The Disbelievers are like the Dead, Deaf and Blind
Ayahs Covered
سُورَةُ الرُّومِ
Ar-Room (The Romans)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
2 ayahs
فَإِنَّكَ لَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ وَلَا تُسْمِعُ ٱلصُّمَّ ٱلدُّعَآءَ إِذَا وَلَّوْا۟ مُدْبِرِينَ
So indeed, you will not make the dead hear, nor will you make the deaf hear the call when they turn their backs, retreating.
وَمَآ أَنتَ بِهَٰدِ ٱلْعُمْىِ عَن ضَلَٰلَتِهِمْ ۖ إِن تُسْمِعُ إِلَّا مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا فَهُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
And you cannot guide the blind away from their error. You will only make hear those who believe in Our verses so they are Muslims [in submission to Allah].
Common Words
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تسمع3x
فإنك1x
لا1x
ٱلموتى1x
ولا1x
ٱلصم1x
ٱلدعاء1x
إذا1x
ولوا1x
مدبرين1x
وما1x
أنت1x
بهد1x
ٱلعمى1x
عن1x
ضللتهم1x
إن1x
إلا1x
من1x
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Other Scholars on These Ayahs
And so you cannot make the dead hear nor can you make the deaf hear the call when read al-du‘ā’a idhā pronouncing both hamzas or by not pronouncing the second one that comes between it and the yā’ the...
Nor can you guide the blind out of their error. You can only make hear in a way so as to understand and accept those who believe in Our signs in the Qur’ān and have thus submitted sincere in their aff...
Ibn Kathir Commentary
Related Tafsir
The Disbelievers are like the Dead, Deaf and Blind
Allah says, `just as you are not able to make the dead hear in their graves, or to make your words reach the deaf who cannot hear and who still turn away from you, so too you cannot guide the blind to the truth and bring them back from their misguidance.' That is a matter which rests with Allah, for by His power He can make the dead hear the voices of the living if He wills. He guides whom He wills and sends astray whom He wills, and no one but He has the power to do this. Allah says:
إِن تُسْمِعُ إِلاَّ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِـَايَـتِنَا فَهُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
(you can make to hear only those who believe in Our Ayat, and have submitted (to Allah in Islam).) means, those who are humble and who respond and obey. These are the ones who will listen to the truth and follow it; this is the state of the believers; the former (being deaf and blind) is the state of the disbelievers, as Allah says:
إِنَّمَا يَسْتَجِيبُ الَّذِينَ يَسْمَعُونَ وَالْمَوْتَى يَبْعَثُهُمُ اللَّهُ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ
(It is only those who listen will respond, but as for the dead, Allah will raise them up, then to Him they will be returned.) (6:36) `A'ishah, the Mother of the faithful, may Allah be pleased with her, used this Ayah --
إِنَّكَ لاَ تُسْمِعُ الْمَوْتَى
(So verily, you cannot make the dead to hear) as evidence against `Abdullah bin `Umar when he reported that the Prophet had addressed the slain disbelievers who had been thrown into a dry well three days after the battle of Badr, rebuking and reprimanding them, until `Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah, are you addressing people who are dead bodies" He said:
«وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا أَنْتُمْ بِأَسْمَعَ لِمَا أَقُولُ مِنْهُمْ، وَلَكِنْ لَا يُجِيبُون»
(By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, you do not hear what I say any better than they do, but they cannot respond.) s`A'ishah interpreted this event to mean that the Prophet was making the point that now they would know that what he had been telling them was true. Qatadah said: "Allah brought them back to life for him so that they could hear what he said by way of rebuke and vengeance."