SURAH AL-BAQARAH
Ayah 7.
خَتَمَ اللّهُ عَلَى قُلُوبِهمْ وَعَلَى سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَى أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ
وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ عظِيمٌ
Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and over their vision is a veil. They will have a severe torment.
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“ .. set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and over their vision is a veil.”
Allah mentioned sealing off the “hearts” first, then “hearing” second and “vision” third.
Example of a baby who is developing in the womb. The first organ to function that proves that the baby inside is alive is the heart. Next, the sense of hearing is functioning where the baby can listen while still in the womb. When it is born, the baby will cry. The voice is functioning. Next, his vision develops when the brain tries to process what it sees.
You see how the sequence of “heart”, “hearing” and “vision” were arranged in this ayah. The sequence of healthy development of the senses of a human from a living heart, ability to hear, a crying voice and finally able to see.
“ .. set a seal on their hearts"
If the heart is not beating, the baby is dead. Therefore it will not have his hearing and vision. When the heart was sealed, therefore the hearing and vision will be veiled too. This is the parable for those who have been continuously rejecting “Eeman” on purpose. Their “soul” is dead. No Eeman is beating inside.
In Ayah 18, it depicted the sequence of a dead heart – “deaf”, “mute”, “blind” which is the sequence of “unhealthy” development of the "kaafiruun" opposite to a healthy physical development of a human.
This surah is talking about “Eeman” in the heart. When a person constantly throws out any “Eeman” from his heart, hence his heart is completely sealed off. No guidance whatsoever can enter his heart.
Example: Fir’aun (pharaoh of ancient Egypt) had heard the preaching of Moses(a.s) and had seen miracles upon miracles by the will of Allah. However he still rejected “Eeman” from entering his heart.
The Believers believe in the unseen while the Disbelievers can’t even believe in what they see. Their heart, hearing and vision were veiled.
The Mushrikuun had lived with Muhammad (s.a.w) before he was a Prophet. They saw him grew up. Saw his behavior, his honesty and how he was good with his neighbors. How sincere and truthful was he until they called him “Al-Ameen” = “The Trustworthy One”. He mingled with society, a good honest trustworthy man. For 40 years they saw his flawless character and they loved him.
Once he brought the revelations, they started hating him. Why? They hated that the revelations were exposing of their corruption, the illogical nature of their idol worshiping, etc. Their hatred to the revelations had blinded them that this was the person whom they had known and trust to be truthful all his life since he was a child. A person they knew very well. They had blocked themselves from the truth.
For the Islamophobia, they should at least see the good and the truth in the revelation. However, they can’t see it as they are blinded by hatred and anger since revelation goes against their uncontrolled desires.
Because of the way they continually behave, Allah sealed off their hearts from receiving guidance. You have witnessed debates between Islamic scholar and a scholar of another faith where the other scholar will never see between logical truth and blind faith. There is no point in debating, as a person who enters a debate has already set up his mind on what he wants to believe. He will not surrender to the opponent’s speeches in front of the crowd.
As for those who stopped behaving this way, who lowered their “cover” and managed to see and hear what the religion was all about, have converted to the truth.
"They will have a severe torment."
The hard-core Kafir will receive a “severe” torment. This punishment is not the same as the type of punishment the third group of people (the munafiquun) will receive. Why the difference? It will be explained in the next few ayaat.
He is the one who can punish others for their wrong doings and He is untouchable by anyone. Therefore if people believed that a god can be crucified with severe torment as a punishment, then that is not in accordance to the definition of a God.