The hearts that are blind
In the last two pages of Surat al-A’raf, Allah talks about those who worship idols, or worship anything else other than Allah – whether this is their own whims, wealth, ego, etc. No matter how hard you try to invite them to the truth, they are leading themselves to destruction.
أَيُشۡرِكُونَ مَا لَا يَخۡلُقُ شَيۡـٔٗا وَهُمۡ يُخۡلَقُونَ
وَلَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ لَهُمۡ نَصۡرٗا وَلَآ أَنفُسَهُمۡ يَنصُرُونَ
وَإِن تَدۡعُوهُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰ لَا يَتَّبِعُوكُمۡۚ
سَوَآءٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡ أَدَعَوۡتُمُوهُمۡ أَمۡ أَنتُمۡ صَٰمِتُونَ
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ
عِبَادٌ أَمۡثَالُكُمۡۖ فَٱدۡعُوهُمۡ فَلۡيَسۡتَجِيبُواْ
لَكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰدِقِينَ
أَلَهُمۡ أَرۡجُلٞ يَمۡشُونَ بِهَآۖ أَمۡ لَهُمۡ أَيۡدٖ
يَبۡطِشُونَ بِهَآۖ أَمۡ لَهُمۡ أَعۡيُنٞ يُبۡصِرُونَ بِهَآۖ أَمۡ لَهُمۡ
ءَاذَانٞ يَسۡمَعُونَ بِهَاۗ قُلِ ٱدۡعُواْ شُرَكَآءَكُمۡ
ثُمَّ كِيدُونِ فَلَا تُنظِرُونِ
Do they associate with Him those who create nothing and they are [themselves] created?
And the false deities are unable to [give] them help, nor can they help themselves.
And if you [believers] invite them to guidance, they will not follow you. It is all the same for you whether you invite them or you are silent.
Indeed, those you [polytheists] call upon besides Allah are servants like you. So call upon them and let them respond to you, if you should be truthful.
Do they have feet by which they walk? Or do they have hands by which they strike? Or do they have eyes by which they see? Or do they have ears by which they hear? Say, [O Muhammad], “Call your ‘partners’ and then conspire against me and give me no respite. (7:191-195)
Allah is addressing the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and telling him it wouldn’t matter whether he called to people or not: if they are determined not to believe, they won’t.
At the same time, He is challenging the idol worshippers to call upon their gods. Whether they called upon them or not, again the result would be the same, as they are just stone and can’t answer.
Imaan is a choice
Again and again in the Quran, we see this key theme: imaan is a choice. If you decide to believe, with an open heart and pure intention, Allah will open the way for you. If you don’t want to believe, you won’t, no matter what arguments you hear.
وَإِن تَدۡعُوهُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰ لَا يَسۡمَعُواْۖ
وَتَرَىٰهُمۡ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَيۡكَ وَهُمۡ لَا يُبۡصِرُونَ
And if you invite them to guidance, they do not hear; and you see them looking at you while they do not see. (7:198)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was the best of Allah’s creation, but the people of Makkah did not appreciate this. In these ayahs, Allah is reassuring him that he was not to blame for the Quraysh’s disbelief: their rejection of Islam was not a reflection on him, rather the issue was the condition of their hearts.
Refusing to see what’s right in front of you
Although they were looking at him, they couldn’t truly see him. What is the purpose of your eyes if you can’t see the truth? Or the purpose of your tongue if you can’t speak the truth? Or your faculties, if you can’t do the right thing. All these will be a tool against you on the Day of Judgement, if you don’t use them well.
Although Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was right in the midst of the Quraysh, they didn’t appreciate him – he wasn’t the wealthiest or most powerful leader of the Quraysh, but he was the best in character and from among the best tribes and lineages; this still wasn’t enough for them.
What a loss for them. It is as though they were thirsty and had water right on their doorstep, but refused to drink it.
“You can take a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink” and “There’s none so blind as him who will not see”, as the old adages go!
Blindness of the heart
In Surat al-Hajj, Allah says:
أَفَلَمۡ يَسِيرُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمۡ قُلُوبٞ
يَعۡقِلُونَ بِهَآ أَوۡ ءَاذَانٞ يَسۡمَعُونَ
بِهَاۖ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعۡمَى ٱلۡأَبۡصَٰرُ وَلَٰكِن
تَعۡمَى ٱلۡقُلُوبُ ٱلَّتِي فِي ٱلصُّدُورِ
So have they not travelled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts. (22:46)
The blindness of the heart is a most serious affliction. We see this today as well: the truth of the situation in Palestine and for all oppressed people is very clear to see, but some people still can’t see it with their hearts.
We might question how it is so impossible for some people to see the truth. This is what happens when the heart is locked: the light of truth can’t come through. And the way someone reaches this point of having their heart so tightly locked, is when they accumulate sins and oppression.
Allah talks about these diseases of the heart frequently in the Quran, from Surat al-Baqarah onwards. It is possible to unlock your heart, but it takes a lot of effort.
We ask Allah not to make us among those who look but can’t see, but to make us among those who look and can see the truth and who stand up to defend it.
Delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 13th Ramadan 2025. Transcribed by H Khan.
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