| Jonah: (42-44) And among them are those who listen...

Verse Issues:

The Almighty, in the preceding verse, divided the disbelievers into two groups: those who believe in Him and those who do not. In this verse, the group that does not believe is further divided into two:

1. Those who harbor extreme hatred, enmity, and utter aversion to accepting the religion.
2. Those who do not reach this extreme level.

This verse describes the first group: "And among them are those who listen to your speech," yet they are like the deaf, as they gain absolutely no benefit from it.

• The Analogy of Deafness and Blindness: When a person intensely hates another, their soul becomes focused on finding faults in the speech and turns away from all its merits. Deafness in the ear negates the perception of sound; similarly, intense hatred negates grasping the merits of the speech. Blindness in the eye negates perceiving form; likewise, hatred negates recognizing the virtues of the adversary and the graces bestowed upon him by God.
• The verse indicates that the enmity of some disbelievers reaches this extreme level.
• Just as it is impossible to make the deaf hear or the blind see, it is impossible to make an enemy, whose enmity is so profound, a follower of the Messenger (peace be upon him).
• Purpose: This statement serves to console the Messenger (PBUH), indicating that this group has reached such a state of mental illness that they cannot accept treatment. A physician, upon seeing a patient who refuses treatment, turns away without feeling distressed by the refusal. Similarly, you must not be distressed by the state of these disbelievers.

Ibn Qutaybah used this verse to argue that hearing is superior to sight.

• Ibn Qutaybah's Argument: God associated the loss of hearing with the loss of intellect, but only associated the loss of sight with the loss of physical sight. Therefore, hearing must be superior to sight.
• Ibn al-Anbari's Refutation: What God negates along with hearing is analogous to what He negates along with sight. God intended the sight of the heart (insight), not just the sight of the eyes. What the heart perceives is what it comprehends (intellect).
• Ibn Qutaybah's Second Argument: Whenever God mentions hearing and sight, He generally mentions hearing first, which indicates its superiority.

Other Arguments for the Superiority of Hearing:

1. Prophets' Afflictions: Blindness has afflicted prophets, but deafness is impossible for them, as it would impede their mission by preventing them from hearing supplicants' questions, thus hindering their ability to convey God's laws.
2. Directionality: The hearing faculty perceives sound from all directions, whereas the faculty of sight perceives only from the direction directly opposite it.
3. Acquisition of Knowledge: Human beings gain knowledge through learning from a teacher, which requires the faculty of hearing. Intellectual perfection is achieved through hearing, not sight, making hearing superior.
4. Association with Intellect: God says: $\text{{Indeed, in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or casts a hearing while present}}. Here, "heart" means intellect. Hearing is paired with intellect. This is reinforced by: \text{{And they will say, "If only we had listened or reasoned, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze."}} (Al-Mulk: 10). They made hearing a means of salvation from the Fire.
5. Distinction of Humanity: The characteristic that distinguishes humans from animals is speech and articulation, which is utilized through the faculty of hearing. The object of hearing is speech, which grants humanity its honor. The object of sight is perceiving colors and shapes, which is shared with animals. Thus, hearing is superior.
6. Basis of Prophethood: People see the prophets and hear their speech. Their prophethood was established not by their visible attributes but by their audible speech, the conveyance of laws, and the explanation of rulings. Therefore, what is heard is superior to what is seen, meaning hearing is superior to sight.

Arguments for the Superiority of Sight:

1. Proverbial Wisdom: The famous proverb, "There is no proof beyond direct observation (al-ʿiyān)," indicates that sight is the most complete form of perception.
2. Medium of Operation: The instrument of sight is light, while the instrument of hearing is air. Light is nobler than air, so the faculty of sight is nobler.
3. Complexity of Creation: The wonders of God's wisdom in creating the eye (the seat of sight) are greater than those in creating the ear (the seat of hearing). God made one of the seven cerebral nerves the apparatus for sight, constructed the eye with seven layers and three humors, and created numerous muscles for eye movement in varied configurations. The ear lacks this complexity. Greater care in creation implies superiority.
4. Range of Perception: Sight can perceive what is above the seven heavens, whereas hearing cannot perceive beyond a short distance (a farsakh). Thus, sight is stronger and superior. This refutes the claim that hearing perceives from all sides while sight only perceives from one.
5. Divine Communication: Many prophets heard God's speech in this world. There is debate whether anyone saw Him. Moses (AS) heard God without prior request, but when he requested to see Him, the response was: \text{{You will never see Me}}} (Al-A'raf: 143). This suggests the state of seeing is higher than the state of hearing.
6. Aesthetic and Value Judgment: Ibn al-Anbari asks: How can hearing be superior when sight conveys the beauty of the face and its absence causes disfigurement? The loss of hearing does not cause such a defect. Arabs refer to the two eyes as "noble (karīmatayn)" but do not describe hearing similarly. Furthermore, there is a Hadith stating that God says regarding one whose "noble part (karīmatuhu)"—referring to the eyes—is taken away, if he bears it with patience and seeks reward, "I will not accept a reward less than Paradise for him."

Our scholars (Ash'arites) use this verse to argue that human actions are created by God.

• Argument: The verse equates the hearts of these disbelievers regarding faith with the deaf regarding hearing and the blind regarding seeing. Since it is impossible for a person to force themselves to hear or see when they are physically afflicted, it is similarly impossible for them to choose faith when their hearts are afflicted with such intense enmity.
• Reinforcement: The intense enmity or intense love arising in the heart is not by human choice. Upon experiencing this intense enmity, one necessarily finds that the heart becomes like the deaf and blind when listening to the enemy or observing their good deeds. Since this is the case, the desired conclusion is reached.
• Divine Judgment: Since God has definitively judged them as non-believers, the occurrence of faith would necessitate the inversion of their knowledge into ignorance and their truthfulness into falsehood, which is impossible.

The Mu'tazila Argument:

The Mu'tazila use the verse: \text{{Indeed, Allah does not wrong the people at all, but the people themselves wrong their own souls.}} (Yunus: 44)

• Inference: This verse proves that God does not compel anyone toward these evils; rather, they choose and commit them by their own will.
• Al-Wahidi's Response: God negates injustice from Himself because He acts within His own dominion. One who acts in their own domain is not unjust. The statement \text{{but the people themselves wrong their own souls}} attributes the action to them due to their Kasb (acquisition/effort).

\text{{And [mention] the Day when He will gather them as if they had remained [on earth] only an hour of the day, recognizing one another. Lost are those who denied the meeting with Allah and were not guided. *And whether We show you some of what We have promised them or take you in death, to Us is their return, and then Allah is a Witness over what they are doing.}}}