Misguidance, Sealing of Hearts, Deafening of Ears, and Blinding of the Eyes; Is Allah a Just God?

Misguidance, Sealing of Hearts, Deafening of Ears, and Blinding of the Eyes; Is Allah a Just God? Ahmed Hakim 2014 1

Introduction The ability to hear and see is one of the greatest and most important gifts Allah (swt) has graced the human being with. These two senses are spoken about extensively in the Quran, and the first place we see it is in Surat Al-Baqarah: Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and there is a covering over their eyes, and there is a great punishment for them. 1 In context, the verse is speaking about the disbelievers whom whether you warn them, or do not warn them, will not believe. 2 There is a seal upon the heart, their hearing; and upon their eyes a covering, or veil. The verse also clearly states that Allah (swt) is the one who places the seal and veil upon them. When we couple this with the verse that seems to imply Allah (swt) misguides or sends astray whom he wills:..and Allah sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills 3 The questions arise, why would Allah (swt) do this? How is it compatible with Allah s divine justice? Is it because of the seal/veil that the disbelievers will never believe? How can Allah (swt) be one who leads astray? God willing, we will be able to show that not only the ultimate downfall is man s own self, but also illuminate the Mercy and Divine Justice of the All-Guiding, Allah (swt). 1 Quran 2:7 2 Quran 2:6 3 Quran 14:4 2

Organ Senses VS Heart Senses The hearing and seeing that the Quran speaks about is not the physical that we experience with our organs, but rather the hearing and seeing of the heart: Have they not travelled in the land so that they should have hearts with which to understand, or ears with which to hear? For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the breasts. 4 The heart is the recipient of faith and guidance. The medium in which the heart receives this is the hearts eyes and ears. There is a direct relationship shown in the following Aya: But those who deny Our verses/signs are deaf and dumb within darknesses. Whomever Allah wills - He leaves astray; and whomever He wills - He puts him on a straight path. 5 Figure 1 The purpose and function of the hearts eyes and ears. 4 Quran 22:46 5 Quran 6:39 3

Each miracle or sign of Allah (swt) brought to us by a Prophet would arouse either the hearing or vision of the heart. For example, Prophet Musa (as) brought the miracle of what appeared to be magic or an illusion - by the will of Allah (swt). This awakened the vision of the magician s hearts, and they immediately threw themselves down in prostration and completely submitted. When they were threatened by Pharaoh, they said: And you do not take revenge on us except because we have believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us!.. 6 These were the same signs Pharaoh had seen, yet he did not believe. Why? Because there was a veil upon his vision. Although the physical eye could see it, it could not reach the heart as the vision of the hearts eyes was veiled. The greatest sign of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) was the Noble Quran. Obviously, this sign was one which seeks to penetrate the heart through its hearing. We see many examples of how those who disbelieved would physically hear the Prophet (pbuh) speak the words of truth, yet the seal upon their ears would not allow them to perceive or understand the signs of Allah (swt): When Our Signs are rehearsed to such a one, he turns away in arrogance, as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in both his ears: announce to him a grievous Penalty. 7 And there are those of them who hear you, but can you make the deaf to hear though they will not understand? 8 Notice how the Quran clearly states they hear the Prophet (physically with organ), yet they are deaf as they will not understand (hearing of the heart). 6 Quran 7:126 7 Quran 31:7 8 Quran 10:42 4

