Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Isra Verse 46

Mufti Taqi Usmani

and We put covers on their hearts barring them from understanding it, and (We put) deafness in their ears; and when you refer to your Lord alone (without referring to their presumed deities,) in the Qur’ān, they turn their backs in aversion.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

We have cast veils over their hearts—leaving them unable to comprehend it—and deafness in their ears. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Quran, they turn their backs in aversion.

Ruwwad Translation Center

We have placed covers on their hearts so that they do not understand it, and deafness in their ears. When you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion.

A. J. Arberry

and We lay veils upon their hearts lest they understand it, and in their ears heaviness. And when thou mentionest thy Lord only in the Koran, they turn in their traces in aversion.

Abdul Haleem

We have put covers on their hearts that prevent them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. When you mention your Lord in the Quran, and Him alone, they turn their backs and run away.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And We set up over their hearts veils lest they understand it, and in their ears heaviness and when thou mentionest in reciting the Qur'an thy Lord alone, they turn backward as averters.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand the Qur'an, and deafness into their ears; when thou dost commemorate thy Lord and Him alone in the Qur'an, they turn on their backs, fleeing (from the Truth).

Abul Ala Maududi

and We place a covering on their hearts so that they do not comprehend it, and We cause a heaviness in their ears; and when you mention your Lord, the Only True Lord, in the Qur'an, they turn their backs in aversion.

Ahmed Ali

And We put covers over their hearts and deafness in their ears that they should not understand it. So when you invoke your Lord alone in the Qur'an they turn their backs and walk away.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And We placed covers upon their hearts so they may not understand it, and deafness in their ears; and when you mention your Only Lord in the Qur’an, they flee turning their backs in hatred.

Ali Quli Qarai

and We cast veils on their hearts, lest they should understand it, and a deafness into their ears. When you mention your Lord alone in the Quran, they turn their backs in aversion.

Ali Ünal

And over their hearts We lay veils (made from their ill-intention, wrongdoing, and arrogance) that prevent them from grasping it (the Qur’an), and in their ears, heaviness. When you make mention of your Lord in the Qur’an as the One (the Unique Divine Being), they turn their backs in aversion.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And We cover their hearts with veils and plug their ears with something heavy, lest they should understand it. And when you mention the name of your Lord Who is the Only One, in the Qur´ân, they turn their backs (on it) in aversion.

English Literal

And We made/put on their hearts covers/protections that (E) they understand/learn/know it, and in their ears a heavy weight, and if you mentioned/remembered your Lord in the Koran alone, they turned away on their backs/ends hastening away with aversion .

Faridul Haque

And We placed covers upon their hearts so they may not understand it, and deafness in their ears; and when you mention your Only Lord in the Qur’an, they flee turning their backs in hatred.

Hamid S. Aziz

And We place covers upon their heart, lest they should understand it, and deafness in their ears. And when you do mention your Lord alone in the Quran they turn their backs in aversion.

Hilali & Khan

And We have put coverings over their hearts lest, they should understand it (the Quran), and in their ears deafness. And when you make mention of your Lord Alone [La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) Islamic Monotheism] in the Quran, they turn on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislikeness.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when thou recitest the Qur’an, We place between thee and those who believe not in the Hereafter a hidden barrier;

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And We have placed coverings on their hearts and a heaviness in their ears lest they understand it, and when you mention your Lord alone in the Quran they turn their backs in aversion.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And We place upon their hearts veils lest they should understand it, and in their ears a deafness; and when thou makest mention of thy Lord alone in the Qur'an, they turn their backs in aversion.

Muhammad Sarwar

We put a veil over their hearts so that they cannot understand it. We deafen their ears. When you mention your Lord in this Quran as One (Supreme Being), they run away.

Qaribullah & Darwish

We lay veils upon their hearts and heaviness in their ears, lest they understand it. When you (Prophet Muhammad) mention your Lord alone in the Koran, they turn their backs in aversion.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And We have put Akinnah over their hearts, lest they should understand it, and in their ears deafness. And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an, they turn on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislike.

Wahiduddin Khan

We put veils over their hearts to prevent them from comprehending it, and We afflict their ears with deafness. When you mention your one and only Lord in your recitation of the Quran, they turn their backs in aversion.

Talal Itani

And We drape veils over their hearts, preventing them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Quran, they turn their backs in aversion.

Tafsir jalalayn

And We place upon their hearts veils, covers, lest they should understand it, lest they should understand the Qur'n, in other words, and so [in this way] they do not understand it, and in their ears a deafness, a heaviness, thus they cannot hear it. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur'n, they turn their backs in aversion, to it.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَجَعَلْنَا عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ أَكِنَّةً

And We have put coverings over their hearts,
Akinnah (coverings) is the plural of Kinan, which covers the heart.

أَن يَفْقَهُوهُ

lest they should understand it,

means, lest they should understand the Qur'an.

وَفِي اذَانِهِمْ وَقْرًا

and in their ears deafness,

something that will stop them from hearing the Qur'an in such a way that they will understand it and be guided by it.

وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِي الْقُرْانِ وَحْدَهُ

And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an,

means, when you declare Allah to be One in your recitation, and say La Ilaha Illallah,

وَلَّوْاْ

they turn,

means they turn away ,

عَلَى أَدْبَارِهِمْ نُفُورًا



on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislike.

As Allah says;

وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لَا يُوْمِنُونَ بِالاٌّخِرَةِ

And when Allah Alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust (from the Oneness of Allah).(39;45)

وَإِذَا ذَكَرْتَ رَبَّكَ فِي الْقُرْانِ وَحْدَهُ

And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an,

Commenting on this Ayah, Qatadah said that;

when the Muslims said La Ilaha Illallah, the idolators disliked this and found it intolerable.

Iblis and his troops hated it, but Allah insisted on supporting it so that it would prevail over those who opposed it. Whoever uses it against his opponent will prevail, and whoever fights for it will be victorious. Only the Muslims of the Arabian Peninsula, which can be traversed by a rider in a few nights, knew it and accepted it, out of all mankind