآءَهُمْ
And among them, [O Muḥammad], are those who listen to you, until when they depart from you, they say to those who were given knowledge, "What has he said just now?" Those are the ones of whom Allāh has sealed over their hearts and who have followed their [own] desires.
فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَضَرْبَ ٱلرِّقَابِ حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَثْخَنتُمُوهُمْ فَشُدُّوا۟ ٱلْوَثَاقَ فَإِمَّا مَنًّۢا بَعْدُ وَإِمَّا فِدَآءً حَتَّىٰ تَضَعَ ٱلْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ وَلَوْ يَشَآءُ ٱللَّهُ لَٱنتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَبْلُوَا۟ بَعْضَكُم بِبَعْضٍ ۗ وَٱلَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَلَن يُضِلَّ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ
So when you meet those who disbelieve [in battle], strike [their] necks until, when you have inflicted slaughter upon them, then secure [their] bonds, and either [confer] favor afterwards or ransom [them] until the war lays down its burdens. That [is the command]. And if Allāh had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allāh - never will He waste their deeds.
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَصَدُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ ثُمَّ مَاتُوا۟ وَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ فَلَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللَّهُ لَهُمْ
Indeed, those who disbelieved and averted [people] from the path of Allāh and then died while they were disbelievers - never will Allāh forgive them.