Does Allah (swt) Guide everyone? In order for us to receive guidance we are limited through the faculties of hearing and seeing of the heart. Allah (swt) created all of us with that ability: Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight. 9 We see that from our original worldly inception and creation, we have been given the ability to hear and see. This is a universal law that is secured for everyone, including the disbelievers. The next verse shows that this universal law also applies to guidance. He said: Our Lord is He Who gave to everything its creation, then guided it 10 Indeed, We guided him to the way, be he grateful or be he ungrateful. 11 So we see for those who are ungrateful, they are still guided by the Universal Guidance given by Allah (swt), and because of their ungratefulness, Allah (swt) has prepared for the disbelievers chains and shackles and a blaze. 12 This Innate Universal Guidance that all of mankind receive is called the Fitrah (natural disposition) which Allah (swt) has instilled within all of mankind. So direct your face toward the religion, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the Fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people. There is no altering of Allah's creation. That is the correct religion, but most of the people do not know. 13 It is important to note that the Fitrah not only inclines you towards the truth and correct religion, but there is no altering of Allah's creation. This tells us that the Fitrah will always be within the creation of Allah (swt) encouraging man towards the truth and Allah s religion. This Primary Universal Guidance is called Inward Guidance, while the Secondary Legislative Guidance is the Outward Guidance, such as the Quran or the Staff of Moses. 9 Quran 76:2 10 Quran 20:50 11 Quran 76:3 12 Quran 76:4 13 Quran 30:30 5

Figure 2 The two types of Guidance s. Some claim that Allah (swt) completely takes away their ability to hear or see altogether, however this is not true. The Quran also makes it extremely clear that the gift of hearing and seeing is NOT completely cancelled out for the disbelievers and will always remain along with Fitrah. Allah (swt) never claims to take away these gifts or make them null and void. We see in the following parable Allah (swt) gives how the seal and veil work for those rendered Deaf, dumb, and blind 14 : Or like abundant rain from the cloud in which is utter darkness and thunder and lightning; they put their fingers into their ears because of the thunder peal, for fear of death, and Allah encompasses the unbelievers. The lightning almost takes away their sight; whenever it shines on them they walk in it, and when it becomes dark to them they stand still; and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have taken away their hearing and their sight; surely Allah has power over all things. 15 14 Quran 2:18 15 Quran 2:19-20 6

Few points to discuss: 1. The reason why they cannot hear is because they put their fingers in their ears. The cause is the sounds of thunder yet the ones who actually block the ears is not Allah (swt), but themselves. The reason they do this is because they fear death. Death is the gateway to reality 16 and the door to the Day of Judgement. We shall discuss later the similarities between the deaf dumb & blind and the dead. 2. The critical part of this parable is that the disbelievers take advantage of the lightning for their own benefit. They will walk in the short time the lightning shines as a guide; however, as soon as the lightning stops, the sight of the heart remains blind in the darkness. The important point is that they still have ability to see if Allah (swt) chooses to shine light upon them. 3. Finally, we see that Allah (swt) says and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have taken away their hearing and their sight. This again shows that they still have limited hearing and seeing, and just like the Fitrah there is no change in the universal creation of Allah (swt). 4. Some may argue that Allah (swt) still may take away their hearing and sight as the aya says: if Allah had pleased. However, the Arabic language used here is for if is. When this word is used, it is only as a hypothetical and within the realm of impossibility. ie. Allah (swt) would never do that. To emphasise this point we can look at the following aya: If Allah desire to take a son to Himself, He will surely choose those He pleases from what He has created. Glory be to Him: He is Allah, the One, the Subduer (of all). 17 We see here that there is no way Allah (swt) would take a son for himself, and He states it only as a point of argument. He begets not, nor is He begotten. 13 Allamah Tabatabaei goes into greater detail regarding the use of this word if you are interested in further reading. 18 In summary, we see that the faculty of sight and hearing is one that is static within the creation of mankind, and there will always have an opportunity to see and hear the signs of Allah (swt). However, this begs the question, who is it that veils and seals? Is it truly Allah (swt)? 16 Surat Al-Takathur (102) Surah about the reality that death exposes 17 Quran 39:4 18 Tafsir Al-Mizan, Allamah Tabatabaei, Exegesis of 39:4 7

