ﱴ ﱵ ﱶ ﱷ ﱸ ﱹ ﱺ ﱻ ﱼ ﱽ ﱾ ﱿ ﲀ ﲁ ﲂ ﲃ ﲄ ﲅ ﲆ ﲇ
Has it not become clear to those who inherited the earth after its [previous] people that if We willed, We could afflict them for their sins? But We seal over their hearts so they do not hear.
Tafsir
Verse range: 7:100
Know that when the Almighty previously explained the state of the disbelievers whom God destroyed completely, both generally and in detail, He followed that up by clarifying that the purpose of mentioning these stories is for all accountable people to draw lessons concerning the welfare of their religion and their obedience. There are several issues in this verse:
The reciters differed. Some read it with a Yā' (ي) dotted from below (يُهْدَ), while others read it with a Nūn (ن) (نُهْدَ).
Al-Zajjāj said: If it is read with the Yā' dotted from below, then the phrase أَن لَّوْ نَشَاءُ (that if We willed) is in the nominative case, with the implied subject being the inheritors. This means: Have We not made clear to those who succeed [the destroyed nations] and inherit their lands and dwellings, that if We willed, We would afflict them for their sins just as We afflicted those before them, destroying the inheritors as We destroyed the ones they inherited from?
If it is read with the Nūn (ن), it is in the accusative case, as if it means: Have We not made clear to the inheritors this situation? Meaning, have We not explained to the Quraysh that We would afflict them for their sins just as We afflicted those before them?
The meaning is: Have We not made clear to those whom We cause to inherit the earth after destroying those who were on it before them, that We will destroy them afterward? This is the meaning of لَوْ نَشَاءُ أَصَبْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِم (if We willed, We would afflict them for their sins), meaning, punishment for their sins.
And His statement وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ (and We seal their hearts) means: if We do not destroy them with punishment, We seal their hearts, so that فَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ (so they do not hear), meaning they do not accept, take heed, or refrain.
We stated that the intended meaning is either destruction or sealing the heart because destruction cannot coexist with sealing the heart; if He destroys a person, it is impossible for His seal to remain on their heart.
Our scholars use this verse (وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ) as evidence that the Almighty may prevent a servant from faith. Sealing (الطَّبْع), locking (الختم), coating (الرين), covering (الكنان), veiling (الغشاوة), and preventing (الصد) all mean the same thing, as we have established in many verses.
Al-Jubbā'ī said that this sealing means God affixes signs and marks onto the hearts of the disbelievers that enable the angels to recognize that their owners will not believe. This mark itself does not prevent faith.
Al-Ka'bī said that God attributes the sealing to Himself because the people only reached that state of disbelief when commanded and tested by Him. This is like His statement: فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُمْ دُعَائِي إِلَّا فِرَارًا (But my call only increased them in flight) (Noah: 6).
Know that the discussion regarding the reality of sealing and locking has been repeated many times, so there is no benefit in reiterating it here.
Is the statement وَنَطْبَعُ (And We seal) disconnected from what preceded it, or is it coordinated (conjoined) with it? There are two opinions:
The First Opinion: It is disconnected from what preceded it. This is because أَصَبْنَاهُم (We afflicted them) is past tense, while وَنَطْبَعُ (and We seal) is future tense. This coordination is not elegant. Rather, it is disconnected, with the implied meaning being: And We seal their hearts.
The Second Opinion: It is coordinated with what preceded it. The author of Al-Kashshāf said: It is coordinated with what is implied by the meaning of أَوَلَمْ يُهْدَ (Have We not made clear), as if it means: They are heedless of guidance, and We seal their hearts. Or, it is coordinated with يَرِثُونَ الْأَرْضَ (they inherit the earth).
He then said: It cannot be coordinated with أَصَبْنَاهُم (We afflicted them) because they were already disbelievers, and every disbeliever has their heart sealed. Therefore, saying afterward وَنَطْبَعُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ would be stating a redundancy (achieving the already achieved), which is impossible. This is the strongest articulation of the view of the author of Al-Kashshāf, but it is weak. This is because the state of being sealed only occurs upon their persistence and establishment in disbelief. They first disbelieve, and then their hearts become sealed in that disbelief. Thus, this does not contradict the validity of the coordination.
Then the Almighty said: تِلْكَ الْقُرَى نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنبَائِهَا (Those towns We relate to you some of their stories)...
