Al-Isra: (45-48) And when you recite the Qur'an...

Know that when the Almighty spoke in the preceding verse about divine matters (Theology), He addresses in this verse matters related to the establishment of Prophethood. There are several issues in this verse:

Issue 1: Regarding the statement: {And when you recite the Qur'an}

There are two opinions regarding this:

This verse was revealed concerning a group of people who used to harm the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he recited the Qur'an to the people.

It is narrated that whenever the Prophet (PBUH) recited the Qur'an, two men would stand to his right, and two others to his left, from the descendants of Qusayy, clapping, whistling, and mixing in poetry to disrupt him.

It is narrated from Asma' that the Prophet (PBUH) was sitting with Abu Bakr when the wife of Abu Lahab approached, carrying a palm-frond (fihr), intending to strike the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), saying:

"We have come to condemn the despised one, and we have abandoned his religion, and we have disobeyed his command."

Abu Bakr said: "O Messenger of Allah, she has a palm-frond; I fear for you because of her." The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) then recited this verse. When she came, she did not see the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said: "The Quraysh know that I am the daughter of their chief, and your companion has insulted me." Abu Bakr replied: "No, by the Lord of this House, he has not insulted you."

Ibn Abbas narrated that Abu Sufyan, An-Nadr ibn Al-Harith, Abu Jahl, and others used to sit with the Prophet (PBUH) and listen to his discourse. An-Nadr said one day: "I do not know what Muhammad is saying, except that I see his lips moving with something." Abu Sufyan said: "I see some of what he says is true." Abu Jahl said: "He is mad." Abu Lahab said: "He is a soothsayer." Huwaytib ibn Abd al-Uzza said: "He is a poet." Then this verse was revealed.

When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) intended to recite the Qur'an, he would recite three verses from the beginning:

1. From Surah Al-Kahf: {And who is more unjust than one who is reminded of the verses of his Lord but turns away from them and forgets what his hands have put forth?} (Al-Kahf: 57)
2. From An-Nahl: {Those are the ones whom Allah has set a seal upon their hearts.} (An-Nahl: 108)
3. From Ha Mim Al-Jathiyah: {Have you seen the one who takes his desire as his god?} (Al-Jathiyah: 23) until the end of the verse.

Through the blessings of these verses, Allah Almighty would veil him from the sight of the polytheists. This is what is meant by His statement: {And We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness.} (Al-Isra: 46).

A question arises here: Why was it said, hijaban mastūran (a veiled/concealed barrier) instead of hijaban sātirān (a veiling barrier)?

The answer is in several ways:

First Way: This barrier is a barrier that Allah Almighty creates in their eyes, preventing them from seeing the Prophet (PBUH). This barrier is something that is not seen, so it is mastūr (concealed/veiled) from this perspective. Our scholars used this verse as evidence for their position that it is permissible for the sense organ to be sound and the object to be present, yet the person does not see it, because Allah Almighty created an impediment in their eyes preventing them from seeing it. They argue that the Prophet (PBUH) was present, and the disbelievers' senses were sound, yet they did not see him. Allah informed them that this was because He placed a hijaban mastūran between him and them. A hijaban mastūran has no meaning other than the reality Allah created in their eyes, which prevented them from seeing and perceiving him.

Second Way: Just as it is permissible to say ibnun tamir (a son possessing dates) meaning "possessor of dates," it is not far-fetched to say mastūran meaning "possessing a veil" (dhū sitr). The evidence for this is that we say marṭūb (moist) meaning "possessing moisture," not marṭūbah. We say makān mahūl (a place of terror) meaning "containing terror," not hālat al-makān (meaning "I made terror in the place"). We say jāriyah maghnūjah (a coquettish girl) meaning "possessing coquetry," not ghanjatuhā.

Third Way: Al-Akhfash said that al-mastūr here means as-sātir (the veiler). The active participle can sometimes come in the form of the passive participle, as one says: "You are mash'ūm (ominous) upon us and maymūn (blessed)," even though the root meaning implies the active: shā'im (ominous) and yāmin (blessed), because it derives from the verbal forms sha'amahum (he made them ominous) and yamanahum (he blessed them). This is the view of Al-Akhfash, followed by a group, although many criticized this view. The truth lies in the first answer.

The meaning of the barrier (hijāb) is the seal (ṭabʿ) placed upon their hearts, and the prevention that stopped them from perceiving the subtleties, beauties, and benefits of the Qur'an. Thus, al-hijāb al-mastūr refers to that seal Allah created in their hearts.

Then the Almighty said: {And We place over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness.} This verse is mentioned verbatim in Surah Al-An'am, where we discussed the evidence used by our scholars and the questions raised by the Mu'tazilah. There is no harm in reiterating some of it.

The scholars argue: This verse indicates that the Almighty placed coverings (aknāh) over their hearts. Aknāh is the plural of kinān, which is what conceals something, like the quiver for arrows. His statement {lest they understand it} means "so that they do not understand it." And He placed deafness (qaran) in their ears. It is known that they were rational, hearing, and comprehending people. Therefore, we know that the intent is to prevent them from faith and prevent them from hearing the Qur'an in a way that they grasp its secrets or understand its subtleties and truths.

