Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 7

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing; and on their eyes there is a covering, and for them awaits a mighty punishment.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and their sight is covered. They will suffer a tremendous punishment.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and their sight is covered; and for them there will be a great punishment.

A. J. Arberry

God has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a covering, and there awaits them a mighty chastisement.

Abdul Haleem

God has sealed their hearts and their ears, and their eyes are covered. They will have great torment.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Allah hath set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their sights is a covering; and unto them shall be a torment mighty.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur).

Abul Ala Maududi

Allah has sealed up their hearts and ears and a covering has fallen over their eyes, and they have incurred the severest punishment.

Ahmed Ali

God has sealed their hearts and ears, and veiled their eyes. For them is great deprivation.

Ahmed Raza Khan

Allah has sealed their hearts and their ears, and on their eyes is a covering; and for them is a terrible punishment.

Ali Quli Qarai

Allah has set a seal on their hearts and their hearing, and there is a blindfold on their sight, and there is a great punishment for them.

Ali Ünal

God has set a seal upon their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a covering. For them is a mighty punishment (in the Hereafter).

Amatul Rahman Omar

(With the result that) Allâh has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and on their eyes is a covering. And a mighty punishment awaits them.

English Literal

God sealed/stamped on their hearts/minds and on their hearing and on their eye sights/understanding a cover and for them (is) a great torture.

Faridul Haque

Allah has sealed their hearts and their ears, and on their eyes is a covering; and for them is a terrible punishment.

Hamid S. Aziz

Allah has set a seal upon their heart and on their hearing; and on their eyes is dimness, and for them is grievous woe.

Hilali & Khan

Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearings, (i.e. they are closed from accepting Allah's Guidance), and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing; and there is a covering on their eyes, and for them is a grievous chastisement.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and there is a covering over their eyes, and there is a great punishment for them.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom.

Muhammad Sarwar

God has sealed their hearts and hearing and their vision is veiled; a great punishment awaits them.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and ears; their sight is dimmed and for them is a great punishment.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment.

Wahiduddin Khan

God has sealed their hearts and their ears, and over their eyes there is a covering. They will have a terrible punishment.

Talal Itani

God has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and over their vision is a veil. They will have a severe torment.

Tafsir jalalayn

God has set a seal on their hearts, impressing on them and making certain that no good enters them; and on their hearing, [in which He has] deposited something so that they cannot profit from the truth they hear; and on their eyes is a covering, that is, a veil so that they do not see the truth; and for them there will be a mighty chastisement, that is, intense and everlasting.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Meaning of Khatama

Allah said,

خَتَمَ اللّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عظِيمٌ



Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment.

As-Suddi said that,
خَتَمَ اللّهُ
(Khatama Allah) means,

"Allah has sealed."

Qatadah said that this Ayah means,

"Shaytan controlled them when they obeyed him. Therefore, Allah sealed their hearts, hearing and sight, and they could neither see the guidance nor hear, comprehend or understand."

Ibn Jurayj said that Mujahid said,
خَتَمَ اللّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهمْ
(Allah has set a seal on their hearts),

"A stamp. It occurs when sin resides in the heart and surrounds it from all sides, and this submersion of the heart in sin constitutes a stamp, meaning a seal."

Ibn Jurayj also said that the seal is placed on the heart and the hearing.

In addition, Ibn Jurayj said, that Abdullah bin Kathir narrated that Mujahid said,

"The stain is not as bad as the stamp, the stamp is not as bad as the lock which is the worst type."

Al-Amash said,

"Mujahid demonstrated with his hand while saying, `They used to say that the heart is just like this - meaning the open palm. When the servant commits a sin, a part of the heart will be rolled up - and he rolled up his index finger. When the servant commits another sin, a part of the heart will be rolled up' - and he rolled up another finger, until he rolled up all of his fingers. Then he said, `Then, the heart will be sealed.'

Mujahid also said that this is the description of the Ran (refer to 83;14)."

Al-Qurtubi said,

"The Ummah has agreed that Allah has described Himself with sealing and closing the hearts of the disbelievers, as a punishment for their disbelief.

Similarly, Allah said,
بَلْ طَبَعَ اللّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ
(Nay, Allah has set a seal upon their hearts because of their disbelief), (4;155)."

He then mentioned the Hadith about changing the hearts, (in which the Prophet supplicated),

يَا مُقَلِبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلى دِينِك

O You Who changes the hearts, make our hearts firm on Your religion.

He also mentioned the Hadith by Hudhayfah recorded in the Sahih, in which the Messenger of Allah said,

تُعْرَضُ الْفِتَنُ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ كَالْحَصِيرِ عُودًا عُودًا فَأَيُّ قَلْبٍ أُشْرِبَهَا نُكِتَ فِيه نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ وَأَيُّ قَلْبٍ أَنْكَرَهَا نُكِتَ فِيهِ نُكْتَةٌ بَيْضَاءُ حَتى تَصِيرَ عَلَى قَلْبَيْنِ عَلى أَبْيَضَ مِثْلِ الصَّفَا فَلَ تَضُرُّهُ فِتْنَةٌ مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَوَاتُ وَالاَْرْضُ وَالاْخَرُ أَسْوَدُ مُرْبَادًّا كَالْكُوزِ مُجَخِّيًا لَا يَعْرِفُ مَعْرُوفًا وَلَا يُنْكِرُ مُنْكَرًا

The Fitan (trials, tests) are offered to the hearts, just as the straws that are sewn into a woven mat, one after another. Any heart that accepts the Fitan, then a black dot will be engraved on it. Any heart that rejects the Fitan, then a white dot will be engraved on it. The hearts will therefore become two categories;white, just like the barren rock; no Fitnah shall ever harm this category as long as the heavens and earth still exist. Another category is black, just as the cup that is turned upside down, for this heart does not recognize righteousness or renounce evil.

Ibn Jarir said,

"The truth regarding this subject is what the authentic Hadith from the Messenger of Allah stated. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ الْمُومِنَ إِذَا أَذْنَبَ ذَنْبًا كَانَتْ نُكْتَةً سَوْدَاءَ فِي قَلْبِهِ فَإِنْ تَابَ وَنَزَعَ وَاسْتَعْتَبَ صَقِلَ قَلْبُهُ وَإِنْ زَادَ زَادَتْ حَتَّى تَعْلُوَ قَلْبَهُ فَذلِكَ الرَّانُ الَّذِي قَالَ اللهُ تَعَالى

When the believer commits a sin, a black dot will be engraved on his heart. If he repents, refrains and regrets, his heart will be polished again. If he commits more errors, the dots will increase until they cover his heart. This is the Ran (stain) that Allah described,

كَلَّ بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَّا كَانُواْ يَكْسِبُونَ

Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (stain) which they used to earn." (83;14)

At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah recorded this Hadith, and At-Tirmidhi said that it is Hasan Sahih.
The Meaning of Ghishawah

Reciting the Ayah,
خَتَمَ اللّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ
(Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing), then pausing, then continuing with,
وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ
(And on their eyes there is a Ghishawah (covering)) is accurate, for the stamp is placed on the heart and the hearing while the Ghishawah, the covering, is appropriately placed on the eyes.

In his Tafsir, As-Suddi said that Ibn Abbas and Ibn Mas`ud said about Allah's statement,
خَتَمَ اللّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ
(Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing),

"So that they neither understand nor hear.

Allah also said that He placed a covering on their sight, meaning eyes, and so, they do not see.