Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

179. “Indeed We have created for Hell many jinn and humans; they have hearts with which they do not understand, and they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. They are as cattle, rather they are more astray. These are the heedless ones.”

The Signs of Hellish People

Through this verse and the next couple of verses, where the qualities of each group are hinted out, People have been divided into two groups. These two groups are: the hellish people, and the inhabitants of Paradise.

At first, with oath and emphasis, the Qur’ān states about the inhabitants of Hell as follows:

“Indeed We have created for Hell many jinn and humans...”

Allah has created all human beings pure and sinless, but, by means of their own evil deeds, some groups of them make themselves candidates for Hell. The end of these people is dark and inauspicious. There are some other people who make themselves candidate for Paradise. The end of such people is happiness and felicity.

After that, the verse summarizes the qualities of the hellish group in three phrases. The first quality is that:

“…they have hearts with which they do not understand…”

Their second quality is that they have clear eyes for seeing the truth but they do not observe the feature of the facts and pass by them like some blind persons. The verse says:

“…and they have eyes with which they do not see…”

Their third quality is that they have safe and sound ears, but they do not hearken to the truth and right words, and, like the deaf, they deprive themselves from hearing the divine truth. The verse says:

“…and they have ears with which they do not hear…”

In fact, they are like cattle, because the privilege of man to animals lies in vigilant thought, clear-insightedness, and the hearing ears that, unfortunately, these hellish people have lost all of them. The verse says:

“…they are as cattle…”

They are, of course, worse than cattle and more astray. The verse continues saying:

“…rather they are more astray…”

Cattle have not the talents and possibilities that human beings have. Men, with the intellect, clear-insightedness, and the hearing ears that they have, can gain all kinds of progress and development.

But, as a result of sensuality and tending toward mean things, they may leave these faculties and talents in vain. Such people are some neglectful persons, and therefore, they wander in the deviated path of life. The verse finally says:

“…These are the heedless ones.”

They are nigh to the fountain of water of life, but they are crying of thirst. The gates of felicity are open to them, but they do not even look at them.