Quran Garden

Why would Allah seal someone's heart so it can no longer change?  Is that even fair?  The idea that God prevents certain people from accepting faith raises tough questions.  In today's Tafseer, we will explore why some people are prevented from embracing faith and what that really means.  Grab a coffee, sit back, and listen.

Session 31

Chapter 2

Verses 6 & 7

In the previous session, we explained that the disbelievers are of two types.  Those who initially deny God but accept faith after receiving His message, and those who benefit from and thrive on disbelief while ignoring the mounting evidence of their error.  Why?  Because their power and wealth are based on injustice and wrongdoing, so they view faith as a major obstacle.  In verse 6 of Al-Baqarah, it states, "Those who willfully persist in unbelief: it is alike to them whether you warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe." God refers to the second group of people.

This verse also clarifies that the true reason for their disbelief is not because God's message did not reach them, nor because they were awaiting a Messenger to guide them.  Instead, they regard disbelief as a business and a way of life because it frees them from the constraints of truth and justice.  A person whose wealth and power come from corruption will never accept faith regardless of any warning or clear evidence.  

God continues in the next verse of The Cow:

Allah has set a seal on their hearts, and on their ears, and over their eyes there is a dark covering, and for them is great torment.  (Chapter 2: Verse 7)

What does it mean to place a seal on a person's heart?  It means preventing disbelief from leaving the heart and preventing faith from entering it.  The first question that comes to mind is: If God had sealed the hearts of the disbelievers, then why did the Prophet, peace be upon him, invite them to accept faith?  Is this even fair?  

To answer this question, we should remind ourselves that God Almighty is free from all need.  So whoever disregards faith and chooses to embrace disbelief, then God dispenses with him and leaves him for what he has chosen for himself.  Listen to the following sacred narration –Hadeeth Qudsi-:

"I treat My servant as he hopes that I would treat him.  I am with him whenever he remembers Me: if he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him in Mine; if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering far better; if he draws near towards Me a hand's span, I draw near towards him an arm's length; if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a mile; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running."

God facilitates for you whatever path you choose for yourself.  The Noble Quran accurately depicts that the disbelievers made their choice willingly.  God placed a seal on their hearts, not before, but only as a consequence of their free choice.    

In the Quran, Allah describes the senses and faculties we use to perceive the world and make choices.  He says:

And God has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers, not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.  (16:78)

We use our eyes, ears, and minds to perceive our environment and make decisions.  Once an idea is well thought out, it becomes a belief and settles in the heart.  Allah knows that the disbelievers received his message, chose infidelity with their intellect, and accepted this decision into their hearts.  He sealed their hearts after they made up their minds.  At this point, it does not matter what the eye sees or the ear hears.  God describes the condition of the disbelievers in the following verse:

Deaf, mute, blind, so they do not return.  (2:18)

Why did all of their faculties of perception become nonfunctional?  We answer with an example that we all experienced.  I am sure you have felt great anger at some point.  A rage that engulfed your whole being, blinded you, and afflicted all your senses.  No one could reason with you until you calmed down.  Similarly, the dark cloud that surrounds the disbeliever engulfs all the senses and blinds them from seeing God's signs and hearing the teachings of the Prophet. 

And just as the disbelievers chose to abandon God and his messages, so does God.  He abandons them and makes easy for them the wrong path they selected for themselves as the following verses illustrate:

Whoever willfully ignores the remembrance of the All-Merciful, We assign to him a devil, who becomes his closest comrade.  (43:36)

And in another chapter,

Shall I tell you upon whom the devils descend?  They descend upon every habitual liar and great sinner (26:221-222)

Keep in mind that God's knowledge of the believer and the disbeliever does not interfere with or affect that person's choice.  For example, God sent Noah, peace be upon him, to guide his people towards the straight path.  Noah continually delivered the message for over 950 years.  God says,

It was revealed to Noah: 'None of your people will believe except those who already have faith; so do not sorrow for what they used to do.  Build the ark before Our eyes and by Our revelation, and do not plead with Me for those who are wrongdoers: they shall indeed be drowned.' (11:36-37)

Allah, in His infinite knowledge, knows who will remain in disbelief and who will heed the message.  But if this is the case, why did God instruct His Messenger to continue delivering the message and the scriptures?  It is so that, on the Day of Resurrection, the disbelievers will bear witness against themselves.  They will not be able to argue: "If only we had been given a chance… if only we had a messenger or a book." God ensured that His message reached them time and again, allowing them ample opportunity to reflect on His teachings with their intellect.  Sadly, many chose to ignore it deliberately and even oppose it.  Once disbelief settled deeply in their hearts and became their natural state, God sealed their hearts.  He says:

Have they not traveled over the land so that they may have hearts by which they may apply reason, or ears by which they may hear?  Indeed, it is not the eyes that turn blind, but the hearts that turn blind —those that are in the chests!  (22:46)

When the heart becomes blind, the eyes are unable to see God's signs, and the ears are unable to hear His words.   

For those who have made this dreadful choice, God has decreed for them a great punishment and disgrace in the hereafter.  The severity of punishment is directly linked to the power of the one who delivers it.  For instance, if a small child strikes you, the pain is minimal because the child's strength is limited.  However, God's power is limitless, so His punishment will be incomprehensibly severe.  In addition to the physical torment, God will inflict humiliation and disgrace.  Why?  Because the disbelievers gained worldly wealth and status by oppressing others, it is only fair for them to be humiliated before all to see.  God will replace their worldly power with eternal shame.