Surah Al-Baqarah 2:7
سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ · Medinan · Verse 7 of 286
خَتَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ وَعَلَىٰٓ أَبْصَٰرِهِمْ غِشَٰوَةٌۭ ۖ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌۭ
Translation
God has sealed their hearts and their ears, and their eyes are covered. They will have great torment.
English translation: M.A.S. Abdel Haleem.
Meaning and reflection
'God has set a seal upon their hearts and their hearing, and over their sight is a veil; and for them is a great punishment.' al-Saadi and Ibn Ashur note the crucial theology, the 'sealing' is not arbitrary tyranny but the consequence of their own persistent choice to reject: God describes the hardening that willful, repeated refusal produces in a heart. Ask yourself: the sealed heart is not a fate imposed on the innocent but the natural end of a road walked deliberately, one refusal at a time, until the capacity to receive is lost. It is a sober warning about the momentum of choices: what begins as a decision can harden into an inability. The mercy hidden in the warning is that I am reading it before any seal has set, while my heart, hearing, and sight are still open. What small, repeated refusals am I letting harden, that I should break now before they set?
Grounded in classical tafsir: al-Saadi, Ibn Ashur, Ibn Kathir.
Wording
This verse opens by revealing a profound state of those disbelievers mentioned in the previous verse: their inability to accept faith. Allah, the Exalted, speaks directly, using specific and powerful imagery to describe this spiritual condition.
The Divine Seal and Veil
The verse states, "خَتَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ وَعَلَىٰٓ أَبْصَٰرِهِمْ غِشَٰوَةٌۭ" (Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a covering). The word *khatama* (sealed) literally refers to sealing an container or a letter with clay, often bearing a distinct mark, to prevent anything from entering or exiting, and to indicate if it has been tampered with. Similarly, *ghishawah* (covering or veil) denotes something that completely envelops or shields.
These words are not to be taken literally as physical seals or coverings. Instead, as scholars like Ibn Ashur and al-Zamakhshari explain, they are profound metaphors (*majāz*) or similes (*tamthīl*) illustrating the spiritual reality of these individuals. Their hearts (which in the Quran often refer to the intellect and understanding) are sealed off, unable to receive truth or guidance. Their hearing is similarly blocked, preventing them from benefiting from the verses and warnings they hear. And their eyes are veiled, rendering them incapable of seeing the clear signs and miracles of Allah, both in revelation and in creation. This state is a consequence of their persistent disbelief and stubborn rejection of truth, even after it became evident to them. Allah's attribution of this "sealing" signifies its deep-seated nature and permanence, a divine decree that manifests due to their own deliberate choices and actions.
Hearing, Hearts, and Sight
Notice the repetition of the preposition "وعلى" (and upon) before each faculty mentioned. This highlights the distinct and severe impact on each: "على قلوبهم" (upon their hearts), "وعلى سمعهم" (and upon their hearing), "وعلى أبصارهم" (and upon their eyes). It emphasizes that each pathway to truth is affected.
Interestingly, the word "سمع" (hearing) is used in its singular form, unlike "قلوب" (hearts) and "أبصار" (sights), which are plural. Ibn Ashur notes that "سمع" functions as a verbal noun, referring to the general faculty of hearing. He also offers a subtle insight: while hearts and eyes engage with diverse types of understanding and observations, hearing primarily pertains to the reception of divine revelation, which is uniform in its delivery to a group.
Furthermore, hearing is mentioned before sight. This order, often found in the Quran, signifies its greater importance in receiving divine guidance. Hearing is the primary avenue for conveying the messages of prophets, essential for the perfection of intellect and knowledge, and it perceives from all directions, unlike sight which requires focused attention.
A Grave Consequence
The verse concludes with "وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عَظِيمٌۭ" (And for them is a great punishment). The word *'aẓīm* (great or tremendous) underscores the immense severity of this punishment. By using an indefinite noun "عذاب" (punishment) coupled with such a powerful adjective, the Quran emphasizes that this is not merely any punishment, but a type of suffering of unparalleled magnitude, the full extent of which is known only to Allah. This serves as a stark warning about the ultimate consequence of their ingrained denial and refusal to open their hearts, ears, and eyes to the truth.
Sources: Ibn Ashur (al-Tahrir wa al-Tanwir), al-Zamakhshari (al-Kashshaf), al-Jadwal fi I'rab al-Quran (Mahmud Safi), al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb), al-Jalalayn
Topics that discuss this verse
Surah Al-Baqarah 2:7 is discussed in 6 study guides on Maani. Each guide gathers the key verses, Arabic words and lessons of one Quranic topic.
- Sight (Basar) (key verse)
- Sealing of Hearts (Tab') (key verse)
- The Torah (Tawrah)
- Fitnah
- The Heart (Qalb)
- Prophet Muhammad
Reflect on this verse
Open Surah Al-Baqarah 2:7 in Maani to reflect on it through the Five Lenses: its wording, its context, what it means for you, its connections across the Quran and its lessons, grounded in classical tafsir.