Responsibility for the Sealing and Veiling Is it truly Allah (swt)? Or is it man himself? Or a combination of both? Firstly, we must point out that the disbelievers themselves pride themselves upon the fact their hearts and ears are sealed: And they say: Our hearts are under coverings from that to which you call us, and there is a heaviness in our ears, and a veil hangs between us and you, so work, we too are working. 19 In other words, they are saying mind your own business. They do not want to hear or believe. We discussed earlier how guidance needs a medium to reach the heart. Without a medium, there is no benefit of guidance as it cannot reach the heart. While without guidance, there is no benefit of the hearts ability to hear and see. The reason we have the ability to hear and see with our heart, is so that we are tested. Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight. 20 It is no surprise that one of the primary reasons for us to be on this Earth is to be tested: He, who created death and life to test you which of you is best in deeds - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving 21 For our test on this earth, we need to ensure that we keep the medium and path of guidance to our heart clear and open. The source guidance is clearly stated in the Quran as originating from Allah (swt), and Allah (swt) alone: 19 Quran 41:5 20 Quran 76:2 21 Quran 67:2 8

All praise is due to Allah Who guided us to this, and we would not have found the way had it not been that Allah had guided us 22 Furthermore, we see guidance can ONLY come through Allah (swt) and his will: Surely you cannot guide whom you love, but Allah guides whom He pleases, and He knows best the followers of the right way. 23 As discussed earlier, this type of guidance is the Outward Guidance (in contrast to Inward Guidance). This type of guidance comes through the Prophets and the Holy Scriptures. See figure 2 24. Again, we know from the Inward Guidance from Allah (swt) that it is provided to everyone, which is the Fitrah, and this is for all mankind from the beginning of their creation: He said: Our Lord is He Who gave to everything its creation, then guided it 25 However, for the Outward Guidance is what is dependent on the hearing and seeing of the heart. For the Nafs (true self) is to reach its goal and purpose on this Earth the Inward Guidance must align with the Outward Guidance, and the only they can link with each other is through the medium, which is the hearts sight and hearing. We must emphasise that those who reject or go against their Fitrah, will be those who are deprived of the Outward Guidance. This is the natural cause and effect system that was designed by Allah (swt). But why would Allah (swt) build a system to deprive anyone of this? Let us first examine a list of some of the traits that Allah (swt) categorically states he will NOT guide, or those he misguides. the rebellious and disobedient (5:108) wrong-doers (3:86) disbelievers (2:264) a polytheist, those who commit great sins (40:28) liars (40:28) those who seek to be astray (2:26) those who follow their desires (30:29) one whom is extravagant (40:34) doubter (40:34) those who take Satan as their Wali (Guardian) (7:30) The idea is if we avoid these characteristics or traits, we shall not be of those who are deprived of the Outward Guidance. In contrast, by adopting these characteristics, we are naturally going against 22 Quran 7:43 23 Quran 28:56 24 Page 6 25 Quran 20:50 9

the Fitrah which tells us to turn towards uprightness. 26 By going against the inward guidance, how are we expected to receive or be receptive of the Outward Guidance? These traits act as a seal to the heart just as rust overcomes metal. If one allows the traits to grow they will spread until the heart is completely consumed. The eyes of the heart will no longer be able to see, nor the ears of the heart be able to hear. Figure 3 One who has his heart & ears sealed, and his eyes veiled, will not benefit from the Outward Guidance as his heart is covered, sealed, and veiled with low desires and sins alike. There is no doubt that if the one who has seals and veils upon him repents and strives to be righteous, with the help of Allah (swt), he will have removed those obstacles to from his heart: Had Allah known of any good in them He would have made them hear, but had He made them hear 27 28 they would have turned away, averse. Now that we have established that Allah (swt) will only lead astray certain types of people, we now need to understand HOW Allah (swt) does this. If he is the All-Guiding (Al-Hādī) then how can He misguide? 26 Quran 30:30 27 Quran 8:23 28 Interestingly, the verse is speaking of those who turn away from the Prophet (pbuh) while he speaks. It starts with (meaning explained earlier 28 ) and ends with how even if they did hear, they would again turn away. 10

