Surah Al-Isra Ayat 46 in Arabic Text
English Translation
Here you can read various translations of verse 46
And We have placed over their hearts coverings, lest they understand it, and in their ears deafness. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn back in aversion.
And We put coverings over their hearts (and minds) lest they should understand the Qur’an, and deafness into their ears: when thou dost commemorate thy Lord and Him alone in the Qur’an, they turn on their backs, fleeing (from the Truth).
and We place a covering on their hearts so that they do not comprehend it, and We cause a heaviness in their ears; and when you mention your Lord, the Only True Lord, in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion.
And We have put coverings over their hearts lest, they should understand it (the Quran), and in their ears deafness. And when you make mention of your Lord Alone [La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah) Islamic Monotheism] in the Quran, they turn on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislikeness.
And We place upon their hearts veils lest they should understand it, and in their ears a deafness; and when thou makest mention of thy Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion.
And We make lids upon their hearts so that they could not comprehend it, and (we make) in their ears an obstruction. And when you mention your Lord alone in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in repulsion.
We have put covers on their hearts that prevent them from understanding it, and heaviness in their ears. When you mention your Lord in the Quran, and Him alone, they turn their backs and run away.
اور ان کے دلوں پر ہم نے پردے ڈال دیئے ہیں کہ وه اسے سمجھیں اور ان کے کانوں میں بوجھ اور جب تو صرف اللہ ہی کا ذکر اس کی توحید کے ساتھ، اس قرآن میں کرتا ہے تو وه روگردانی کرتے پیٹھ پھیر کر بھاگ کھڑے ہوتے ہیں
Quran 17 Verse 46 Explanation
For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Al-Isra ayat 46, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.
Ala-Maududi
(17:46) and We place a covering on their hearts so that they do not comprehend it, and We cause a heaviness in their ears;[51] and when you mention your Lord, the Only True Lord, in the Qur’an, they turn their backs in aversion.[52]
51. This refers to the divine law according to which those people, who do not believe in the Hereafter, cannot benefit from the Quran. Allah has attributed this law to Himself, as if to say: The natural result of disbelief in the Hereafter is that the heart of such a man becomes dull and his ears become deaf to the message of the Quran, for Quran bases its invitation on the belief in the Hereafter. So it warns the people that they should not be deluded by this apparent aspect of the worldly life if there appears to be none to call them to account here; for it does not mean they are not at all accountable and answerable to anyone. Likewise if Allah allows freedom of belief to practice shirk, atheism, disbelief or Tauhid with impunity in this world, and their practice does not appear to make any practical difference in this world, it does not mean that these things do not produce any results at all. For, in fact, everyone shall be accountable and answerable after death in the next world. Then everyone will realize that the doctrine of Tauhid alone is true and all other doctrines are false. For, if at present the consequences of deeds do not appear after death, they shall inevitably appear, but the reality has now been hidden behind an invisible curtain. There is an inevitable moral law according to which submission to it will bear its fruit and disobedience shall incur its losses. As decisions according to this moral law will be made in the Hereafter. You should not be enticed by the charms of this transitory life. You should, therefore, keep in view that ultimately you shall have to render an account of all your deeds in this world before your Lord, and adopt that true creed and moral attitude which may be conducive to your success in the Hereafter.
From this it must have become obvious that if a man does not believe in the Hereafter, he will never consider the message of the Quran worth his while but will hanker after this world and its joys which he can feel and experience. Naturally his ears will not listen to the message and it will never reach the depths of his heart. Allah has stated this psychological fact in this verse.
In this connection, it should be remembered that the words contained in this verse were uttered by the disbelievers of Makkah as quoted in (Surah HaMim As-Sajdah, ayat 5): “They say, O Muhammad, a covering has fallen over our hearts, and our ears are deaf for the message you give and there is a curtain between you and us. You may go on with your work and we will do whatever we desire.” Here the same words have been cited, as if to say: You consider this state of yours to be a virtue, whereas this is a curse which has fallen on you according to the divine law because of your disbelief of the Hereafter.
52. That is, they do not like it at all that you should consider Allah alone as your Lord and not mention the Lords they have set up. They seem to think it strange that one should go on praising Allah and never mention the miracles of their elders and saints nor praise them for their favors. For, according to them, Allah has delegated the powers of His Godhead to their great ones. Therefore, they say: What a strange fellow he is! He believes that the knowledge of the unknown, and all the power and authority belong to One Allah alone. Why does he not pay tribute to those who give us children, cure us of diseases, and help make our commerce flourish, in short, fulfill all our wishes and desires.
Ibn-Kathir
The tafsir of Surah Al-Isra verse 46 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Isra ayat 45 which provides the complete commentary from verse 45 through 46.
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