The Mu'tazilah argue: The verse does not mean what you mentioned, but rather other interpretations:

1. Al-Jubba'i said: They used to seek his location at night to reach him and would deduce his whereabouts by listening to his recitation, so Allah secured him from their evil. He mentioned that He placed a barrier between him and them that they could not reach him through, and that He placed something in their hearts that distracted them from understanding the Qur'an, and something in their ears that prevented hearing his voice. This could be a distracting illness that prevents them from going to him and dedicating themselves to him, rather than a literal covering for the heart or deafness in the ear.

2. Al-Ka'bi said: Due to their extreme refusal to accept the proofs of Muhammad (PBUH), it became as if a barrier and a screen were placed between them and those proofs. Allah attributes this barrier to Himself because when He left them to themselves, and He did not prevent their turning away, that abandonment became the cause of their falling into that state. This is like a master who neglects to monitor his slave; if the slave's conduct worsens, the master says, "I am the one who put you in this state because I left you to your own opinion and did not monitor your affairs."

3. Al-Qaffal said: Since Allah withheld His grace (takhdhīl) from them, meaning He did not provide the gentle guidance (al-luṭf) calling them to faith, it is valid to say that He performed the act of placing the veiling barrier.

Know that these interpretations, along with other points we mentioned in Surah Al-An'am and answered, need no repetition here.

Then the Almighty said: {And We place over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness.} Know that the intent is that the people were in two states when listening to the Qur'an:

1. If they heard what did not contain the mention of Allah, they remained bewildered and confused, not understanding anything.
2. If they heard a verse containing the mention of Allah and the condemnation of polytheism, they would turn away in aversion and leave that gathering.

Al-Zajjaj mentioned two interpretations for His statement: {and they turned their backs in aversion (nufūran)}:

1. The verbal noun (Masdar): The meaning is "they turned away, being averse, an aversion (nāfirīn nufūran)."
2. A plural form: That nufūran is the plural of nāfir (one who turns away), similar to shuhūd (witnesses) being the plural of shāhid (witness), and rukūʿ (bowing) being the plural of rākiʿ (bowing one), and sujūd (prostration) being the plural of sājid (prostrating one), and quʿūd (sitting) being the plural of qāʿid (sitting one).

Then the Almighty said: {We know best what they listen to when they listen to you...} meaning, We know best the manner in which they listen, which is mockery and denial. The pronoun bihi (with it) is in the accusative case indicating state (ḥāl), just as you say, "listening with mockery." {When they listen} is in the accusative case because of Aʿlam (We know best), meaning: We know best the time of their listening to what they listen with. {And when they are in private conversation (najwā)} meaning: and We know what they whisper amongst themselves when they are engaged in private talk. {When the wrongdoers say...} This is an apposition (badal) to the phrase {And when they are in private conversation}: {You follow none but a man bewitched (masḥūr)}.

There are discussions concerning this:

First: The commentators said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) commanded Ali to prepare a meal and invite the chiefs of Quraysh, the polytheists, to it. Ali (peace be upon him) did so, and the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) entered upon them, recited the Qur'an to them, and called them to Monotheism, saying: "Say, 'There is no god but Allah,' so that the Arabs obey you and the non-Arabs submit to you." They refused. When they heard the Qur'an and the call to Allah from the Prophet (PBUH), they would say amongst themselves in private conversation: "He is a sorcerer, and he is bewitched," and similar things. Allah informed His Prophet that they were saying: {You follow none but a man bewitched.}

If it is asked: They did not follow the Messenger of Allah, so how is it correct for them to say: {You follow none but a man bewitched}?

We reply: The meaning is: If you were to follow him, then you would be following a bewitched man. Al-masḥūr is one whose mind has been confused by magic, and he has deviated from the standard of correctness. This is the sound opinion. Some said: Al-masḥūr is one whose work is spoiled. They say, ṭaʿām masḥūr (spoiled food) if its preparation is ruined, and arḍ masḥūrah (spoiled land) if it receives too much rain, ruining it. Abu Ubaidah said: He means a man possessing siḥr (skill/artifice). Ibn Qutaybah said: I do not know what led him to this disliked interpretation, especially since the Salaf interpreted it with clear meanings. Mujahid said: {bewitched} means makhdūʿ (deceived), because magic is trickery and deception. This is because the polytheists used to say that Muhammad learns these words from certain people, and those people deceive him with these words and tales; therefore, they said he was masḥūr, meaning deceived. Also, they used to say that the devil creates illusions for him, making him think he is an angel, so they said he was deceived by the devil.

Then He said: {See how they strike parallels for you.} meaning, everyone likened you to something else. They said he was a soothsayer, a sorcerer, a poet, a teacher, or mad. They strayed from the truth and the straight path, so they cannot find a way to guidance and truth.

Verse 48

{And they say, "When we are bones and dust, are we indeed to be resurrected as a new creation?" * Say, "Be stones or iron, * Or some creation that is greater in your minds." Then they will say, "Who will restore us?" Say, "He Who brought you forth the first time." Then they will shake their heads at you and say, "When is that?" Say, "Perhaps it is near. * The Day He will call you, and you will respond with His praise, and you will think you have remained but a little while."}