How does Allah (swt) misguide and seal the heart? Undoubtedly there is free-will in the issue of guidance. Many claim that since Allah (swt) guides and misguides whom he wills, there is no free-will! The Quran tells us we have the choice and through the Universal Inward Guidance we are discover what is right and what is wrong: And the soul and Him Who made it perfect, Then He inspired it to understand what is right and wrong for it; 29 For the sake of brevity, we will not go into the details of free-will and predestination. As for the way Allah (swt) leads astray, we will find that the method used is absolutely identical as the method used to GUIDE the people! If we carry on with the theme used in the parable shared earlier 11 we see how incredible the analogy Allah (swt) used and the meaning behind thunder and lighting. It is interesting to note that certain madhabs state heavy thunder and lightning are signs of Allah which at certain times require us to do the prayer of the signs (salatul ayat) 30. Allah (swt) uses this parable to show how a disbeliever would act when given His signs, by placing his fingers in his ears, as if it is not a sign of the Almighty. However, for the believers, thunder and lightning is a sign of the power and strength of Allah (swt): And Allah has sent down water from the cloud and therewith given life to the earth after its death; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who would listen. 31 Those who remember Allah standing and sitting and lying on their sides and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord! Thou hast not created this in vain! Glory be to Thee; save us then from the chastisement of the fire: 32 Now, to bring a more practical example of how Allah (swt) guides and leads astray the same way, we see in the following Aya the contrast in how the disbelievers and believers react to the signs of the Quran. 29 Quran 91:7-8 30 Ja fari Madhab 31 Quran 16:65 32 Quran 3:191 11

And when they hear what has been revealed to the messenger you will see their eyes overflowing with tears on account of the truth that they recognize; they say: Our Lord! we believe, so write us down with the witnesses (of truth). 33 When Our Signs are rehearsed to such a one, he turns away in arrogance, as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in both his ears: announce to him a grievous Penalty. 34 We see that the one whom is guided rejoices, while the other grows in his arrogance. It is clear the arrogance is coming from man, yet the source of it is the signs that has been rehearsed. Allah will reveal his signs to whom he pleases, and in turn, guides and misguides as such, whom he pleases. If we refer to Figure 3 35 we can see the seal is from the sins, transgressions and desires, yet the cause of them is the signs. If man is indulgent in his arrogance in rejecting truth, we see Allah (swt) increases his arrogance and misguidance by giving him more signs to reject. Allah (swt) could very well end the life of man yet he extends it allowing him to dig deeper into his misguidance: And let not those who disbelieve think that Our granting them respite is better for their souls; We grant them respite only that they may add to their sins; and they shall have a disgraceful chastisement. 36 So we see, the source of misguidance is no different than the guidance - however it is the Nafs that receives it who allows it to be used for either their benefit or their loss. Allah (swt) in His mercy provides justly to all. So in essence, when Allah (swt) says He will lead them astray, it means He will continue to provide more signs for man to reject, and thus increase the rejecter in his straying further away from the truth. A clearer example is if we compare the believers and the hypocrites, whom have a disease in their heart. Allah (swt) says he increases the disease in their heart. Same dilemma occurs how and why does Allah (swt) increase the disease of someone s heart? 33 Quran 5:83 34 Quran 31:7 35 Page 10 36 Quran 3:178 12

In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease: And grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves). 37 In the following couple of Aya s in Surah Taubah, Allah (swt) shows them side by side how they act when a new surah is revealed to both parties. Incredibly, the same thing brought down was joy for believers increasing them in faith, while grief for the hypocrites and in turn the increasing of the disease: And whenever a surah is revealed, there are among the hypocrites those who say, "Which of you has this increased faith?" As for those who believed, it has increased them in faith, while they are rejoicing. But as for those in whose hearts is disease, it has [only] increased them in evil [in addition] to their evil. And they will have died while they are disbelievers. 38 Figure 4 Allah (swt) guides and misguides with exactly the same method. He provides a guidance that man will either increase in faith or increase in evil 37 Quran 2:10 38 Quran 9:124-125 13

