Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:7

Khatm (sealing) and Katm (concealing) are siblings, for in securing something by stamping a seal upon it, there is a concealment and covering of it so that it cannot be reached or looked upon. Ghishawah is a covering; it is a noun form (fa‘alah) derived from ghashahu (he covered it), and this structure denotes something that encompasses an object, like a bandage or a turban.

If you ask: "What is the meaning of sealing the hearts and ears, and covering the eyes?" I say: There is no literal sealing or covering. It is metaphorical, potentially falling under two categories: metaphor (isti‘arah) and representation (tamthil).

As for metaphor: It is to describe their hearts as being sealed because the Truth does not penetrate them nor reach their inner depths due to their turning away and arrogance. Their ears are described as such because they reject the Truth, recoil from listening to it, and loathe hearing it, as if they were secured by a seal. Their eyes are described as such because they do not perceive the signs of God and His established proofs as the eyes of those who take heed and possess insight perceive them, as if they were covered, veiled, and blocked from perception.

As for representation: It is to represent their state—since they do not benefit from these faculties in the religious purposes for which they were created—as things between which and the benefit thereof a barrier has been placed by way of sealing and covering.

Some of the Mazinis have likened a speech impediment or stuttering to a seal, as in the verses: "The God has sealed the tongue of ‘Azafar / A seal, so he is incapable of speech. / And when he wishes to speak, his tongue remains / Like flesh, which he moves like a pecking falcon."

If you ask: "Why is the sealing attributed to God, when such attribution implies preventing the acceptance of Truth, which is an ugly act, and God is far above performing ugly acts?" I say: The intent is to describe the state of the hearts as being like something sealed. The attribution to God is to alert that this quality, in its extreme firmness and stability, is like an innate, non-accidental trait. Do you not see how they say, "So-and-so is molded (majbūl) upon such-and-such," meaning he is firmly established in it? Furthermore, the verse is a denunciation of the disbelievers, describing the ugliness of their state, to which a great punishment is attached. It is also possible that the entire sentence is a representation, like the saying: "The valley flowed with him" (meaning he perished), or "The Phoenix flew away with him" (meaning he was gone for a long time). The valley and the Phoenix have no agency in his death or absence; rather, it is a representation of his state. Likewise, the state of their hearts in their aversion to Truth is represented by the state of hearts that God has sealed—like the hearts of the ignorant, which are devoid of intellect like the hearts of beasts, or like the hearts of those whom God has decreed to be sealed so they understand nothing. God is far above having any agency in their aversion to Truth.

It is also possible that the attribution is borrowed; the sealing is attributed to the Name of God metaphorically, while in reality, it belongs to another. The explanation is that an action has various associations: the agent, the object, the source, time, place, and the cause. Attributing it to the agent is literal, but it may be attributed to these other things metaphorically (a type of metaphor) because they resemble the agent in their association with the action. Just as a man is likened to a lion in courage, so the name is borrowed for him. Thus, one says of the object: "a pleasing life" (‘īshah rādiyah) or "gushing water" (mā’ dāfiq). In the reverse, one says: "a surging flood" (sayl muf‘im). In the source: "a poet’s poem" (shi‘r shā‘ir). In time: "his day is fasting and his night is standing [in prayer]." In place: "a traveled road" and "a flowing river." In the cause: "The Prince built the city."

The Devil is the one who seals in reality, or the disbeliever himself. However, since God is the One who gave him the power and ability, the sealing is attributed to Him, just as an action is attributed to its cause.

A fourth perspective: Since they reached a point of absolute certainty that they would not believe—and neither signs, warnings, nor divine favors would avail them—there remained no path to their belief except by force and compulsion. Since God did not force or compel them (so as not to invalidate the purpose of religious obligation), He expressed the withholding of force as a "sealing," signaling that they had reached the ultimate limit of stubbornness in disbelief.

A fifth perspective: It is a narration of what the disbelievers themselves said in mockery, as in: "Our hearts are within coverings from that to which you invite us, and in our ears is deafness" (Qur'an 41:5).

If you ask: "The wording suggests that the ears are included in the ruling of the 'sealing' and the 'covering'; which one should be relied upon?" I say: Rely on their inclusion in the ruling of the sealing, based on the verse: "And He has sealed his hearing and his heart, and placed a covering over his sight" (Qur'an 45:23).

If you ask: "What is the benefit of repeating the preposition in 'and upon their hearing'?" I say: If it were not repeated, the hearts and ears would be grouped under one governance. By giving the ears a separate governance, it indicates the intensity of the sealing in both places. The word "hearing" (sam‘) is singular, just as "belly" (batn) is singular in the saying "Eat in some of your belly," which is done when there is no fear of confusion. If there is fear of confusion, they reject it. You may also say that sam‘ is a verbal noun (masdar) in its origin, and verbal nouns are not pluralized.

Basar (sight) is the light of the eye, while basirah (insight) is the light of the heart. It is as if they are two subtle substances God created in them as tools for seeing and perceiving.

Adhab (punishment) is like nakal (deterrent) in structure and meaning, for you say a‘dhaba about something when you refrain from it. It is called ‘adhb (sweet water) because it suppresses thirst and repels it. Then the term was expanded to include every severe pain, even if it is not a deterrent.

The difference between ‘azim (great) and kabir (big) is that ‘azim is the opposite of haqir (insignificant), while kabir is the opposite of saghir (small). Thus, ‘azim is above kabir. They are used for both physical bodies and events. The indefiniteness (tanwir) in "a covering" implies a type of covering unknown to people—a covering of willful blindness to the signs of God. And they have, among the great pains, a great type whose essence only God knows.

O God, protect us from Your punishment and do not afflict us with Your wrath, O You of vast forgiveness.