أَفَلَا يَتَدَبَّرُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ أَمْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبٍ أَقْفَالُهَآ 24
Translations
Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’ān, or are there locks upon [their] hearts?
Transliteration
Afala yatadabbarun al-Qur'ana am ala qulub aqfaluha
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah poses a rhetorical question challenging the disbelievers: 'Do they not reflect upon the Qur'an, or are there locks upon their hearts?' According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, Allah is condemning those who refuse to contemplate the Qur'an's signs and wisdom, suggesting that their hearts are sealed due to their deliberate rejection and arrogance. The 'locks' (aqfal) metaphorically represent the spiritual blindness and hardness of hearts that result from turning away from divine guidance.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah Muhammad (a Medinan chapter) during a period when the Prophet (peace be upon him) faced continued opposition from those who heard the Qur'an but refused to accept its message. The surah addresses the stubbornness of disbelievers who encounter clear signs yet persist in denial, making this ayah part of a broader theme of holding accountable those who deliberately ignore divine revelation.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'The best among you are those who learn the Qur'an and teach it' (Sahih Bukhari 5027). Additionally, 'Whoever listens to a verse from Allah's Book and reflects upon it has indeed engaged in the greatest remembrance' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah emphasizes that merely hearing the Qur'an is insufficient without sincere reflection and contemplation; Muslims are encouraged to engage deeply with the Qur'an's meanings rather than reciting it passively. It also serves as a warning that persistent rejection of truth hardens the heart, making future guidance increasingly difficult to perceive.
Related Ayahs
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا۟ مَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ فَأَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ
That is because they disliked what Allāh revealed, so He rendered worthless their deeds.
وَلَوْ نَشَآءُ لَأَرَيْنَـٰكَهُمْ فَلَعَرَفْتَهُم بِسِيمَـٰهُمْ ۚ وَلَتَعْرِفَنَّهُمْ فِى لَحْنِ ٱلْقَوْلِ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ أَعْمَـٰلَكُمْ
And if We willed, We could show them to you, and you would know them by their mark; but you will surely know them by the tone of [their] speech. And Allāh knows your deeds.
ذَٰلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا۟ لِلَّذِينَ كَرِهُوا۟ مَا نَزَّلَ ٱللَّهُ سَنُطِيعُكُمْ فِى بَعْضِ ٱلْأَمْرِ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ إِسْرَارَهُمْ
That is because they said to those who disliked what Allāh sent down, "We will obey you in part of the matter." And Allāh knows what they conceal.
فَهَلْ يَنظُرُونَ إِلَّا ٱلسَّاعَةَ أَن تَأْتِيَهُم بَغْتَةً ۖ فَقَدْ جَآءَ أَشْرَاطُهَا ۚ فَأَنَّىٰ لَهُمْ إِذَا جَآءَتْهُمْ ذِكْرَىٰهُمْ
Then do they await except that the Hour should come upon them unexpectedly? But already there have come [some of] its indications. Then how [i.e., what good] to them, when it has come, will be their remembrance?