It is evident, the method Allah (swt) misguides, by his mercy & bounty, is providing more signs to his creation. Subhanallah! Misguidance can only come through rejection of guidance - and the more man rejects, the deeper in darkness they delve. Not only are these signs a point of guidance, but they are also a tool used by Allah (swt) to seal/veil the hearts, hearing and vision of man. Guidance only comes from Allah (swt) 39, and if the rejection of it is what causes the misguidance; then there is no doubt that the source of the misguidance is also from Allah (swt), since no other being can be a source of guidance but Him. Whatever Allah (swt) provides is good, but what man does with those signs is for him to choose if it shall benefit him or lead to perdition. Enlightening proofs came to you from your Lord; so whoever observes, it is for his own good; and whoever is blind, it is for his own harm; and I am not a guardian over you. 40 Ponder upon this, and reflect on the immaculate Divine Justice of Allah (swt). 39 Discussed on pages 8-9 40 Quran 6:104 14

Conclusion The importance of understanding who and why Allah (swt) seals the hearts and hearing, and veils the sight, is clear when one understands there is not much difference between being in that state of deafness, dumbness, and blindness, and being dead: Only those can accept who hear. As for the dead, Allah will raise them up; then unto Him they will be returned. 41 Death brings the end of our life on this Earth, and effectively ends our test. One of the primary reasons we are on this earth is to be tested 42, and if we are physically alive upon this earth while no longer able to successfully undertake any tests, we are as good as dead. If we lose the medium of guidance due to a seal or veil, then death is better for us than to surge deeper into darkness. If we go back to the story of Pharaoh and the magicians, the magicians accepted the signs of Musa (as) through the vision of the heart. Pharaoh, however, had veiled vision due to his transgressions. 43 Had Pharaoh accepted he would have been of those who would rejoice at the signs of Allah (swt). Instead he was as good as dead. Pharaoh s heart was so hard nothing could penetrate it until the reality of death came, which pierced his heart without the need for a medium (sight/hearing). Allah (swt) declared it too late for his repentance as he was of those who were ungrateful: And We took the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued them in tyranny and enmity until, when drowning overtook him, he said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims." What! now! and indeed you disobeyed before and you were of the mischief-makers. 41 Quran 6:36 42 Quran 67:2 43 Quran 20:24 15

But We will this day deliver you with your body that you may be a sign to those after you, and most surely the majority of the people are heedless to Our Signs. 44 What is ironic, is that because he was heedless of the signs, he has now become a sign for the remaining people; while Allah (swt) warns most are heedless of His signs.. The Inward Guidance (fitrah) will be ever present in the human as will the hearing and seeing. As long as man adheres to the Inward Guidance, and strives hard for Allah (swt) - the medium of hearing and seeing will be clear for the Outward Guidance. However, if man inclines towards a path of transgression Allah (swt) will continue to provide the Outward Guidance (His signs) for them so they may turn towards Him in repentance. If they continue to reject, their desires will ensure those very same signs increase and strengthen seal and veil upon their hearts, hearing, and vision. This truly highlights the Divine Justice of Allah (swt). May we be of those who are rightly guided, and do not mix our faith with injustice and be guided, Ya Allah (swt). Those who believe and do not mix up their faith with injustice, those are they who shall have protection and they are those who are guided. 45 Note: This topic can be explored further from a philosophical approach. We have not discussed the concept of free will vs predestination nor analysed the concept of Bada. Sayyid Mujtaba Musawi Lari has covered this in detail from Lesson 19 of his book God & His Attributes 46 Bibliography 1. The Deaf & The Blind, Aqib Al-Qadri 2. The Noble Quran, http://www.quran.com 3. Al-Quran Online Quran Project Translation and Tafsir, http://al-quran.info 4. Tafsir Al-Mizan, Allamah Muhammad Hussein Tabatabaei 5. God and His Attributes, Lessons on Islamic Doctrine, Book 1, Sayyid Mujtaba Musawi Lari Ahmed Hakim, 2014 imilanfc@gmail.com 44 Quran 10:90-92 45 Quran 6:82 46 http://www.al-islam.org/god-and-his-attributes-sayyid-mujtaba-musawi-lari/lesson-19-free-will 16