Surah Al-Isra 17:46

The Veil over the Hearts of the Idolators

Allah says to His Messenger Muhammad : `When you recite Qur'an to these idolators, We put an invisible veil between you and them.' Qatadah and Ibn Zayd said, "It is coverings over their hearts," as Allah says:

(And they say: "Our hearts are under coverings (screened) from that to which you invite us; and in our ears is deafness, and between us and you is a screen) meaning, there is something that is stopping and preventing your words from reaching us.

(an invisible veil.) meaning something which covers, or that cannot be seen, so there is a barrier between them and guidance. This is the interpretation that Ibn Jarir (may Allah have mercy on him) thought was correct. Al-Hafiz Abu Ya`la Al-Mawusili recorded that Asma' bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "When the Ayah,

(Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and perish he!) (111:1) was revealed, the one-eyed woman Umm Jamil the wife of Abu Lahab came with a stone pestle in her hand, screaming, `What was sent to us is somebody blameworthy, or, we reject somebody blameworthy Abu Musa - one of the narrators - said, it is I who am not sure what was said; we shun his religion and disobey whatever he commands!' The Messenger of Allah was sitting with Abu Bakr by his side. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, `This woman has come and I am afraid she will see you.' The Prophet said,

(Certainly she will not see me.) and he recited Qur'an through which he was protected from her:

(And when you recite the Qur'an, We put between you and those who believe not in the Hereafter, an invisible veil). She came and found Abu Bakr, but she did not see the Prophet . She said, `O Abu Bakr, I have heard that your companion is lampooning me.' Abu Bakr said, `No, by the Lord of this House the Ka`bah, he is not lampooning you.' Then she went away, saying, `The Quraysh know that I am the daughter of their master."'

(And We have put coverings over their hearts,) Akinnah (coverings) is the plural of Kinan, which covers the heart.

(lest they should understand it,) means, lest they should understand the Qur'an.

(and in their ears deafness) something that will stop them from hearing the Qur'an in such a way that they will understand it and be guided by it.

(And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an,) means, when you declare Allah to be One in your recitation, and say La Ilaha Illallah,

(they turn) means they turn away

(on their backs, fleeing in extreme dislike.) As Allah says:

(And when Allah Alone is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust (from the Oneness of Allah).) 39:45 z

(And when you make mention of your Lord Alone in the Qur'an,) Commenting on this Ayah, Qatadah said that when the Muslims said La Ilaha Illallah, the idolators disliked this and found it intolerable. Iblis and his troops hated it, but Allah insisted on supporting it so that it would prevail over those who opposed it. Whoever uses it against his opponent will prevail, and whoever fights for it will be victorious. Only the Muslims of the Arabian Peninsula, which can be traversed by a rider in a few nights, knew it and accepted it, out of all mankind.

Selanjutnya Allah swt menjelaskan bahwa pada saat Rasulullah membaca Al-Qur'an, Allah swt memasang tutup yang menyelubungi hati kaum musyrikin, sehingga hati mereka tidak bisa memahami Al-Qur'an, dan memasang sumbat di telinga mereka, sehingga tidak dapat mendengarnya. Kalau dalam ayat 45 di atas, Allah menyebutkan sebab-sebab yang meng-halangi mereka memahami Al-Qur'an yang datang dari luar, dalam ayat ini Allah swt menyebutkan sebab-sebab yang datang dari dalam atau yang terdapat pada diri mereka sendiri. Mereka telah mengalami kerusakan mental yang berat, sehingga tidak dapat lagi mengendalikan jiwanya. Oleh karena itu, mereka terhalang dari memahami ayat-ayat Al-Qur'an yang benar-benar meminta perhatian dan pemusatan pikiran. Kerusakan mental ini disebabkan kebiasaan mereka mengikuti jejak nenek moyang, meskipun apa yang diikuti itu tidak benar. Mereka sendiri mengakui kerusakan mental mereka, sebagaimana disebutkan dalam firman Allah pada ayat yang lain:

Dan mereka berkata, "Hati kami sudah tertutup dari apa yang engkau seru kami kepadanya dan telinga kami sudah tersumbat, dan di antara kami dan engkau ada dinding, karena itu lakukanlah (sesuai kehendakmu), sesung-guhnya kami akan melakukan (sesuai kehendak kami)." (Fushshilat/41: 5) (Perhatikan pula Fushshilat/41: 44 dan al-An'am/6: 25)

Selanjutnya dijelaskan bahwa apabila Rasulullah menyebutkan nama Allah Yang Maha Esa dalam Al-Qur'an, tanpa menyebutkan nama-nama tuhan mereka, mereka berpaling ke belakang, dan menjauhinya dengan sikap yang sombong dan takabur. Mereka merasa tersinggung sebab Rasulullah hanya menyebut nama Allah Yang Maha Esa saja dan tidak menyebutkan nama berhala-berhala mereka dalam Al-Qur'an yang dibaca. Mereka benar-benar membenci Nabi yang tidak hanya tampak pada ucapan dan sikap mereka, akan tetapi diikuti dengan tindakan-tindakan penyiksaan kepada kaum Muslimin. Mereka juga merintangi kegiatan menyebarkan dakwah Islamiyah di kalangan penduduk Mekah dan sekitarnya.