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
إِن يَسْـَٔلْكُمُوهَا فَيُحْفِكُمْ تَبْخَلُوا۟ وَيُخْرِجْ أَضْغَـٰنَكُمْ
If He should ask you for them and press you, you would withhold, and He would expose your hatred [i.e., unwillingness].
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ جَنَّـٰتٍ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يَتَمَتَّعُونَ وَيَأْكُلُونَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمُ وَٱلنَّارُ مَثْوًى لَّهُمْ
Indeed, Allāh will admit those who have believed and done righteous deeds to gardens beneath which rivers flow, but those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as grazing livestock eat, and the Fire will be a residence for them.
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا تَوَفَّتْهُمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ يَضْرِبُونَ وُجُوهَهُمْ وَأَدْبَـٰرَهُمْ
Then how [will it be] when the angels take them in death, striking their faces and their backs?
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ
That is because they disliked what Allāh revealed, so He rendered worthless their deeds.